Students Earn Record Scores On Exams

Thu., Jan. 6, 2000

By Wendy Harris wendyh@spokesman.com

Spokane School District 81 high school students have earned their highest scores ever on Advanced Placement exams. In addition, a record number of students in the district took the voluntary exams last year.

A total of 359 of District 81’s high school students took AP exams last spring, compared to 316 in 1998.

The average grade was 3.5, compared to 3.37 in 1998. Advanced Placement exams are scored on a 1 to 5 basis, with 5 being the highest score. Students must score at least 3 to pass.

The students took a total of 615 exams, passing 80 percent of them.

Statewide, high school students scored an average of 3.1 on the exams last year and 3.03 in 1998.

The Advanced Placement Program allows students to study college-level course work in 32 subject areas. A passing grade on a test can earn students college credits.

“Typically, the trend has been that the more kids you get to take the test, the scores will be lower,” said Joe Kinney, District 81’s assessment supervisor. “When you get more kids taking the test and scores increase, that’s a great thing.”

Calculus, European history, English, English literature, biology and U.S. history were the exams most commonly taken by District 81 students.

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