Anderson For YDA

My high school, Morgan Park H.S., Chicago, IL

Chicago's Morgan Park High was buzzing Tuesday with news that the school posted world-class Advanced Placement results.
More African-American kids at Morgan Park passed their AP exams in two courses -- English language/composition and European history -- than at any other high school in the nation offering AP courses last year, AP officials said.

The number of Morgan Park students required to achieve that feat was 32 in English language and 26 in European history.
That may not sound like much, but those numbers translate roughly into 1-1/2 classrooms full of kids, all of them testing at college-level standards, and all of them African American -- the racial group most under-represented in AP classrooms across the nation, state and city. Two sections of each course were offered last year at Morgan Park, where the student body is 93 percent African-American.

Click here to enlarge graphic »
SCHOOLS NOTED FOR EXCELLENCE
FOR HAVING LARGEST NUMBER OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDENTS PASS* A 2005 AP TEST:
Morgan Park High, Chicago -- English language/composition and European history
Whitney Young Magnet, Chicago -- psychology
FOR HAVING HIGHEST PERCENT OF A SCHOOL'S STUDENT BODY PASS* A 2005 AP TEST:
Illinois Math & Science Academy, Aurora -- physics/mechanics and physics/electricity and magnetism (among medium-size schools)
Cristo Rey Jesuit High, Chicago -- Spanish language (among medium-size schools)
Northside College Prep, Chicago -- statistics (among medium-size schools)
St. Ignatius College Prep, Chicago -- government & politics (among large schools)
Reflects a score of 3, 4 or 5, the range that most colleges accept for college credit.
Source: The College Board

"I think it's awesome. It's kind of bittersweet," said AP English language teacher Marilyn Jackson, herself a Morgan Park grad. "You are excited that we have the most number of African-American students to succeed, but at the same time, that's just 32. You want more than that to succeed, not just at our school, but at every school."

Wide variety of texts
Jackson said AP English language can be challenging for kids weaned on rap music. "Students do not have many role models who use language well," she said. "They are very much into rap and movies that don't necessarily use standard English."

Morgan Park was among six Chicago area schools honored Tuesday for top AP results among 31 countries and more than 15,000 high schools across the globe -- including more than 800 schools outside the continental United States -- to offer AP courses last year. It was the only Chicago neighborhood school to be so honored.

As research mounts on the link between AP classes and college success, new data from the College Board Tuesday indicated AP courses are becoming more common nationally, in Illinois and in Chicago.
The data also showed that 73 percent of Illinois tests reflected a score of 3 or better -- scores that usually earn the student college credit. Nationally, 59.7 percent of the tests hit that mark.

However, fewer Illinois graduates took at least one AP course during their high school career than high school grads nationally -- 9.8 percent versus 22.7 percent.

In Chicago, where many high schools still offer no AP courses, City Schools CEO Arne Duncan called it "very encouraging" that Chicago's AP numbers are growing at a faster clip than the state's and the nation's. Officials attributed the boost to expanded AP teacher training and programs such as one aimed at getting kids with average GPAs primed for AP classes.
Why was Morgan Park so successful? In English language, students cited lots of writing assignments -- many of them timed, just like on AP tests; heavy but innovative vocabulary work; and an emphasis on analyzing a wide variety of texts, from the classic Shakespeare and the letters of Lord Chesterfield to the more contemporary Amy Chan and Richard Rodriguez. To prove they understood The Merchant of Venice this week, Jackson's students had to translate it into a series of articles for a newspaper they're calling The Bill Shakes Times.

'Kind of a cool thing'

Of all races, blacks are most under-represented in AP classrooms, often because they haven't received enough preparation for such classes, said AP executive director Trevor Packer.

But at Morgan Park, since 2003, teachers have been meeting weekly across grades to discuss what kids need to be primed for AP. At this point, AP courses are part of the culture of the school, said AP English language student Willie Valentine, who is also on the football, baseball and bowling team.

"It's gone into a kind of cool thing," said Valentine, a senior. "It's not nerdy. It's accepted today. If you can hang out at the AP class, it shows how intelligent you are."

rrossi@suntimes.com

posted by Kris Anderson @ 11:51 AM