The Advanced Placement (AP®) School Honor Roll and Access Awards programs have recognized several high schools in PWCS whose AP® programs have gone above and beyond to provide students with equitable access to advanced coursework. To qualify for the 2023 AP® School Honor Roll, schools must meet or exceed the criteria for a given recognition level for their work around college culture, college credit, and college optimization. 

Congratulations to the following PWCS schools that received this recognition:

2023 AP® School Honor Roll – Silver:

• Battlefield, Charles J. Colgan Sr., Osbourn Park, and Patriot High Schools

2023 AP® School Honor Roll – Bronze:

• Forest Park High School

Dr. Michael Bishop, principal of Patriot High, shared one of the keys of their success in enrolling students in advanced coursework includes personalized one-on-one consultations between school counselors and students.

Dr. Bishop stated, “We use the AP® Potential report provided by the College Board which lists the results of the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test to identify a student’s individual strengths and weaknesses. That information is then used to help students/families select classes that they would do well in based on their strengths. Counselors work with students and families to select courses that maximize their potential for success in an AP® class.” 

Terri Snoots, director of school counseling at Patriot, added, “Another strategy that has proved beneficial with the AP® Potential report is that we do a second look after students select and finalize classes with their counselor, and identify students who did not select any advanced coursework, and compare it with our AP® potential list. With targeted support and encouragement, many students who were identified as having great potential in an AP® course change their mind and choose to try out an advanced class.”

The AP® Access Award honors schools that encourage more responsive, inclusive, and equitable opportunities for underrepresented minority and/or low-income students taking AP® courses. To earn this award, the underrepresented minority and/or low-income students who take the AP® exam must match the school’s overall demographics.

Congratulations to the following PWCS schools that received this recognition:

2023 AP® Access Award:

• Battlefield, Charles J. Colgan Sr., and Forest Park High Schools

Richard Martinez, principal of Forest Park High, detailed some of the steps his school has taken to encourage students to take challenging courses.

“We looked at the barriers our students faced and worked to address them. One of the barriers is misinformation that advanced coursework is too difficult to attempt. We encouraged all our teachers across the school to engage parents and students in conversations about curriculum fears. We also made an effort to expand our advanced course opportunities to meet student interests. This year, we added AP Human Geography and AP Computer Science Principles to specifically target students not previously engaged in AP courses, popular with students in grades 9-10,” he shared.

“Our goal is to encourage students to take courses they have a strong interest in that capture their attention in class, so they perform well in exams and potentially earn college credit. To assist our students in advanced classes, we provide peer and teacher tutoring and focus on building a relationship of trust and empathy, showing them our earnest desire to see them succeed,” Martinez added.

Kelly Brown, supervisor for advanced academics and specialty programs, stated, “We are proud of these PWCS high schools as they lead the work to provide equitable opportunities for all students to achieve at high levels and prepare all students for post-secondary education and the workforce,”

More information on the AP® School Honor Roll and Access Awards can be found on the College Board’s AP® Central webpage.