Westlake Earns Spot on AP Honor Roll

Westlake City Schools is one of fewer than 400 public school districts in the nation being honored by the College Board with a place on the second annual Advanced Placement Honor Roll.

Westlake is one of only 23 Ohio school districts to be listed on the honor roll, and is one of only two Northeast Ohio school districts to achieve this distinction for two consecutive years.

The award honors those districts that increase access to AP coursework while maintaining the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher on AP exams. Achieving both goals indicates that a district is successfully identifying motivated, academically-prepared students who are likely to benefit most from AP classes.

Since 2009, Westlake has added 60 students to their AP program, while maintaining the percentage of students earning AP Exam scores of 3 or higher at 74 percent. The majority of U.S. colleges and universities grant college credit or advanced placement for scores of 3 and above.

 “This achievement aligns with our mission of educating for excellence and our Continuous Improvement Plan goals of working with our students to achieve at the highest levels,” said Superintendent Dan Keenan.

The second annual AP Honor Roll is made up of 367 school districts across 43 states and Canada.

“Participation in college-level AP courses can level the playing field for underserved students, give them the confidence needed to succeed in college, and raise standards and performance in key subjects like science and math,” said College Board President Gaston Capteron. “The AP Honor Roll districts are defying expectations by expanding access while enabling their students to maintain or improve their AP Exam scores.”

Inclusion on the 2nd Annual AP District Honor Roll is based on the following criteria:

• Examination of three years of AP data from 2009 to 2011

• Increase in participation in/access to AP by at least 4 percent in large districts, at least 6 percent in medium districts and at least 11 percent in small districts

• A steady or increasing percentage of exams taken by African American, Hispanic/Latino and American Indian/Alaska Native students

• Performance levels maintained or improved when comparing the percentage of students in 2011 scores a 3 or higher to those in 2009, or the school has already attained a performance level in which more than 70 percent of the AP students are scoring a 3 or higher.