Daniel Prince
Most end-of-course, AP exam scores increase
At Monday night’s meeting of the Union County Board of School Trustees, Director of Instruction Dr. Lacresha Byrd presented data from Union County High School. The school had been targeting a goal of having an 80% graduation rate, and it came close to reaching it. The four-year high school graduation rate for Union County High School improved from 70.8% to 78.9%. The school’s intentional focus on raising the rate helped, Byrd said, with credit recovery, summer school, and various interventions all playing a role in the increase.
End-of-course scores from the Class of 2022 were shared. Dr. Byrd noted those students likely would have taken these exams in 2018 or 2019. She said 43.2% of students scored a C or higher in English 2; 28.1% scored a C or higher in Biology 1; 26.3% scored a C or higher in US History; and 22.8% scored a C or higher in Algebra 1. While she didn’t go over scores from the most recent round of tests taken, she noted that the earlier reported scores were under a different administration at the high school, and that the current scores were showing anywhere from a 5-13% increase in all subject areas except Algebra 1, which saw a decline.
She noted the average SAT score for the class of 2022 was 934, which is up 27 points from last year. She said not as many students are taking the SAT anymore, as more and more colleges don’t require it for admission. Only 91 of the 243 members of the senior class took it. Of high-achieving students, those who were taking AP English, pre-calculus, or dual-enrollment courses, only 41 took the SAT, with an average score of 1022. She noted that only 2 C-average students took it. ACT data has not yet been released.
She said that 21% of the senior class met the criteria for being college ready. Of those taking the career readiness assessment, 50.2% were deemed career ready, up from 35.4% last year.
AP scores showed an increase as well, with 39.1% of students earning a 3 or higher, up from 36.4% last year. She noted that US History saw the biggest increase, from 35% to 90% earning a 3 or higher. World History also saw an improvement in scores, while English and Human Geography saw declines.