Davis High students excel on AP tests

Here is a newspaper article By Chris O'Nan (Standard-Examiner Davis Bureau) talking about the AP program in Utah, and at my own home school, Davis High

During the 2008-09 school year, Davis High had the most students of any Utah school take Advance Placement tests and, with an 84.6 percent success rate, placed third in the state for passing scores. Delta High School had the most students passing AP tests, with 88 percent, and Juab High students had an 86.4 percent pass rate.

Also drawing the spotlight to Davis High, said Principal Dee Burton, is the fact that 207 of the 672 students who took the tests received the AP Scholar Award. To get the award, students must pass three or more AP exams. AP exams are taken at the end of the school year by students who have completed AP coursework.

Burton attributed the high turnout of AP test takers and the pass rate to strong family and teacher support and to students who come to school with academic excellence as their main goal. "We have tremendous support from the families," he said. "Kids know, when they come into Davis High School, they are going to be challenged academically by teachers who are not afraid to put some rigor in the course work."

Bountiful High and Viewmont High also made the state's Top 10 list for passing scores. Bountiful High was fifth in the state, with an 83.3 pass rate, and Viewmont placed 10th at 75.9 percent.

Schools were also rated according to how many students took AP tests. Woods Cross High was ninth in the state, with 352 students attempting AP tests, and Viewmont was 10th, with 350 students.

Davis High counselor Gene Kawa said passing AP tests requires a lot of work and is a "nice distinction" for students trying to enter college. "The savings they realize by passing the test is much greater than the cost," he said, adding that each exam costs $86. "They can get college credit for their AP classes, and they can go straight to advanced-level classes in college."

Viewmont High counselor Becky Wood said it also looks good on college entrance applications, especially when students are AP Scholars. "It shows that they are motivated, good students," she said. "It will have a role in helping them get scholarships."

In May, 2,365 Davis School District students took AP exams, with nearly one-quarter of them testing as scholars, said Christine Wahlquist, district director of research and assessment. She said the scholar award designation has four categories indicating various levels of attainment: scholar, scholar with honors, scholar with distinction and national AP scholar.

On a scoring scale of 1-5, scores of 3 or higher are considered passing and eligible for college credit. Scholars must pass three or more AP exams with a score of 3 or higher; scholars with honors must pass four or more exams with an average score of 3.25; scholars with distinction must pass five or more exams with an average score of 3.5; and national AP scholars must pass eight or more exams with a score of 4 or higher on each.

In the Davis district, 578 students received AP scholar designations. Of those, 303 received scholar with honors, 192 were scholars with distinction, and 19 were national AP scholars. In 2009, compared to 2008, Utah participation in AP programs increased by nearly 5 percent and the pass rate increased slightly, from 64.6 percent to 65.4 percent. Nationally, the 2009 pass rate is 58.9 percent.

District Superintendent Brian Bowles said AP test scores "speak volumes" about the quality of instruction in the district's schools. "Large numbers of our students engage in Advanced Placement course work, take the rigorous tests connected with the courses, and pass at rates much higher than the national average," he said. "AP success is not just high school success; AP success measures the quality of preparation and instruction that begins in kindergarten classrooms and builds year after year through our AP courses."