AP scores, participation soar at Canton High School
By Mike BergerCanton High School saw a major increase in the number of its students who took and passed Advanced Placement (AP) tests in the 2024 testing cycle.
In a presentation to the School Committee last week, Joshua Fogel, CPS director of technology and data analytics, reported that nearly one-third of the CHS student body — 294 students in all — took a total of 694 AP exams last spring. Of those students, 81 percent earned a passing score of 3 or better (out of 5) while 53.7 percent scored at least a 4 — up significantly from 68.4 and 38.6 percent, respectively, in 2023.
Some high schools offer AP classes but make the test optional. At CHS, every student who takes an AP class must also take the AP exam at the end of the year.
“Our writing scores and humanities scores really climbed,” said Fogel. “That was a focus as a district to target these areas, and we saw the dividends pay off.”
Fogel highlighted “tremendous leaps” in several areas, including AP Calculus, where the passing rate climbed from 53 percent in 2023 to 85 percent in 2024. AP U.S. History had a passing rate of 91 percent in 2024, compared to 56 percent in 2023. In addition, six AP classes had a 100 percent passing rate in 2024: Chemistry, European History, Macroeconomics, Art, French and Spanish.
Each of these numbers marks a record high in AP test-taking at CHS, which offers a total of 20 different AP classes. While there isn’t a maximum number of AP classes a student can take, CHS Principal Jeff Sperling said teachers and counselors have direct conversations with students about finding the appropriate balance of academics and extracurricular activities and say that colleges and universities are looking for well-balanced students.
“Our teachers have remained committed to staying up to date and bringing students the best resources,” noted Sperling. “They are preparing them, but not teaching to the exam. There’s deep learning going on that involves engaging our students in the content. It’s been a team effort, for sure.”
In other news from the November 21 School Committee meeting:
* Committee members came away impressed by an initiative proposed by …
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Posted by Mike Berger
on Nov 27 2024. Filed under Top Stories.
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