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Tuesday, September 30, 2008

FCPS to be Recognized by the College Board

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) and Superintendent Jack D. Dale will be recognized by the College Board on Monday, October 6, for encouraging high school students to take Advanced Placement (AP) courses and for financing examination fees.  The recognition, to be presented by College Board president Gaston Caperton, will take place at 1 p.m. during the Fairfax County School Board’s work session at the Gatehouse Administration Center I.

FCPS is cited for its commitment to student achievement by funding students’ AP exam fees; for providing the PSAT/NMSQT at no charge to tenth grade students; and for maintaining rigorous instruction for a diverse population of students.  The College Board also noted:

• Of the 20 largest public school districts nationwide, FCPS is first in the number of AP grades 3 or higher.  FCPS ranks 12th in size in the U.S.
• FCPS is third in the number of AP exams administered among the 20 largest public school districts nationwide.
• More than one-third of all AP exam scores of 3 or higher earned in Virginia are achieved by FCPS students.
• Nearly one-third of all AP exams taken in Virginia are taken by FCPS students.
• More than 41 percent of all AP exams taken by ethnic minority students in Virginia are taken by FCPS students.
• The number of AP exams taken by FCPS students is greater than the total number of exams taken by students in 33 states.

AP courses are offered at most Fairfax County high schools; the International Baccalaureate (IB) is offered at eight Fairfax County high schools, and the IB middle years program is offered by four FCPS middle school and high school teams.

Fairfax County high schools are among the most challenging in the United States and were cited in the May 2008 issue of Newsweek magazine by Washington Post columnist Jay Mathews as among the top high schools in the country, based on their ability to challenge average students with Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses.  Four Fairfax County high schools placed in the top 100; all eligible FCPS high schools appeared on the list of 1,358 most challenging U.S. high schools.

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