D.C. Public School Students, Be Proud

Test scores rise and get national attention

College-bound D.C. public school seniors who took the SAT and Advanced Placement (AP) exams this year really shined.

D.C. public school students' SAT performances rose a whopping 27 points this year. This narrowed the gap between D.C. public school students who took the exams and their national peers. African-American and Hispanic public school students pushed ahead in AP examinations as well.

D.C. School Chancellor Michelle Rhee said she was not surprised. “We celebrate the accomplishments of our students and we are extremely proud of their progress.”

The average hike in SAT scores of 27 points is especially notable in light of the fact that nationally the average showed no growth. The two D.C. public school groups that really rocked were African-American students, whose average performance went up 40 points, and male students, whose average increased 59 points.

The number of D.C public school students taking the AP exams went up. Last year 1,493 students hunkered down over the exam. This year that number rose to 1,720. They also did better in the exams. Over 5 percent more African-American students and over 4 percent more white students passed the AP tests this year compared to 2009.

So D.C. public school students, stand tall. You're setting a higher standard for public school students following you through the system.

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