Monongalia County students taking Advanced Placement courses this past year outpaced their peers across West Virginia and around the world, Courtney Crawford told Board of Education members Tuesday night.
“Here’s where I really get to celebrate the data,” said Crawford, who directs assessment, accountability and counseling services for the district.
Mon’s students in 2024 boasted an 82% passing rate for AP exams, Crawford said, compared to the 67% rate globally and the 59% rate netted elsewhere across West Virginia.
And 189 of those students were perfect, she said, netting scores of 5 on the exams, which are graded on a scale of 1-5.
There were 718 Mon students in total enrolled in advanced placement courses over the year, she added.
Another 50% of students here scored in the 4-4.5 range on AP exams, Crawford continued.
And 273 students, Crawford said, achieved the rank of “AP scholar,” meaning they scored a 3 or higher on at least 3 exams.
Mon Schools, meanwhile, boasts 38 courses in English, math, science, social studies, world languages and fine arts, Crawford said.
The offers are the result of the generosity of county voters on Election Day — who traditionally say yes to an excess levy for education which contributes $30 million a year to district coffers.
Students in elementary schools here can take courses in beginning Mandarin, for example, related to the above.
There are 50 teachers in the district qualified to teach such courses, she said.
Meanwhile, Advanced Placement courses matter, academic-watchers say, because academic rigor matters for those students wishing to go on to college.
AP courses shore up transcripts, they say, while showing admissions officers that a senior about to become a freshman is capable of doing college-level work.
There’s also the weight of the course — even if the score isn’t perfect, those watchers add. Netting a “B” in an AP course is often an “A” in any other core class offering, they say.
School board member Dan Berry, a career classroom teacher, said the students and teachers should be commended for the success of a district that regularly sends students the Ivy League, where, in turn, they also excel.
“This is really impressive for our county,” he said.
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