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Elmsford School District Scores Big, Earns Spot On National AP Honor Roll

ELMSFORD, N.Y. -- The Elmsford Union Free School District earned a spot on the College Board's Seventh Annual AP® District Honor Roll, the district recently announced. It's one of 433 school districts in the United States and Canada to make the Honor Roll.

The Elmsford Union Free School District is one of 433 school districts in the United States and Canada to make the College Board's Seventh Annual AP District Honor Roll.

The Elmsford Union Free School District is one of 433 school districts in the United States and Canada to make the College Board's Seventh Annual AP District Honor Roll.

Photo Credit: File

To be included on the Honor Roll, the district had to submit three years’ worth of data between 2014 and 2016 that looked across 37 AP exams, including World Language and Culture, according to a release from the Elmsford UFSD.

The data was required to show an increase in the number of students participating in the AP exams as well as an increase in the percentage of students earning scores of three or higher on the tests, the release said.

“Reaching these goals shows that this district is successfully identifying motivated, academically prepared students who are ready for AP," said Superintendent Dr. Joseph Ricca upon hearing the news. “We are always proud of our students and how hard they work to improve their academic performance."

"Our faculty and staff are second to none and with a tremendously supportive Board of Education, we know that the Elmsford UFSD will continue to shine and increase opportunity and excellent outcomes for our students.”

National data from 2016 shows that among Black/African-American, Hispanic and Native American students with a high degree of readiness for AP, only about half are participating in the exams, according to the release.

“The first step to getting more of these students to participate is to give them access,” explained Ricca. “Courses must be made available, gatekeeping must stop, and doors must be equitably opened. The Elmsford UFSD is committed to expanding the availability of AP courses among prepared and motivated students of all backgrounds.”

Trevor Packer, the College Board’s head of AP and Instruction, offered his congratulations to all of the teachers and administrators in Elmsford who, he said, had worked tirelessly to expand access to the AP exams and to helping students succeed on them.

“These teachers and administrators are delivering real opportunity in their schools and classrooms, and students are rising to the challenge,” he said.

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 initiatives and strategies to see how they can expand access and improve student performance at the same time, added Packer.

In 2016, more than 4,000 colleges and universities around the world received AP scores for college credit, Advanced Placement, or both, and/or consideration in the admission process, the release said.

The complete Seventh Annual AP District Honor Roll can be found here.

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