Reading Public Schools Named to AP Honor Roll

The Reading Public School District announced Wednesday that it has been honored with inclusion on the College Board’s Advanced Placement Honor Roll.

Reading was one of 367 public school districts across 43 states and Canada to be recognized, a release said, for simultaneously increasing the number of Advanced Placement participants while watching their scores rise.

“We are very proud of this recognition,” said Superintendent John Doherty. “This honor is due to the hard work of our high school staff to increase the availability of Advanced Placement courses to our students.”

In 2009, 92 Reading students took AP exams, while 138 took the exams in 2011. At the same time, the district increased its rate of students scoring at least a three on the exam from 89 percent to 91 percent.

That dual increase defies the nation-wide trend, the release said. While districts across North America have increased the availability of AP exams, they have seen a simultaneous decline in the average score, the release said; more students have been achieved scores of one or two, which typically don’t allow them to receive college credit.

On a broader level, Pennsylvania led all states with 34 public school districts named to the 2nd Annual AP Honor Roll, followed by Massachusetts and New York, both with 30.