Merrill Area Public Schools is one of 373 school districts in the U.S. and Canada being honored by the College Board with placement on the 9th Annual AP® District Honor Roll. To be included on the 9th Annual Honor Roll, Merrill Area Public Schools had to, since 2016, 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 this district is successfully identifying motivated, academically prepared students who are ready for AP.
“We are grateful to be recognized as a first-time recipient for this significant distinction,” stated Dr. John Sample, Superintendent of Merrill Area Public Schools. “It confirms our focus on student success and acknowledges the hard work invested by our students and staff.”
National data from 2018 show that among American Indian/Alaska Native, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander 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. Merrill Area Public Schools is committed to expanding the availability of AP courses among prepared and motivated students of all backgrounds.
“Success in Advanced Placement is a combination of students’ own motivation and the opportunities educators provide for them,” said Trevor Packer, senior vice president of AP and Instruction at the College Board. “I’m inspired by the teachers and administrators in this district who have worked to clear a path for more students of all backgrounds to earn college credit during high school.”
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.
In 2018, 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 admissions process. Inclusion in the 9th Annual AP District Honor Roll is based on a review of three years of AP data, from 2016 to 2018, looking across 38 AP Exams, including world language and culture. The following criteria were used.
Districts must:
- Increase participation/access to AP by at least 4% in large districts, at least 6% in medium districts, and at least 11% in small districts;
- Increased or maintained the percentage of American Indian/Alaska Native, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students taking exams and increased or maintained the percentage of American Indian/Alaska Native, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students scoring 3+ on at least one AP Exam; and
- Improve or maintain performance levels when comparing the 2018 percentage of students scoring a 3 or higher to the 2016 percentage, unless the district has already attained a performance level at which more than 70% of its AP students earn a 3 or higher.
“We are excited to be able to offer Merrill students a rigorous curriculum that prepares them for college and makes them career ready,” said Shannon Murray, Principal of Merrill High School. “We are pleased that students are taking advantage of all of the great things available at Merrill High School. In addition to the 143 students who took AP exams last year, 159 students earned over 650 college credits at NTC while taking Dual Credit courses at MHS, and another 120 students earned valuable career experience while participating in the Wisconsin Youth Apprenticeship program. We continue to encourage students to challenge themselves and take advantage of the great programs MHS has to offer.”
When these outcomes have been achieved among an AP student population in which 30% or more are underrepresented minority students (American Indian/Alaska Native, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander) and/or 30% or more are low–income students (students who qualify for free or reduced–price lunch), a symbol has been affixed to the district name to highlight this work.
The complete 9th Annual AP District Honor Roll can be found here: https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/score-reports-data/awards/honor-roll