O’Fallon Township High School is one of 373 school districts in the U.S. and Canada being honored by the College Board with placement on the 9th Annual AP® District Honor Roll.  To be included on the 9th Annual Honor Roll, O’Fallon Township High School, District 203, had to, since 2016, increase the number of students participating in AP while also increasing or maintaining the percentage of students earning AP Exam scores of 3 or higher. Reaching these goals shows that this district is successfully identifying motivated, academically prepared students who are ready for AP.

“We are thrilled to be recognized for this honor as it represents the hard work of our teachers, staff, students, and administration at OTHS.  Although OTHS is receiving this honor, we believe it is representative of a much larger pool of people as this success is also representative of the family partnership we are so fortunate to have in our community.  Everyone within OTHS will continue to work toward delivering the best possible education for all of our students.  We will celebrate this recognition but also recognize it is one moment in time and we must always be mindful to continue to deliver our very best every day,” Superintendent, Dr. Darcy Benway, stated upon receipt of the award. 

National data from 2018 show that among American Indian/Alaska Native, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students with a high degree of readiness for AP, only about half are participating. The first step to getting more of these students to participate is to give them access. 

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. 

“Success in Advanced Placement is a combination of students’ own motivation and the opportunities educators provide for them,” said Trevor Packer, senior vice president of AP and Instruction at the College Board. “I’m inspired by the teachers and administrators in this district who have worked to clear a path for more students of all backgrounds to earn college credit during high school.” 

In 2018, 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 admissions process. Inclusion in the 9th Annual AP District Honor Roll is based on a review of three years of AP data, from 2016 to 2018, looking across 38 AP Exams, including world language and culture. The following criteria were used.

Districts must: 

• Increase participation/access to AP by at least 4% in large districts, at least 6% in medium districts, and at least 11% in small districts; 

• Increased or maintained the percentage of American Indian/Alaska Native, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students taking exams and increased or maintained the percentage of American Indian/Alaska Native, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students scoring 3+ on at least one AP Exam; and

• Improve or maintain performance levels when comparing the 2018 percentage of students scoring a 3 or higher to the 2016 percentage, unless the district has already attained a performance level at which more than 70% of its AP students earn a 3 or higher. 

OTHS is one of the premier schools to have achieved these standards and is being recognized for the opportunities they create for all of their students.