Homewood High’s AP program sees growth

When Jane Ann Langford left Homewood High School to head off to college in 2018, she had already earned 36 credits toward her college degree, thanks to her participation in the College Board’s Advanced Placement program.

That was six more credits than a full year’s worth of work, so she essentially was able to start college at the University of Virginia as a sophomore, her mother, Dana Langford said.

Jane Ann, who already is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in foreign affairs this spring and participating in an accelerated public policy master’s program, is a prime example of the benefits of the AP program.

Her older brother, Nolen, who graduated from Auburn University with a bachelor’s degree in finance last year, was able to skip the first two levels of English and advanced calculus at Auburn. And her younger sister, Alyssa, who is graduating this year from Homewood, has gotten the benefit of five AP courses.

The Langford children are not alone. A growing number of Homewood High School students are taking part in the AP program, school statistics show. The total number of Homewood students taking AP courses has grown from 348 in 2016 to 408 in 2020. The number of AP exams taken by Homewood students has increased 25% from 802 to 1,002 in the same period.

And the percentage of Homewood’s AP students scoring a passing grade of 3 or above (out of 5) on AP exams increased from 76.7% in 2016 to 81.2% in 2019. That percentage fell slightly to 79.2% in 2020, but that little drop almost certainly can be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, said Amanda Esslinger, Homewood High School’s assistant principal over curriculum and instruction and the school’s AP coordinator for the past five years.

Students missed a lot of in-person instruction and interaction with their peers in 2020, and “there’s certainly a difference in attending an AP class every day for two whole months than being at home and learning virtually,” Esslinger said.

The seniors in the class of 2020 were not required to complete their AP coursework, but a lot of them did anyway because they wanted to be prepared for their AP exams, she said.

While there was a slight dip in 2020, “our scores and our percentages are still amazing,” Esslinger said.

Homewood has a strong participation rate in AP classes because any student can take an AP class, she said. There are no prerequisite tests or recommendations from teachers required. Also, the school district pays for all AP exams for its students, removing any financial barriers for students to achieve, she said.

Having about 80% of AP students score a passing grade is all the more impressive because all the AP students take the exams, Esslinger said. At some schools, only the students who think they will do really well take the test, she said.

Homewood doesn’t pressure its students to take AP courses, but the school does encourage students to challenge themselves to be the best they can be and to make choices based on their unique potential and goals, Esslinger said.

For some students, one AP course is a good fit, but for another, four AP classes might fit best, she said.

Jane Ann Langford took 12 AP classes at Homewood High, her mother said.

“She didn’t sleep very much for two to three years,” Dana Langford said. “She wanted to have a really challenging curriculum. She enjoyed having that mental challenge.”

And it paid off in the long run, Dana Langford said. Not only did the family get the financial benefit of skipping many college courses, but her children felt well prepared for the courses they did take in college, she said. They had some great teachers and learned a lot, she said. “College seemed to be a little easier.”