District Recognized for Increasing Access and Performance,Particularly for Minority Students
SAN LEANDRO, CA — San Leandro Unified School District in California has been named a College Board Advanced Placement ® District of the Year for being the national leader among medium-sized school districts in expanding access to Advanced Placement Program ® (AP ® ) courses while simultaneously improving AP Exam performance. The San Leandro Unified School District was one of 447 school districts across the U.S. and Canada that achieved placement on the annual AP District Honor Roll. From this list, three AP Districts of the Year were selected based on an analysis of three academic years of AP data. SLUSD was chosen for the ‘medium’ district population size, which is defined as having between 8,000 and 49,999 students. SLUSD was the only district in the state and only three in the nation who were honored with this recognition. In addition to SLUSD, the College Board named Chicago Public Schools in Illinois and Santa Cruz Valley USD in Arizona as AP District of the Year for large and small districts, respectively. “We are extremely proud to have earned this distinction which is a testament to the dedication of our teachers and the hard-work of our students and the families that support them,” said Mike McLaughlin, Ed.D, Superintendent. “This award underscores our commitment to ensuring each and every student has the opportunity to succeed in their goals toward college and career readiness.”
Highlights from the College Board
From 2015 to 2017, San Leandro Unified School District:
- Simultaneously and continuously increased the number of students taking AP classes while improving successful outcomes (a score of 3 or higher) on AP Exams, with 64 percent of all AP students scoring a 3 or higher in 2017
- Increased student participation in AP by 10 percent annually and the percentage of students scoring a 3 or higher on at least one AP Exam from 54% to 64% since 2015;
- Increased the percentage of traditionally underrepresented minority AP students earning a 3 or higher on at least one AP Exam from 59% to 72% — an increase of 92 students since 2015. (52 percent or more of the AP students in San Leandro Unified School District are American Indian, African American, Hispanic/Latino or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander. In addition, 53 percent of the AP students in the district qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.)
“The teachers and administrators in this district are clearly committed to ensuring that a more diverse population of students attains the benefits of AP—that they gain confidence, learn how to craft and defend arguments, earn college credit, and are ready to succeed in college,” said Trevor Packer, head of the College Board’s AP Program. “This award shows that San Leandro Unified School District is challenging many students to achieve at the highest levels. Congratulations to all the educators, parents, and students whose dedication and hard work are behind this well-deserved recognition.”
SLUSD teachers, district and school administrators, and College Board leadership will celebrate these achievements with an event today at San Leandro High School. In addition to the district event, all three winning districts will be honored in Houston, TX during the 2018 AP Annual Conference in July. In addition, a $10,000 award will be presented by the College Board to San Leandro High School to support the AP program.
About the College Board/Advanced Placement
Increasing access to AP course work while simultaneously increasing the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher is the ideal scenario for a district’s AP program, indicating that the district is successfully preparing a larger array of its students for the rigor of AP and college studies. Participating in AP coursework can also lead to college savings for families because the typical student who scores a 3 or higher on two AP Exams has the potential to save, on average, $1,779 at a public four-year college and over $6,000 at a private institution. To learn more about AP, please visit exploreap.org.
