AP test scores rose in Montgomery County in 2012, with 75 percent of all exams receiving a 3 or above, according to statistics released by MCPS last week. County scores fared better than both statewide and nationwide scores, and county AP participation also increased.
These accolades placed MCPS on the College Board’s Honor Roll as one of only 539 districts in the country that increased both access and scores on AP exams, according to the College Board.
“Montgomery County has done something that’s quite atypical,” College Board spokesperson Deborah Davis said.
Often when districts increase access to AP exams, scores decrease because a wider pool of students results in “a wider pool of kids at different levels,” Davis said in a phone interview. Improving both access and performance on the exams is an achievement for students and staff, she said.
“These results show that our efforts to provide students with access to rigorous classes are making a difference and that our students are prepared for this work,” Board of Education president Shirley Brandman said in a statement. “The
positive trends in AP participation and performance provide evidence that MCPS is breaking down barriers and providing more challenging curricular opportunities for students of all races and ethnicities.”
The percentage of passing exam scores rose more than 3 percentage points and remained significantly higher than the percentages for the state, 61.4 percent, and the nation, 57.3 percent.
Whitman saw a slim decline in AP pass rate, dropping to 89.2 percent compared to 89.6 percent in 2011, according to MCPS data. The school also notably had some of the county’s highest exam scores in English Language, Chemistry, US History, World History, Psychology and Physics C, among other subjects.
“Given our student population, I would be very surprised if our scores weren’t among the best in the county,” AP Chemistry teacher Sean Reid said.
English teacher Todd Michaels said that the exam performance is also the sign of an overall trend of rigor throughout the school.
“Other teachers in ninth and tenth grades, before AP classes, set a very solid foundation,” he said.
While scores improved across the county, gaps remain in access and achievement among certain groups, Superintendent Joshua Starr said in a statement.
“We must continue to provide all of our students with access to meaningful, relevant classes – like AP – that prepare them for success in college and beyond,” Starr said.
