After the institution of the Minorities in Advanced Placement program, Wilson has experienced tremendous growth in students’ AP scores. Succeeding the completion of an Advanced Placement course, students enrolled in that class are required to take an AP test, which evaluates each student’s understanding of the class’ material. The effectiveness of the MAP program is exhibited in Wilson students’ improved performance on AP tests, after its enactment in 2014.

In an email, Academy of Hospitality and Tourism Director Alex Wilson wrote, “we have expanded minority participation in AP courses and our overall pass rate of a 3, 4, or 5 is the highest it’s been in the past 13 years. The pass rate is over 50 percent for the first time since 2002.” Leading up to the 2015-2016 school year, students scoring a 3 and above on the AP exams, fluctuated between 45 percent and 47 percent. In the 2015-2016 school year however, 854 students received a 3+ score, a whopping 51 percent of Wilson’s test-takers. In the past school year, both performance on AP tests and minority enrollment in AP classes have increased. 

PHOTO COURTESY OF CORY DOCTOROW