425 School Districts Across the U.S. and Canada Are Honored

Livermore, CA— The Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District (LVJUSD) is one of 425 school districts in the U.S. and Canada being honored by the College Board with placement on the 6th Annual AP® District Honor Roll for increasing access to Advanced Placement (AP) course work while simultaneously maintaining or increasing the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher on AP Exams. Reaching these goals indicates that a district is successfully identifying motivated, academically prepared students who are ready for the opportunity of AP. To be included on the 6th Annual Honor Roll, the LVJUSD had to, since 2013, increase the number of students participating in AP while also increasing or maintaining the number of students earning AP Exam scores of 3 or higher

“Expanding rigorous, college level course offerings for all students, including those traditionally under-represented, has been a major effort on the part of Livermore Valley joint Unified School District and its high schools, says Superintendent Kelly Bowers. “The LVJUSD has been working with Equal Opportunity Schools for the last two years as a result of having been selected to participate in a Google/Harvard Grant, and our efforts have shown measured success.  This is major step forward in closing the Achievement Gap and ensuring all students, regardless of their background are college and career ready.”

Data from 2015 show that among black/African American, Hispanic, and Native American students with a high degree of readiness for AP, only about half of students are participating. The first step to delivering the opportunity of AP to students is providing access by ensuring courses are available, that gatekeeping stops, and that the doors are equitably opened so these students can participate. The LVJUSD is committed to expanding the availability of AP courses among prepared and motivated students of all backgrounds. To this end and through a partnership with the Pedrozzi Scholarship Foundation, all 10th grade students in the LVJUSD take the Practice Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT). This allows us to identify students who would otherwise not be identified for higher level courses.

“That the committed teachers and administrators in this district have both expanded AP access and also helped their students achieve high levels of performance on AP Exams shows they’re delivering opportunity in their schools and classrooms, and it is a real testament to their belief that a more diverse population of young people is ready for the challenge of college,” said Trevor Packer, the College Board’s senior vice president of AP and Instruction. “Congratulations to these teachers and administrators, and to their hard-working students.” 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 a variety of initiatives and strategies to determine how to simultaneously expand access and improve student performance.

In 2015, more than 3,800 colleges and universities around the world received AP scores for college credit, advanced placement, and/or consideration in the admission process, with many colleges and universities in the United States offering credit in one or more subjects for qualifying AP scores.

Inclusion on the 6th Annual AP District Honor Roll is based on the examination of three years of AP data, from 2013 to 2015, looking across 34 AP Exams, including world language and culture. The following criteria were used.

Districts must:

  • Increase participation/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;
  • Increase or maintain the percentage of exams taken by black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian/Alaska Native students; and
  • Improve or maintain performance levels when comparing the 2015 percentage of students scoring a 3 or higher to the 2013 percentage, unless the district has already attained a performance level at which more than 70 percent of its AP students are scoring a 3 or higher.

When these outcomes have been achieved among an AP student population in which 30 percent or more are underrepresented minority students (black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaska Native) and/or 30 percent 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 6th Annual AP District Honor Roll can be found here.

ABOUT LIVERMORE VALLEY JOINT UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

The Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District serves approximately 12,500 students in transitional kindergarten through the 12th grade in eight elementary schools, two K-8 schools – including one school with the International Baccalaureate program, three middle schools, two comprehensive high schools, and two alternative schools. Our teachers offer inspiring programs that prepare students to contribute and thrive in their community. For more information about the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District please visit www.livermoreschools.com.