LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 4, 2012) – This week in an announcement before the Kentucky Board of Education, 16 new high schools are joining AdvanceKentucky, bringing to 80 the number of high schools involved in the AP Teacher Training and Incentive Program (APTIP). This successful program involves content-rich teacher training and extensive support and incentives for students and teachers for achieving qualifying scores on Advanced Placement (AP)* exams in math, science and English. Seewww.advanceky.com for the ‘Elements of Success’ comprising this model that participating schools implement.
AdvanceKentucky is funded by a $13.2 million grant from the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI), which is supported by ExxonMobil, Dell and Gates Foundations, Lockheed and others. Kentucky sponsors include the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) including $500,000 for expansion to new schools during the 12-13 school year, Berea College, ExxonMobil/Initiative for Military Families, Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), Council on Postsecondary Education, and Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation. AdvanceKentucky has previously received federal grants from ARC and from US Department of Education through KDE.
The NMSI model has demonstrated its proven ability in Kentucky schools to dramatically increase access to and accelerate successful learning in rigorous math, science and English (MSE) courses, as shown by qualifying scores on AP exams, particularly among underrepresented student populations. With over 3500 qualifying scores earned on the most recent 2011 AP exams, the 44 AdvanceKentucky schools alone contributed 83 percent of all new qualifying scores (QS) earned across Kentucky and 68 percent of new QS earned by minority students. In fact, for the second consecutive year, Kentucky surpassed the national growth rate of minority performance on these exams. See www.advanceky.comfor the latest 2011 AP exam results among participating schools.
The 16 high schools invited to participate in Cohort 5 are: Clinton County, Dawson Springs, Danville, Frankfort, Garrard County, Lincoln County, Logan County, Moore Traditional, Murray, North Hardin, Owensboro, Russell, Russellville, South Floyd, Valley Traditional, and Waggener Traditional.
Total enrollment (grades 9-12) of the 16 new Cohort 5 high schools is roughly 11,000 students, of which an estimated 60 percent are eligible for free/reduced lunch (ranging from 32 percent to 81 percent) and 23 percent are minority (African American and Hispanic ranging from less than one percent to 59 percent). Their preliminary enrollment projections for Cohort 5 AP math, science and English (MSE) are approaching 3,300 for the 12-13 school year.
These 80 schools are in 65 or 37 percent of Kentucky’s public school districts, involving 525 AP teachers and nearly 19,000 AP MSE enrollments projected for the 12-13 school year. At least 530 MSE AP courses are planned for the 12-13 school year in calculus, statistics, computer science, biology, chemistry, physics, environmental science, English language and English literature.
In addition to the 16 new schools invited for Cohort 5, the 64 high schools from the previous cohorts are: Allen County Scottsville, Anderson County, Apollo, Barren County, Bell County, Bellevue, Betsy Layne, Bourbon County, Bowling Green, Bracken County, Bryan Station, Campbell County, Carroll County, Christian County, Clay County, Corbin, Daviess County, East Jessamine, Franklin County, Franklin-Simpson, George Rogers Clark, Glasgow, Graves County, Hancock County, Harrison County, Heath, Henderson County, Highlands, Holmes, Hopkins County Central, Hopkinsville, Jackson County, Jenkins, Johnson Central, Knox Central, Lone Oak, Lynn Camp, Madisonville Martha Layne Collins, McLean County, Mercer County, Metcalfe County, North Hopkins, Marion County, Marshall County, Mayfield, Montgomery County, North Laurel, Owen County, Paintsville, Perry County Central, Pikeville, Powell County, Pulaski County, Reidland, Scott County, Shelby County, South Laurel, Southwestern, Trigg County, Warren Central, Warren East, Washington County, Western Hills, and West Jessamine.
“We are pleased to be a part of the phenomenal expansion of AP efforts in Kentucky,” said Mary Ann Rankin, CEO of the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI). “We are grateful to ExxonMobil and our many sponsors – and particularly to the many supporters in Kentucky that are helping to prepare so many more young students for college and career success.
Dr. Rankin said, “To flourish in the 21st century, the United States must continue to generate intellectual capital that can drive the research and development activities that fuel the economic engine of our future prosperity. NMSI advocates what we call a “scale-up” approach, whereby we identify programs and ideas with proven results and provide the means to apply them on a national scale. A program should systematically and successfully address broad outcome measures that will likely have positive and measurable effects even beyond its primary objectives. Impact should be statistically significant from past performance and of sufficient size so as to be readily observable. We think AdvanceKentucky embodies this philosophy, with student results that well exceed our expectations.”
Schools interested in applying to AdvanceKentucky for participation in Cohort 6 may visit advanceky.com for notices concerning eligibility guidelines under development and application materials. Or email Joanne Lang at [email protected]for more information.
* Advanced Placement and AP are registered trademarks of the College Entrance Examination Board.
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