Clinton City School’s administrative staff has a lot to celebrate, including a recent invitation to present during a regional state conference of superintendents about the high school’s successes in advance placement testing.

Last September, the district was recognized by the North Carolina AP Partnership for the success of students who are taking the AP exams at Clinton High School. In December, the district was once again honored and named one of the 433 school districts named to the College Board Honor Roll. This placement was made because of Clinton High School’s significant gains in student access and success on advance placement tests.

Clinton High School principal Dr. Steve Miller, along with college counselor Toni Blount and superintendent Dr. Stuart Blount, recently presented at the 2017 North Carolina Superintendents Summer Leadership Conference and shared the benefits of the high school’s program and success.

“This has allowed us the opportunity to have a strong foundation on providing access for our students at Clinton High School to obtain very rigorous courses,” the superintendent stated during a recent press conference at the high school. “We have increased our accessibility to courses we would not have access to otherwise.”

According to information released by the College Board, to be included on the 7th annual Honor Roll list, Clinton City Schools had to, since 2014, increase the number of students participating in AP while also increasing or maintaining the number of students earning AP Exam scores of 3 or higher. Reaching these goals shows that this district is successfully identifying motivated, academically prepared students who are ready for AP. This is exactly what Clinton High School has done.

According to data from the 2015-16 tests, the number of students taking an AP exam increased 87 percent to 114 students. The number of AP exams taken increased 135 percent. The number of students who scored a 3 or higher, which is proficient and earns college credit for a course, increased 229 percent. The number of exams scoring a 3 or higher increased 350 percent. Of the 216 different exams taken, covering 12 subject areas, 153 scores were proficient.

Reaching these milestones, according to Toni Blount, has helped the school create a strong relationship with the AP community, and afforded students the opportunity to have access to a critical piece that allows counselors to advise students on courses they should take during the secondary education path.

There are approximately 150 students who are part of the AP program at Clinton High School, with some of the students enrolled in multiple programs.

Kathleen Koch, director for North Carolina AP Partnership, who presented alongside Clinton City Schools’ staff, praised the local schools for its accolades and accomplishments.

“We were honored to co-present with leaders from Clinton City Schools at the 2017 NC Superintendents Summer Leadership Conference,” Koch said. “Clinton City Schools is living the mission of the NC AP Partnership between the College Board and the state of NC — to prepare, inspire, and connect students to post-secondary success and opportunity. Their district’s commitment to increasing access to advanced coursework for all students has brought them national acclaim, and they are a model district for what can be accomplished in our schools.”

In addition to working to advance students and help them become college and career ready, Clinton City Schools is working to advance teachers and help them become prepared to offer more to the students.

Currently, there are eight teachers at the high school level who are teaching advance placement courses. According to Miller, the school tries to teach as many AP courses face to face as possible, with more teachers receiving professional development to become qualified to teach additional AP classes.

“Our goal is to get the teachers thinking and teaching like an AP teacher,” Miller shared.

In 2016, more than 4,000 colleges and universities around the world received AP scores for college credit, advanced placement, or both, and/or consideration in the admission process. Inclusion on the 7th Annual AP District Honor Roll is based on a review of three years of AP data, from 2014 to 2016, looking across 37 AP Exams, including world language and culture.

Clinton High School college advisor Tony Blount, principal Dr. Steve Miller and superintendent Dr. Stuart Blount share thoughts on the high school’s recent presentation to state education leaders during a conference.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_CCS-AP.jpgClinton High School college advisor Tony Blount, principal Dr. Steve Miller and superintendent Dr. Stuart Blount share thoughts on the high school’s recent presentation to state education leaders during a conference.

Blount
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_Dr.-Blount-s-Head-Shot-2.jpgBlount

By Kristy D. Carter

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