Pottsgrove High Named to AP Honor Roll

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Pottsgrove School District.

Pottsgrove HIgh School has been named to the AP National Honor Roll School District according to the College Board. 

This special distinction was given to 425 school districts in the U.S. and Canada who simultaneously achieved increases in access to Advanced Placement courses for a broader number of students and also maintained or improved the rate at which their AP students earned scores of 3 or higher on an AP Exam. 

In Pennsylvania, Pottsgrove High School was one of 43 schools that earned this honor and only two other schools in the Montgomery County earned a spot on the AP School District Honor Roll. 

 “We were thrilled to hear that Pottsgrove High School has earned this prestigious honor, our teachers and students have been working so hard to achieve success and we are very proud of this national recognition of our accomplishments,” said Principal Bill Ziegler. 

This is the first time Pottsgrove has been recognized as an AP District Honor Roll member since the program’s inception in 2010. 

Pottsgrove has increased the number of Advanced Placement (AP) courses it offers from 10 in 2013 to 16 this year. 

Plus, this year’s AP scores are outpacing the state average by double digits. 

Here are some quick facts about the high school’s AP growth since 2013: 

• 28.20% increase in total of AP students since 2013 

• 56.50% more AP exams were taken in 2015 

• 65.21% increase in students who scored 3 or higher on an AP exam 

• Almost tripled the number of AP Scholars since 2013 (AP Scholar is a term used by College Board for a student scoring 3 or higher on 3 AP exams – average of 3.5 during their high school career). 

• 1 AP National AP Scholar in 2015 (National Scholar scores 4 or higher on at least 8 AP exams) 

The district has also provided professional development to teachers instructing AP courses, and as a result it has increased the number of students scoring a 3 or higher on the AP exams. 

“We certainly believe that the strengths of our school district reach much deeper than test scores or state rating systems,” said Shellie Feola, Pottsgrove Superintendent. “But certainly this is one important indication of our progress, and we’d like everyone to join in thanking our students, teachers, and parents for all of their efforts. This is something to celebrate.” 

Inclusion on the 6th Annual AP District Honor Roll is based on the examination of three years of AP data, from 2013 to 2015, for the following criteria: 

• Increased participation/access to AP by at least 4 percent in large districts, at least 6 percent in medium districts, and at least 11 percent in small districts; 

• Increased or maintained the percentage of exams taken by African American, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian/Alaska Native students, and; 

• Improved performance levels when comparing the percentage of students in 2015 scoring a 3 or higher to those in 2013, unless the district has already attained a performance level at which more than 70 percent of its AP students are scoring a 3 or higher. 

Congratulations Pottsgrove High School. A fine achievement.