NMSI’s Partner Schools Across the Nation Celebrate AP Success

NMSI’s College Readiness Program continues to make a dramatic, positive impact in its partner schools across the nation, as evidenced by Advanced Placement® (AP®) exam results for the 2013-14 school year. Over the past several weeks, high schools across the country held celebratory events to honor the achievements of their students and teachers. Here are just a few of many successes highlighted by local media:
 
•NMSI’s two partner schools in Pittsburgh—Brashear High School and Pittsburgh Science & Technology Academy—celebrated their outstanding first-year results, pep-rally style, in late September. The two schools share a three-year grant from The Heinz Endowments, and this year boasted the highest percent increases in qualifying scores in math and science in the state of Pennsylvania (among 289 schools with at least nine qualifying scores in 2012-13). Their results were also highlighted by The New York Times’ Kenneth Chang, who first wrote about the schools as they were about to face the springtime gauntlet of AP exams last May.
•An awards ceremony at Veterans High School in Georgia was the first of five celebrations at NMSI partner schools in Houston County School System in late September and early October. Enrollment in AP courses has more than doubled at Veterans High, from 244 students to 540. Across the school system, the district has calculated that college credit earned from 2013-14 qualifying AP exam scores will help Houston County families bypass some $2.5 million in tuition payments.
•At Fairborn High School in Ohio, students, teachers and invited officials celebrated the schools’ 54% increase in AP math, science and English enrollments over the previous year (to 240, up from 156) and an 81% increase in qualifying exam scores. The Fairborn City Schools district was the first in Ohio to partner with NMSI’s College Readiness Program, with funding provided by Boeing. NMSI program manager Jason Walker was in attendance at the event and offered Fairborn students these inspirational words: “It’s not about being the smartest kid in class, it’s about your effort and willingness to give it your all to propel yourself further than you ever thought possible.”
•At Ocean Springs High School in Mississippi, state superintendent of education Dr. Carey Wright and state senator Brice Wiggins were among the honored guests gathered to celebrate the largest first-year increase in qualifying AP scores at any school in the history of NMSI’s College Readiness Program. Ocean Springs saw its number of qualifying exam scores skyrocket from 18 to 195, accounting for 42 percent of the entire state’s increase in qualifying math, science and English scores in 2013-14.
•And in Fort Worth, two experienced partner schools joined cheerleaders, drum lines and spirited school mascots in a kickoff event to herald the addition of three new Forth Worth ISD schools to the NMSI family. Northside High School and Trimble Technical High School launched the College Readiness Program in school year 2013-14 and in their first year posted a combined 55% increase in qualifying AP math, science and English scores. Their impressive results will help inspire the students and teachers at Arlington Heights High School, Southwest High School and Carter-Riverside High School as they embark on their journey to higher levels of academic achievement beginning this school year.
 
These tremendous results are a testament to the power of hard work, perseverance and unwavering commitment to academic excellence. NMSI is beyond proud of the achievements of its students, teachers and schools and looks forward to celebrating further successes in the year ahead. Congratulations to all!

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