By Crystal Hayduk
Chelsea High School Principal Dr. Nick Angel received great news reflecting on his students and teachers when the College Board released Advanced Placement (AP) exam scores on July 5.
The high school’s strong AP program “raised the bar yet again,” said Angel. Out of 218 students taking 395 AP exams, 92% earned a passing score. “[That] is something we should be proud of,” he said. “This puts CHS again as one of the top Advanced Placement schools in Michigan.”
CHS students performed significantly better than their peers. The College Board reported the 2023 pass rate for students nationally was 65%, while the average pass rate for students across Michigan was 68%.
The percentage of students who passed AP exams this year is higher than last year’s pass rate of 86%, which the district was also pleased with. According to Chelsea School District’s profile report, 234 students took 418 AP exams in 2022.
Angel said the high school’s 15-year average pass rate is 87.74%.
According to the College Board website, AP courses give high school students an opportunity to experience college-level work, usually in a classroom setting, but also online when there aren’t enough students enrolled to form a class. Exams are administered during the first two weeks of May.
AP exams are graded on a five-point scale. Each score is a recommendation to colleges about the student’s preparation in that course. Scores of three through five are considered passing: 3 – qualified, 4 – very well qualified, 5 – extremely well qualified.
Colleges may give students credit for passing scores, which allows students to save tuition fees and time in their college schedule.
Chelsea High School’s staff are proud of their AP course accessibility. “We encourage all students to consider taking an AP course,” said Angel. “Students can attempt AP courses if they desire. They aren’t ‘tracked.’ Many districts have GPA and strict prerequisite tracks, but [in Chelsea], we don’t limit AP classes to only the ‘top students.’”
Jason Morris, dean of students and assistant athletic director, is the AP Test Coordinator for CHS. He is extremely proud of the students’ achievement on their AP exams this year. “These are rigorous courses and students are invested in them all year long,” he said. “It is also a huge tribute to all our AP teachers who spend the year teaching the content to prepare students for their exams each May.”
AP teachers who deserve recognition for the academic accomplishments of their students include the following:
Chris Orlandi – Calculus AB, Calculus BC, and Statistics
John Zainea – English Language and Composition
Shawn Sinacola – English Literature and Composition
Molly Mattias – Chemistry
Eric Swager – Physics 1, Physics C: Mechanics
Matt Pedlow – Macroeconomics, Microeconomics
Laura Woodruff – U.S. History
Andrea Maines – World History
Jason Rickli – Computer Science, Computer Science Principles
Angel also congratulated students and teachers in courses with 100% passing rates: Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Computer Science, English Literature and Composition, Physics, Spanish (online independent study) and Statistics.
About College Board
Founded in 1900, College Board is a non-profit organization that “connects students to college success and opportunity” and “is dedicated to promoting excellence and equity in education.” (about.collegeboard.org)
