Plymouth Whitemarsh High School students make history with Advanced Placement coursework

Plymouth Whitemarsh High School students made history this past spring with their scores and participation rates on Advanced Placement (AP) classes and exams.

The high school is celebrating the following achievements, which are all firsts in school history:

• Number of students enrolled AP classes: 482
• Most AP exams ever taken: 767
• Number of students ever earning a 3 or better: 458
• Percentage of students earning a 3 or better: 95.02 percent (up from 94.65 percent last year)

AP courses allow high school students the opportunity to take rigorous, college-level courses and potentially earn college credit for their scores on the related exams held each May. Tests are graded on a scale of 1 to 5, with many colleges and universities awarding college credit for students who score 3 or higher on their exams. Plymouth Whitemarsh High School offers 36 AP and pre-AP classes, so there are many opportunities for students to engage in challenging course work as they prepare for college. 

The high school has made efforts over the past several years to encourage more high school students to take AP courses through guidance counseling sessions, as well as informational nights to educate parents/guardians.

Other highlights from this past spring’s test results include: 

• AP Chemistry: The average student test score was above 4 for the second consecutive year. 
• AP English: Students who took AP exams related to any of the three AP English classes  averaged above a 4.
• AP U.S. Government & Politics: Students who took this exam averaged 4.4, an impressive feat for a class taught by first-year teacher Rebecca Coromilas.
• AP Calculus BC: Students had an average score of 4.46.
• Numerous additional AP courses also earned average scores of 4.0 or higher, reflecting exceptional performance across all subject areas.

Test scores for students in the high school’s International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme were also released. Students passed their exams and earned IB Career-related Certificates. Once international data is released in the fall, the school will be able to analyze the data further to guide instructional practices. 

The IB Career-related Programme offers students the chance to focus on career-related study in one of three pathways: business, art, or design technology. Plymouth Whitemarsh began offering the program five years ago and has been selected in the past as a site for international researchers who want to study a strong career program implementation.

"These outstanding results reflect the dedication of our students, the expertise and commitment of our teachers, and our ongoing efforts to ensure every student has the opportunity to challenge themselves and succeed in rigorous coursework," said Dr. Jason Bacani, Principal. "We are incredibly proud of this historic achievement, which reflects the culture of excellence at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School."