CPS Earns Spot on AP Honor Roll for Sixth Consecutive Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, December 6, 2018

CHICAGO - Mayor Rahm Emanuel and CPS CEO Dr. Janice K. Jackson released the following statement on Chicago Public Schools being named to the AP District Honor Roll for the sixth consecutive Year:

"Chicago’s students continue to shatter records and lead the nation in Advanced Placement participation and attainment, which means more CPS students are better prepared for college than ever before. From being the only school system to be named District of the Year more than once, to being the only large urban district to make the AP Honor Roll six years in a row, this achievement is a direct result of the hard work, progress, and success of our remarkable students, teachers, principals, and families.

"CPS is leading the country not just by increasing the number of students taking exams and earning credit, but also by ensuring that more students of color are taking and earning credit year-over-year. Working together as a city, Chicago has created the country’s first pre-K through 14 education continuum which is helping prepare the next generation of Chicagoans for a successful future by increasing access to quality education at every level.”

Achievements in Advanced Placement:
Chicago Public Schools was one of 373 school districts across the U.S. and Canada that achieved the rigorous growth and access qualifications for placement on the College Board’s annual AP District Honor Roll. Highlights of Chicago’s AP achievements include:

• CPS is the largest district to earn a spot on the AP Honor Roll in 2018;
• CPS is the only large urban school district to earn a spot on the AP Honor Roll for six consecutive years;
• CPS is the largest school district to ever earn a spot on the AP Honor Roll seven times;
• Last year, CPS was named the College Board Advanced Placement (AP) District of the Year and is the only district of any size to receive the award more than once.
• Last year, 46.6 percent of 2018 graduates earned early college and career credentials like advanced placement credit- an increase of 50 percent since 2014, when 31.2 percent of students earned credentials.

In order to qualify for the AP Honor Roll, districts must:

• Increase access to AP by at least 4% in large districts;
• Increase or maintain the percentage of exams taken by black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian/Alaska Native students; and
• Improve or maintain performance levels when comparing the 2018 percentage of students scoring a 3 or higher to the 2016 percentage.

Chicago Public Schools serves 361,000 students in 644 schools. It is the nation’s third-largest school district.

# # #