INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Recent reports released by The College Board and The International Baccalaureate show that students in Indian River County have once again outperformed both state and global averages in Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) exams.
Based on the report, not only does the County have a growing number of students participating in AP and IB, but student scores are improving with several areas exceeding the state and global averages.
AP and IB courses give students access to rigorous college-level work and assess performance through an end-of-course assessment designed to measure a student’s ability to successfully complete the work of a college level course in that subject. Many colleges and universities grant credit and placement based on passing scores.
At Vero Beach High School, students continue to have greater access to AP courses and exams. Over the past five years, the number of students taking AP exams has increased 74 percent (from 378 students in 2011 to 659 students in 2015) and, this past year, 61.3% percent of students passed their exam exceeding the state average of 54.5 percent and the national average of 60.6 percent.
At Sebastian River High School (SRHS), the number of students taking AP and IB exams has increased 12 percent over the past five years (from 342 students in 2011 to 383 students in 2015) and, this past year, 73.2 percent of students passed their IB exam and 72.7 percent of IB Diploma Candidates earned their IB Diploma.
To earn the IB Diploma, students must achieve certain scores through the six subject areas, complete an independent research-based extended essay, undertake a project that involves community service, and take a course on the nature of knowledge. Students at SRHS scored higher than the global average in five of the six subject area exams.
Superintendent Rendell said, “We should be very proud of these results. Not only have we increased access to challenging and rigorous coursework, we have increased performance at the same time – exceeding state, national, and international averages! Congratulations to our students, their families, and our staff. Well done.”
While students will pursue a variety of paths after high school, the School District of Indian River County works diligently to ensure all students are prepared for college or the workplace. The results from this report highlight these efforts. For more information, please contact the Office of Assessment and Accountability, at (772) 564-3000.
