LWSD earns place on advanced placement district honor roll

More students are taking and succeeding in AP courses.

January 18, 2019 8:30 am

For the fifth year in a row, the College Board named Lake Washington School District (LWSD) to its Annual AP District Honor Roll. LWSD is one of only 373 public school districts in the United States and Canada and one of four in Washington state to be honored. Lake Washington is one of two districts in the state to be a multi-year recipient of the AP Honor Roll Award.

The Honor Roll recognizes districts that increase access to Advanced Placement (AP) coursework while maintaining or increasing the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher on AP exams. Districts that reach these goals successfully identify motivated, academically prepared students who are likely to benefit from rigorous AP course work.

This is the sixth time that LWSD has received this recognition in the nine years of the Honor Roll.

More than 90 percent of colleges and universities across the U.S. offer college credit, advanced placement or both for a score of 3 or higher on an AP exam. Achieving that score may save students and their families thousands of dollars in college tuition.

“We’re very proud of this recognition because it represents the qualities that make our school district one of the best in the country,” noted Dr. Jane Stavem, superintendent. “A strong commitment to opportunities for all students, excellent instruction delivered by the teachers in our classrooms, and amazing students who tenaciously pursue rigorous course offerings.”

The number of AP tests taken by LWSD students increased from 3,934 in 2016, 4,526 in 2017 to 4,783 in 2018. The rate of students achieving a score of 3 or higher was 80% for 2016, increased to 81 percent in 2017 and to 82 percent in 2018.

Inclusion on the 9th Annual AP District Honor Roll is based on three years of AP data, from 2016 to 2018. Here are the criteria:

  • Increased participation/access to AP by at least 4 percent in large districts, 6 percent in medium districts, and 11 percent in small districts.
  • Increased or maintained the percentage of exams taken by African American, Hispanic/Latino and American Indian/Alaska Native students; and
  • Improved performance levels when comparing the percentage of students in 2018 scoring a 3 or higher to those in 2016, 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.