Going Above & Beyond

Going Above and Beyond

Advanced Placement Courses at Island School

Educating the Mind

The 2021-2022 school year marked the sixth year that Island School has offered Advanced Placement (AP) courses to our high school students. AP courses offer high school students a college preparatory curriculum and the opportunity to earn college credit. By passing a national AP exam at the end of the school year, high school students can earn college credit in that subject before they even step foot on a college campus. A year long AP class in high school is comparable to one semester of an introductory level college class. This gives students the opportunity to explore subjects that interest them in college without having to worry about rushing through general education credits. Island School began by offering only AP Calculus and AP English in 2014, and has grown to include six courses in the 2021-22 school year; Calculus, Computer Science, English, Psychology, Statistics, and US History, with an addition of AP Chemistry in the 2023-24 school year. Island School’s Academic Director, Dr. Jeff Kozak, explains that Island School introduced the AP curriculum in 2014 based on feedback from Island School alumni and students who “wanted more challenging courses, and wanted to earn college credit while still in high school. Some alumni felt that they were not as prepared as their college peers who took AP courses in high school. Some Island School students also felt that having the AP courses would help with college admissions.”

AP Scores 2022

Above are the Island School AP scores and passing rates from spring of 2022 compared to state and national averages. As the AP program has grown, we are achieving exam scores and passing averages well above national averages in most courses.

Certain AP courses at Island School are selective based on prerequisites, such as math classes or World Language. Other AP courses, however, are open to any student who would like an additional challenge at Island School. Our AP English course is open to any and all high school juniors and seniors who are willing to challenge themselves in literature. In the 2021-2022 school year, twenty-three 11th and 12th grade students took AP English with David Reynolds at Island School. “It is a true joy to see so many of our young scholars attempt and succeed in this nationally recognized program” says Reynolds. “Almost every year, nearly half of the Island School juniors and seniors earn college credit, as well as a deep appreciation for literature. I love when graduates return not only claiming success and confidence in their college courses and writing, but also to share the latest book they read or the latest poem they wrote.” The benefits of AP classes are far reaching. Our College Counselor, Renate McMullen, has said that AP classes help to prepare Island School students for college in many ways, “rigor is certainly something that colleges consider, whether it be honors, AP or other challenging courses. AP courses also help to prepare students to handle college level courses and workload.” Island School alumni, Allison Summerhays (2017), felt that “the AP courses I took in high school were instrumental to my college preparation and helped me feel confident in my transition from high school to college. When I started my first semester of college, I felt like I was used to the amount of course work and the level of material typical of a college course, because of what I had experienced with AP courses. I also knew how to study effectively and to do independent work outside of class because of my experience preparing for AP tests in high school.”

We are proud of every student that leaves Island School to lead a life of significance, and are honored to be a part of that preparation.