By .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
More Staples High School students are taking Advanced Placement tests to earn college credit, but school officials are examining what the statistics mean.
The Board of Education Monday night reviewed a report on the results of all standardized tests students took during the 2005-06 school year, including Advanced Placement tests.
Of the Westport seniors who took the test—which earns them college credit—last May, 101 scored high enough to be deemed an AP Scholar.
Natalie Carrignan, director of instructional technology, said 93 percent of students who take an AP class are taking an exam, and 23 percent of the Staples population is taking at least one AP class.
The average of tests per student is about two, she said.
It’s unclear why students are not taking the AP exam even if they take a class, she said.
Some may focus on two or three tests even if they are taking three or four classes, Carrignan said.
She also questioned if a college not offering credit for an AP exam would factor into a decision.
There is no relationship in the grade in an AP class and the test results, she said.
Staples Principal John Dodig said students take classes for a wide array of reasons, including their interests and career plans.
Michael McGovern, a school board member, said school officials need to make sure students are taking the tests for the right reasons.
“We need to see if they are actually getting college credit so they can take an advanced class or finish early,” he said.
He cited recent newspaper articles how the Scarsdale, N.Y. Board of Education is considering dumping advanced placement classes.
Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon said there has been an outcry both in favor and against the dumping the classes, and it may become the battle of the century.
“I don’t know how it will come out,” he said.
Lynne Shain, assistant superintendent for curriculum and staff development, said Scarsdale school officials feel a tyranny of the AP schedule because the tests are in May.
The rest of the schedule needs to fall into place before then, she said.
Additionally, about half of the seniors are admitted to college via early decision in December, she said.
“They’re already in college in their heads and they need to live out their senior year,” she said. “This is part of redesigning the senior year for those students.”
