Leadership Matters - April 2013

AP Honor Roll award due to efforts of many

The mission of Olympia Community Unit District 16 is to challenge each student to achieve personal success. One way the District is striving to meet its mission is through the vigorous Advanced Placement program (AP). Recently, Olympia High School was recognized as an Advanced Placement Honor Roll School. OHS is one of 539 school districts in the nation – and one of 22 in Illinois – to be recognized this year by the College Board with a place on its

3rd Annual AP District Honor Roll Batavia District 101 Central School District 301

Community High School District 128 Community High School District 155 Community Unit School District 200 Diocese of Joliet

By Brad K. Hutchison Superintendent Olympia Community Unit District 16

Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Geneva Community Unit School District 304 Huntley Consolidated School District 158 Indian Prairie School District 204 Kaneland Community Unit School District 302

third annual AP Honor Roll. The Olympia Honor Roll award was based upon examination of three years of AP data: 2010, 2011, and 2012, data from all students who took AP Examinations. According to Jennifer McDonnell, Senior Director, K-12 Services for the College Board’s Midwestern Regional Office, inclusion on the 3rd Annual AP District Honor Roll is based on increase in participation of AP examinations by at least 4 percent in large districts, at least 6 percent in medium districts and at least 11 percent in small districts along with several other factors. The dedication of our students, parents, AP teachers and the academic departments in providing rigorous coursework to a growing population of students is commendable. “Our teachers and students should be commended for their willingness to accept this level of personal challenge with regard to this rigorous level of teaching and learning, which is comparable to a college level curriculum,” said OHS Principal Dr. Lance Thurman. “It’s important to note that AP courses at OHS are consistently made available to students with a wide range of ability, and that every student in the AP curriculum is required to sit for the AP examination.” Mathematics Department Chair Sara Kleinschmidt agreed. “All of our AP teachers have high expectations for students in the challenging AP curriculum. Olympia students have worked diligently to meet the high AP expectations which resulted in receiving this distinguished award,” Kleinschmidt said. “Particularly satisfying, and what separates Olympia from other schools, is our inclusion of students of all ability levels into our AP classes.” Student response to the opportunity to enroll in the

Lake Park High School District 108 Leyden High School District 212 McLean County Unit District 5

Monticello Community Unit School District 25 Oak Lawn Community High School District 229 Olympia Community Unit School District 16 St. Charles Community Unit School District 303 Sycamore School District 427 Triad Community School Unit District 2 Valley View 365 Unified School District Warren Township High School District 121

Olympia AP program has been very positive. OHS Senior Jarrod Nicholas recently shared that “Both AP classes I am currently enrolled in, AP Literature and AP Calculus, have surpassed my expectations. My teachers push me not only to do my work, but explore new concepts and think for myself. While it would be great to achieve a high score on the tests in May to earn some college credit, the true benefit of AP classes is working with other students who aspire to go beyond the traditional classroom." The District is very pleased with the consistent and ongoing efforts of our AP students and their teachers. A highlight of this award is that it provides evidence of increased access and increased rigor over time – three full years. It is highly encouraging to have AP teachers write letters of recommendation and create pathways for students to access these rigorous courses and be successful, as opposed to promoting only a certain profile of student in order to enhance the subject score roster average. Creating an educational setting which promotes equal access to academic rigor is helping to fulfill the Olympia Mission.

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