Results of the rigorous Advanced Placement (AP) test show that Alachua County Public Schools has the highest ratio of passed tests in the state this year.
According to the College Board, which administers the AP exams, local students passed 2907 AP tests in 2009. A state report on AP results shows that there were 6312 tenth, eleventh and twelfth-graders in Alachua County schools in 2009. Students in those grade levels are the ones who typically take the AP test.
That means the district’s ratio of passed AP tests to 10th- through 12th-graders was .46. That’s the highest number in the state, and well above Florida’s .18 average.
“It’s a credit to our students, teachers and schools that so many of our students are taking and passing the challenging AP test,” said Superintendent Dan Boyd. “I’m so proud of their performance.”
AP is a program that offers rigorous college-level courses to high school students. Students who pass the AP test are eligible for college credit.
Alachua County also had the highest average number of tests taken by each AP student—2.2 tests compared to the statewide average of 1.8. The district’s passing percentage was the 3rd-highest in the state at 58.7%, compared to the Florida average of 42.9%. The percentage of all 10th- through 12th-graders in Alachua County taking the test was 5th-highest in the state at 35.7%. The state average was 23.4%.
Sandi Anusavice, the district’s director of secondary curriculum, says those figures demonstrate the district’s commitment to having more students take AP and other high-level courses.
“Many districts will limit the number of students taking the AP courses and exams so that they can keep their passing percentages up,” said Anusavice. “Our philosophy is to encourage more students to challenge themselves academically. These results are proof that students will rise to that challenge.”
The AP results follow by just a few weeks the release of the 2009 SAT scores. Alachua County students earned the highest average SAT score in the state for the second straight year. The local SAT score was 1632, far above the state average of 1475 and the national average of 1509.