Beverly Honored for Advanced Placement Program

Beverly High School was one of only 367 public schools in the nation to be selected by the College Board for inclusion on its second annual honor roll.  The list honors public school districts that have increased participation in AP courses while maintaining or improving scores.

Local, Beverly shares the honor with only two other districts: Marblehead and Masconomet, two of the areas most highly respected school systems.

Today's Salem News has more on the award:

The Beverly, Marblehead and Masconomet districts were all named to the second annual AP Honor Roll issued this week by the College Board, a not-for-profit organization that runs the AP program, which enables high school students to take college-level courses.

The honor roll is made up of districts that simultaneously get more students to take AP courses and improve or maintain test scores.

According to the College Board, Beverly has increased the number of students taking AP courses from 125 to 179 since 2009 while maintaining the percentage of students earning AP test scores of 3 or higher at 72 percent. That's down from 78 percent in 2009, but the College Board says a decline in scores can be expected if a program attracts a broader cross-section of students.

Districts that increase participation but still have more than 70 percent of AP students scoring a 3 or higher qualify for the honor roll. Most colleges in the United States give college credit or advanced placement for a score of 3 or above, according to the College Board.

The College Board is a not-for-profit membership organization committed to excellence and equity in education, whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity.