Mason schools make AP honor roll for student performance gain | Schools

MASON, OH (FOX19) - The Mason City School District is one of 539 districts nationally being honored by the College Board with placement on the 3rd Annual AP® District Honor Roll for simultaneously increasing access to Advanced Placement® course work while increasing the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher on AP Exams.

From 2010 to 2012, Mason increased the number of students participating in AP from 529 to 705, while increasing the percentage of students earning AP Exam scores of 3 or higher (the score typically needed to earn college credit) from 85% in 2010 to 89% in 2012. Earning a score of 3 or higher can potentially save students and their families thousands of dollars in college tuition.

“It is a great accomplishment for our high school to make the AP Honor Roll once again," said Dr. Gail Kist-Kline, Mason City Schools Superintendent. “We have outstanding teachers to lead these rigorous classes, and hard-working students who meet the challenge.”

Achieving increased access and student performance is the ideal scenario for a district’s AP program because it indicates that the district is successfully identifying motivated, academically prepared students who are likely to benefit most from rigorous AP course work.  

“We applaud the extraordinary efforts of the devoted teachers and administrators in this district, who are fostering rigorous work worth doing. These educators have not only expanded student access to AP course work, but they have enabled more of their students to achieve on a college level—which is helping to create a strong college-going culture,” said College Board President, David Coleman.

Among Mason’s 20 AP courses are biology, chemistry, calculus, Chinese, computer science, European history, language and composition, literature, French, music theory, physics, psychology, Spanish, statistics, studio art, US history, and US government.

Thirty-seven Ohio school districts made the AP Honor Roll. The complete 3rd Annual AP District Honor Roll can be found here.