Elkhorn Public Schools has been named as one of only two districts in the state to be part of the 2015 Advanced Placement Honor Roll. Nationwide, EPS is among 425 school districts across the United States and parts of Canada being honored by the College Board with placement on the 6th 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. Reaching these goals indicates that these districts are successfully identifying motivated, academically prepared students who are likely to benefit from rigorous AP course work.
This is the fourth year in a row Elkhorn has earned this honor and EPS is the only Nebraska school district to make the list more than twice. “We are extremely proud to be on this list again,” said Superintendent Steve Baker. “This is a testament to the hard work of our students and staff.”
In 2015, Elkhorn students from both high schools took a total of 950 exams—nearly double the number taken in 2011. The actual number of students taking these exams has more than doubled in four years—from 268 to 594. Even with a leap in participation, achievement hasn’t suffered. For Elkhorn students, 78 percent of exams earned a three or higher.
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.
Inclusion on the 6th Annual AP District Honor Roll is based on the examination of three years of AP data, from 2013 to 2015, for the following criteria.
- Increased participation/access to AP by at least 4 percent in large districts, at least 6 percent in medium districts, and at least 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 2015 scoring a 3 or higher to those in 2013, 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.