Success in Advanced Placement classes gives BC grads a head start

Bishop Chatard was one of 71 Indiana high schools to receive the 2017 Advanced Placement (AP) Award from the state of Indiana on June 12. BCHS tied for 11th in the state for success on AP exams, making it the highest-achieving diocesan school in Indiana.

To qualify for this award, a school must have had at least 25 percent of its 2017 graduating class receive a 3, 4 or 5 on an AP exam. 57 percent of Bishop Chatard’s 2017 graduates earned a 3, 4 or 5, placing the North Deanery high school in the top 2 percent of Indiana high schools.

AP is a research-based program designed to facilitate student participation and success through delivery of college-level courses and corresponding exams in the high school setting. According to the Indiana Dept. of Education, qualified students who pass AP courses enroll in college at higher rates, require significantly less remediation, and have higher first-year grade point averages and credit hours earned than other groups of students.

At the majority of colleges and universities, a 3 or above on an AP exam qualifies a student for college credit.

Administrators credit Bishop Chatard’s success to the dedication of its faculty and the willingness of its students to embrace the challenge and rigor of AP classes. Well over half of the Class of 2017 earned AP college credits while in high school, positioning graduates for post-secondary success.

“Research shows access, participation, and success in AP courses prepares students for the rigors of higher education,” said Dr. Jennifer McCormick, Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction.

This is the second consecutive year that Bishop Chatard has been recognized for AP success. The 2016 Advanced Placement Award, presented in June 2017, recognized the school for having 46 percent of its graduates receive a 3 or higher on the exam.

(Pictured above: Superintendent of Catholic Schools Gina Fleming, Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Jennifer McCormick, BCHS teacher Lisa Johnson, and BCHS Principal Joe Hansen at the Advanced Placement Award Ceremony on June 12.)