John Marshall and Cameron High School officials reported higher pass rates and a larger number of students taking advanced exams in the 2023-24 school year.
Gavin Hartle, John Marshall’s assistant principal, told members of the Marshall County Board of Education this week that he was thrilled that the school’s AP test pass rate improved from 72% last year to 75% this year. The 75% pass rate is the school’s highest pass rate in five years.
Hartle pointed out that this number means that three out of four John Marshall students who took an AP test this year scored a grade of three or higher on the exam.
“We’ve had some AP courses that had a 100% pass rate. I know (AP Calculus) BC had a 100% pass rate and our AP Research had a 100% pass rate as well,” Hartle said. “Those tests look really, really good.”
A total of 181 AP exams were taken at John Marshall, 49 more than last year (132). Six more students took an AP exam at John Marshall than last year: 102 students took the exam, compared to 96 last year.
According to Hartle, this is the third-highest number of exams in the last five years. Hartle added that dual-credit courses may result in fewer AP tests being required at the school.
“We hope to see that number grow to over 200 and continue to grow as we expand the dual credit program to provide more options for our students,” Hartle said.
John Marshall also saw an increase in AP Scholars: 12 more than last year. Eight of these scholars were AP Scholars with Distinction, eight were AP Scholars with Honors, and one received the AP Capstone Diploma.
Cameron counselor Kelly Pettit reported that the school’s AP test passing rate was 28%, with 11 students passing 19 exams. The number of AP tests taken at Cameron increased by 13 from last year, from 77 to 90 exams. Thirty-nine Cameron students took those 90 tests.
Pettit noted that the school’s passing rate in AP Biology has increased and that for the first time in the school’s history a student received a F on the AP European History exam.
“At Cameron High School, we may not necessarily have as high a pass rate, but we have a lot of students trying out for AP exams at Cameron, whereas at large schools, they may not even try to get out of that bubble to take them,” Pettit noted. “We had a group of seniors this year that wasn’t strong all school year, which skewed our numbers a little bit. Our junior class this year is very strong, so they’re even overcompensating for the fact that there weren’t as many seniors this year who will be taking AP exams.”
Pettit noted that some Cameron students are “not necessarily straight-A students” but still take honors and AP courses at the school.
“We have students who are trying things for the first time as seniors and trying to outdo themselves because they suddenly decided they want to go to college,” Pettit said. “These students are trying to outdo themselves to take advantage of these opportunities.”
Pettit added that even if students get a B on an AP exam, they still “acquire work ethic, knowledge, perseverance and other factors that will serve students well in college.”
“Even though our AP exam pass rate is not 75%, our students are still benefiting and learning,” Pettit said.
Board Vice Chair Christie Robison welcomed the statement, pointing out that her main question about all AP and dual-credit courses is, “Are students learning anything?”
Board President John Miller said that student success in AP courses ultimately comes down to desire, and that students who show signs that they might not do well in an AP course can still pass the exams.
Pettit agreed with Miller’s statement, adding that some students find the homework “boring,” which is why they get a lower grade in the AP course and then “foul it all up” on the AP exam.
“We have students who are performing better than they are in class,” Pettit said. “We take all of that into account when we place students in AP courses.”
