H-H Students Make the Grade

are faring better than the national average and are reaching high levels of achievement on Advanced Placement (AP), according to 2010-2011 results presented during Monday's school board meeting.

Principal Dennis Williams shared a variety of statistics to the Hatboro-Horsham School Board, sharing information about AP course and test-taking trends as well as information about other tests taken by high school students, such as the SAT, PSAT and ACT Explore.

Scores on the SAT fell slightly from 2010 to 2011, which he said is in keeping with national trends. When compared to state and national averages, however, Hatboro-Horsham High School students were far ahead. The total score on an SAT is now 2,400 – the total of three sections (math, critical reading, writing) that are worth 800 points each. Hatboro-Horsham High School’s students scored an average of 1,615 on the SAT, as compared with the state average of 1,473 and the national average of 1,500.

"Even with the dip we're doing very well," Williams said, adding that standardized tests, such as SATs, "are the benchmark by which schools are judged."

The high school has made a number of changes to encourage student SAT performance, including curriculum adjustments so content and delivery mirror SAT prompts and skills, the introduction of an SAT preparation course elective for juniors and seniors, and the offering of free ACT Explore and PSAT testing to all high school students in ninth- through 11th-grade. The first time this was done was on Oct. 12 – a day that seniors were given off from school to work on college applications, complete college essays, work on graduation projects or visit colleges. While the seniors were out, freshmen took the ACT Explore exam and sophomores and juniors took the PSAT.

ACT Explore is an exploratory test that students can take in eighth or ninth grade to help them determine which subjects they are strong or weak in, and then use that information to select high school courses to prepare them for college and work. The PSAT is the Preliminary SAT, and is taken in preparation for the SAT but can also be used to qualify students for the National Merit Scholarship Program and help them determine what AP courses they might want to take. 

Results from that day indicate that 94 percent of Hatboro-Horsham High School freshmen took the ACT Explore test, and 92 percent of juniors and 96 percent of sophomores took the PSAT.

Overall, the number of Hatboro-Horsham High School students taking AP courses and taking exams has increased over the last five years. In 2007, 152 students were enrolled in AP courses. This year, 212 students are taking AP courses. The number of students taking AP exams has also risen – 242 students took an AP exam in 2007, as compared to 2011, when 359 students took exams. Also increasing is the number of students who have achieved “passing” grades on the AP tests (a score of 3 or higher). In 2007, 133 students achieved a 3 or higher. In 2011, 173 students achieved that score. Students who attain scores of 3 or more on their tests may receive college credits for their work, depending upon the institution they decide to attend.

Williams attributed the increases to the high school’s top-quality instruction, which has been enhanced over the years by local and national professional development opportunities. In addition, the high school added an AP seminar component to all AP courses – which enables students to maintain a full year of contact with AP material and their instructor, which is not necessarily common in schools using block scheduling as Hatboro-Horsham does.

In order to maintain Hatboro-Horsham’s success, Williams said the high school will continue to modify curriculum and instructional practices, maintain awareness of best practices in delivering instruction related to high-level standardized tests, provide professional development opportunities that will add rigor and relevance to coursework, and provide technological resources to supplement instruction.