Increase Access and Opportunity
See how districts use the SAT Suite and AP Program to broaden student access to opportunities to build the skills needed for success.
Empowering Students and Expanding Access with AP Precalculus
To create more distinction between honors versus AP Precalculus, Atlantic Coast High School in Jacksonville, Fla., decided to remove the honors option and only offer AP Precalculus. This resulted in an influx of students with diverse proficiency levels, including those with 504 plans, those needing Exceptional Student Education, and English language learners. The school prioritized offering individualized instruction to help meet the needs of all math skill levels. By adapting teaching methods to suit various learning styles, they created a more inclusive environment for students who were new to AP.
Broadening AP Access with AP African American Studies
California's Chaffey Joint Union High School District recognized the powerful influence AP African American Studies could have in attracting students who may not have considered Advanced Placement® courses previously. Additionally, this course aligned with the district's vision that all students graduate college- and career-ready and it met statewide graduation requirements. Students experienced meaningful engagement by helping to shape the class, which built their confidence as learners.
Revealing Student Success and Potential
Insights from the SAT Suite and AP assessments provide a gateway for Stafford County Public Schools in Virginia to uncover student potential and pinpoint academic challenges. The district uses PSAT-related assessments for grades 8–10 to track performance, while the AP Potential tool helps identify students who are ready for AP. Learn how the district uses data from the SAT Suite and AP Program to connect students with the pathway that's best for them.
Identifying Students who are Ready for Advanced Coursework
Streetsboro High School in Ohio used data from the SAT Suite of Assessments and the AP Potential tool to learn where students are academically so they could determine the best way to meet their needs. "Data from the SAT Suite of Assessments has helped us tremendously, especially with our AP program. Between AP Potential and the PSAT 8/9 and PSAT/NMSQT assessments that we give, we are able to find those 'diamond in the rough' students that may not have had the academic successes that would have lent themselves to being successful in AP classes traditionally, but we are able to see that 'untapped' potential and use that as motivation for them. The SAT Suite of Assessments gives us a true gauge of where students are in the learning process, and we utilize it as an important data point when analyzing how to best meet the needs of students," explained former Principal Brett McCann.
Providing Advanced Learning Opportunities for Students of All Abilities
Bellmore-Merrick Central High School in New York, an AP District of the Year winner, implemented policies that broadened access to AP and delivered positive results for students. By addressing its method of instruction as well as its staffing of certain AP courses, the school was able to broaden its outreach and provide support that enabled more students an opportunity to enroll in and succeed in AP.
Increasing College Enrollment
In Ohio’s Berea City School District, administrators leverage data from the SAT Suite of Assessments to help inform program- and classroom-specific changes. According to Berea-Midpark High School Principal Dr. Mark Smithberger, “We use AP, SAT, and PSAT-related assessments to help guide our decision making at a macro and micro level. This allows for program- and classroom-specific changes based on data. We've had a 95% increase in AP Exams taken and a 94% increase in the number of students taking AP courses in the last two years. Since we started to analyze the data related to the SAT Suite of Assessments, we increased the number of our graduates attending college by 15 percentage points and went from 0 to 5 students participating in the National Merit® Scholar Program. The SAT Suite is clearly having a positive impact.”