Feb 19, 2016 2 min read

CANONSBURG – Canon-McMillan School District received its first recognition on CollegeBoard’s sixth annual AP District Honor Roll, which acknowledges 425 schools in the United States and Canada that increase access and improve grades in advanced-placement pre-college classes.

Superintendent Michael Daniels said the honor was “a big deal” because the acknowledgement only comes after three years of data.

“We’re honored these students have the opportunity to participate in these high-level classes, but also proud of the fact that the teachers have allowed them to perform at that level,” Daniels said.

The criteria for acceptance on the honor roll – which has 43 districts in Pennsylvania – says a district must have increased participation in AP classes by at least 4 percent in districts of Canon-McMillan’s size.

Most impressive, according to school counselor Karen Rubican, is that all of last year’s AP calculus students earned a perfect score of 5 on their AP exams.

“It’s a wonderful surprise. It was a goal, yet so many factors that contribute to this distinguished list had to happen, and three years of consistent growth had to be shown,” Rubican said.

Other criteria included that the school had to increase or maintain access and scores for students belonging to minority and lower socio-economic classes. Another element, Rubican said, was increased access to the SAT pretest, the PSAT.

“We saw direct enrollment in AP classes because of it. The questions highly correlate with subject areas in languages, physics and mathematics,” Rubican said.

High school principal David Helinski said the PSAT served a double purpose to find students capable of taking AP classes.

“These tests were providing valuable data, that some were on the cusp of ability to take these classes and be challenged.

“We’ve gone from warning students that the classes may be too difficult, to encouraging them to take them knowing we have the resources to help them and figure out how to tackle these tougher courses that can give them college credit,” Helinski said, “because excellence is not an accident.”

The board also approved the 2016-17 district calendar, which shows a school start date of Aug. 22.