The Arlington ISD, which continues to offer its students leading-edge learning experiences, has been named a 2014 National AP Honor Roll district for increasing access to Advanced Placement coursework while simultaneously maintaining or increasing the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher on AP Exams.

"The Arlington ISD strives to prepare our graduates to excel in higher education or the career of their choice, and by offering more than 28 Advanced Placement courses, we are doing just that," AISD Superintendent Dr. Marcelo Cavazos said. "Providing access to excellence through innovation and advanced academics offerings helps us ensure that our students are high-level thinkers and problem-solvers."

The AISD is one of just 29 school districts in Texas to earn the distinction as a National AP Honor Roll district, and it is one of 547 school districts in the U.S. and Canada with the honor. The Arlington ISD is one of 14 districts in Texas chosen for the Honor Roll that has both 30 percent or greater enrollment of American Indian, African American and Hispanic/Latino students, as well as 30 percent or greater enrollment of students who qualify for free and reduced-price meals.

Inclusion on the Fifth Annual AP District Honor Roll is based on the examination of three years of AP data, from 2012 to 2014, looking across 34 AP Exams, including world language and culture. The following criteria were used. Districts must:

• Increase participation/access to AP by at least 4 percent in large districts, at least 6 percent in medium districts, and at least 11 percent in small districts;

• Increase or maintain the percentage of exams taken by African American, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian/Alaska Native students; and

• Improve performance levels when comparing the percentage of students in 2014 scoring a 3 or higher to those in 2012, unless the district has already attained a performance level at which more than 70 percent of its AP students are scoring a 3 or higher.