Barnegat High School Students Score High On AP Tests

Press release from Barnegat Township School District:

Aug. 31, 2020

Despite the untraditional end to the 2019/2020 school year, students at Barnegat High School excelled on the College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) exams. The district is proud to report that students outperformed the state average in nine of the seventeen AP programs offered. Those nine high-performing AP classes are: Computer Science Principles, Physics 1, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, European History, Spanish Language & Culture, English Literature & Composition, English Language & Composition, and Studio Art: Drawing. Furthermore, the NJ state average for each of those exams is higher than the national average, meaning that Barnegat High School students performed, on average, among the best in the country.

“I’m extremely proud of our students and the amazing teachers who made their success possible. AP coursework is incredibly challenging, and I know how much time, effort, and energy was put into achieving those results,” said Jim Barbiere, Director of Curriculum and Instruction for the district.

For the 2019-2020 school year, students sat for more than 170 exams across 17 different AP courses offered at Barnegat High School. Sanctioned by the College Board, AP courses provide the opportunity for students to complete college-level work while still in high school. Each spring, the College Board offers students around the world the opportunity to sit for the AP Exam to demonstrate their mastery of various course curricula. Graded on a scale of 1-5, students who earn a 3 or higher become potentially eligible to receive college credit. This year, 73% of Barnegat students scored a 3 or better, demonstrating they “qualified” in the subject and are capable of completing college-level work.

Some of the outstanding results belong to Brendan Keffner’s AP English Literature and Composition class. In this class, 94.1% of students scored a 3 or better on their exam. “In its best iteration, an AP course not only should challenge kids to master the content, but also create an avenue for them to use that content to really explore how to think critically and analytically,” Keffner said. “In a way, it's almost more important to make the focus about how to think differently, and about how to sift through all of the information to find the truly fascinating, curious, and engaging stuff underneath it all. That's what keeps kids interested, and it's what helps them build the intellectual tenacity necessary to perform academic analysis at a consistently superior level.”

Jennifer Wojciak, teacher of AP Spanish Language and Culture, stated that “Starting the AP Spanish program here at BHS and watching it flourish over the last 5 years has been a truly rewarding experience.” Every one of Wojciak’s students scored a 3 or better on the exam. “I am incredibly proud of my students’ accomplishments and am grateful for the administrative support which allows the program to run year after year.”

The exams were given in May, and like everything else at the end of the school year, looked very different. Taken online for the first time ever, the AP exams consisted entirely of essay questions rather than the typical multiple choice and free response sections, because they were taken from home.

“I’m incredibly proud of all of our students for finishing the 2019/20 school year so strongly, considering the circumstances. Scores like this show just how hard our AP students and teachers worked this year despite the challenges,” said Superintendent Dr. Brian Latwis.

“All the accolades go out to the students as they have shown incredible enthusiasm and commitment, and ultimately have been a great source of inspiration throughout this academic year, especially during this unique one. Their scores are merely a tiny reflection of the quality of student we have here at Barnegat,” said Physics teacher Mr. Eric Geddes.

“I continue to be impressed and amazed by our students,” said Board of Education member Doreen Continanza. “It’s wonderful to see so many of our students take advantage of this opportunity to get a jump on earning college credits. Our teachers have done a wonderful job in preparing them for these exams, and to see them excel, it’s just a tremendous source of pride for the district.”

For the 2020/21 school year, 207 students have enrolled in 18 different AP courses at Barnegat High School.

This press release was produced by Barnegat Township School District. The views expressed here are the author's own.