School Zone
Our Report Card Is In! DCPS
Students Enjoy 34.8% Increase in College Credits Earned
Through 2007 A.P. Exams
The results are in on Duval
County Public Schools students’ performance on 2007
Advanced Placement (A.P.) examinations:
Three out of four A.P.
courses passed with a grade of C or higher
Of the 19,451 Advanced Placement courses taken by
students district wide in 2006-07, passing grades of A,
B, or C were earned by three out of four on average in
these highly rigorous courses. Seventy-three percent or
14,180 passing grades of A, B, or C for high school
credit were tallied.
More than 34% hike in
college credits earned
In 2006, 3,472 Advanced Placement exams taken by Duval
County Public School students met College Board
standards for credit at the college level. In 2007,
that figure leaped to 4,681 – a 34.8% increase over a
one-year period. (1,209 more DCPS exam-takers qualified
for college-level credit).
Safety nets in place
Duval County students taking rigorous A.P. courses are
not without assistance to ensure their success. Every
Duval County high school has multiple safety net
programs in place for all students, including those in
A.P. courses. For example, students receive
individualized tutoring by their A.P. teachers and some
students are double blocked in AP courses which offer
additional and valuable study time. Also, after-school
tutoring and other assistance is available to students
struggling in A.P.
2007 results sets record
for students earning college credit in our high schools
The number of Duval County Public School students who
earned the equivalent of college credit in 2007 was
greater than in any other academic year in the history
of the district.
More rigor, more success
Nationwide analysis reveals that the earlier a high
school student is exposed to the rigors of college level
coursework, the greater the likelihood that he or she
will successfully enter and complete college --
regardless of whether the student receives college
credit for the coursework while still in high school,
according to Wayne Camera in “College Persistence,
Graduation and Remediation.” Simply put: High school
A.P. students are demonstrably better prepared for the
workforce and for college regardless of whether they
obtain college or high school credit for the A.P.
coursework.
Duval 9th-graders begin
sophomore year with college-level success
Nearly all the AP Human Geography students in Duval
County Public Schools who met College Board standards
for credit at the college level completed that course
while in ninth grade. These are high school freshmen who
now start their sophomore year with their first
college-level success already behind them.
DCPS’s A.P. success saves
parents $1.6 million
Tuition at University of North Florida is $116.37 per
credit hour. Each of the courses for which DCPS students
earned a 3, 4 or 5 on the A.P. exams is a 3-credit
course (some are 4-credit courses). In this example,
this amounts to a savings in tuition of almost $350 per
course and has a direct impact on parents’ pocketbooks.
In fact, with 4,681 scores of 3 or higher in 2007,
Jacksonville parents realized $1,634,184 in savings of
in-state tuition that they will not have to pay. Higher
out-of-state study would realize even further savings to
Duval parents.
A.P. enrollment increases
dramatically this new school year
In 2005-06, there were 4,253 students enrolled in
Advanced Placement courses. That figure rose to 10,249
during the 2006-07 school year. Enrollment estimates
for the 2007-08 school year to date show a projected
enrollment in Advanced Placement courses of 15,617
students.
Superintendent believes
A.P. enrollment also a social justice issue
Superintendent Joseph Wise believes that increased
enrollment in rigorous Advanced Placement courses is
important to creating a college-going culture among DCPS
students but also a vitally important social correction.
He believes that all students – regardless of their
race, economic status or religion – should be propelled
forward in academic achievement through enrollment in
the more challenging courses. The current A.P.
initiative is designed to level the playing field and
raise academic expectations of all students at all high
schools while mirroring the Duval County School Board’s
Core Beliefs and Commitments. |
