433 districts across north America honored

Leander ISD is one of 433 school districts in the U.S. and Canada being honored by the College Board with placement on the seventh-annual Advanced Placement District Honor Roll.

“I am extremely proud that LISD has earned this distinction as an AP Honor Roll District for consecutive years, both in 2015 and now again in 2016,” said Dan Troxell, LISD superintendent. “Being one of only 23 districts in Texas, this is a testament to our team’s efforts.”

In 2016, more than 4,000 colleges and universities around the world received AP scores for college credit, advanced placement, or both, and/or consideration in the admission process.

To be included on the District Honor Roll, LISD had to, since 2014, increase the number of students participating in AP while also increasing or maintaining the percentage of students earning AP Exam scores of 3 or higher. Reaching these goals shows that the district is successfully identifying motivated, academically prepared students who are ready for AP.

“Thank you to our deans of instruction, teaching and learning instructional support staff, counselors, principals, and most importantly, our pre-AP and AP teachers and AP students for all that they do,” Troxell said.

Helping more students learn at a higher level and earn higher AP scores is an objective of all members of the AP community, from AP teachers to district and school administrators to college professors. Many districts are experimenting with initiatives and strategies to see how they can expand access and improve student performance at the same time.

“Congratulations to all the teachers and administrators in this district who have worked so tirelessly to both expand access to AP and also to help students succeed on the AP Exams,” said Trevor Packer, the College Board’s head of AP and instruction. “These teachers and administrators are delivering real opportunity in their schools and classrooms, and students are rising to the challenge.”

National data from 2016 show that among black/African American, Hispanic and Native American students with a high degree of readiness for AP, only about half are participating. The first step to getting more of these students to participate is to give them access. Courses must be made available, gatekeeping must stop, and doors must be equitably opened. LISD is committed to expanding the availability of AP courses among prepared and motivated students of all backgrounds.

“District growth is considered in this recognition, and Leander ISD’s AP participation and performance is outpacing our district growth,” said Lisa Nucci, LISD’s director of college and career readiness. “Also, since recognition is based on three years of AP exam participation and performance data, it’s not about a single strong group of AP students’ performance for one year, but it speaks to the development of LISD’s AP program overall.

“We offer an extensive array of AP subjects in our high schools,” she added, “and with 27 to 29 AP subjects offered at each campus, students have opportunities to challenge themselves in their area(s) of strength and interest.”