Moreno Valley Unified School District has been named a College Board Advanced Placement® District of the Year for being the national leader among medium-sized school districts — defined as having between 8,000 and 49,999 students — in expanding access to Advanced Placement Program ® (AP®) courses while simultaneously improving AP Exam performance. The award was announced in front of Moreno Valley Unified School District students, teachers, district and school administrators, and College Board during an event at Valley View High School on Tuesday. Board President Jesus Holguin, Clerk Dr. Marsha Locke, and Member Susan Smith were in attendance. Superintendent Dr. Martinrex Kedziora accepted the award from College Board Vice President Terry Redican on behalf of the entire district.
“I am incredibly proud of the students and educators from Moreno Valley Unified School District for being named the AP District of the Year because this recognition reflects the district’s commitment to preparing students for college and career success through challenging coursework. Thank you for providing this opportunity for students to push their academic limits and giving them this chance to go above and beyond what is expected from them,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Thurmond.
“This is a momentous recognition for our district,” said Board President Jesus Holguin, “We have continually worked to open up opportunities for all students, specifically access to AP courses. An honor of this stature is a point of pride for our district and the community of Moreno Valley.”
Moreno Valley Unified School District was one of 373 school districts across the U.S. and Canada that achieved placement on the annual AP District Honor Roll. From this list, three AP Districts of the Year — one for each category of district population size: small, medium, and large — were selected based on an analysis of three academic years of AP data.
From 2016 to 2018, Moreno Valley Unified School District:
· Simultaneously and continuously increased the number of students taking AP classes while improving successful outcomes (a score of 3 or higher) on AP Exams, with 42 percent of all AP students scoring a 3 or higher on at least one exam in 2018;
· Increased student participation in AP by 7 percent annually and the percentage of students scoring a 3 or higher on at least one AP Exam from 35 to 42 percent since 2016; and
· Increased the percentage of traditionally underrepresented minority AP students earning a 3 or higher on at least one AP Exam from 34 to 40 percent — an increase of 117 students since 2016. (80 percent or more of the AP students in Moreno Valley Unified School District are American Indian, African American, Hispanic/Latino or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander. In addition, 58 percent of the AP students in the district qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.)
Increasing access to AP course work while simultaneously increasing the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher is the ideal scenario for a district’s AP program, indicating that the district is successfully preparing a larger array of its students for the rigor of AP and college studies. Participating in AP course work can also lead to college savings for families because the typical student who scores a 3 or higher on two AP Exams has the potential to save, on average, $1,779 at a public four-year college and over $6,000 at a private institution.
“We put the resources behind our students to ensure we are living up to our mission to graduate college and career ready students,” said Superintendent Dr. Martinrex Kedziora. “Being named AP District of the Year is a validation that the resources we have put in place to support all students to be successful are producing results. We congratulate Canyon Springs, Moreno Valley, Valley View, and Vista del Lago High Schools for their contributions to this prestigious recognition.”
In addition to celebratory events this week, all MVUSD will be honored in Orlando, Florida during the 2019 AP Annual Conference in July.