Congrats and Thanks

[I sent out this message via Infinite Campus to 2017-18 AP Psych students today, but am posting it here for the benefit of those who no longer have access to their school email/IC accounts.]

Greetings, 2017-18 AP Psych Students and Parents!

It is a bittersweet exercise to send out the last message to this mailing list. While I am happy to report some fantastic news about outcomes from our 2017-18 crop of AP Psych students, this may be the last time many of you receive any communication from me, and that comes with a pang of nostalgia (for me, anyway).

So, first, the good news. Well, GREAT news. AP Score reports for students became available (at apscore.org) last week, so I hope you all have had an opportunity to check your results. I've waited until today to send out this message because I didn't want to spoil the joy you may feel when checking your own score, because as a group we've got a LOT to be joyful about.

As I look at my Instructional Planning Report today, here the big victories that spring to mind:

1. 91 Chi-Hi students took the AP Psych exam this year and all 91 of them passed. To my knowledge, that's the first time we've achieved this impressive feat. While we've had higher exam volume in previous years (and thus, higher total numbers of passing students), a 100% pass rate is pretty remarkable, given that the nation-wide pass rate this year was about 65%.
2. 2017-18 AP Psych students did far more than "just" pass this test. Scores of 3 or higher on AP exams are always to be celebrated, since they indicate mastery of course material on par with college-level performance. Yet, the bulk of our scores fell in the 4 and 5 range, indicating our students knew the material well. As a group, our average score on the AP Psych exam was 4.473, an impressive achievement.

The graph in the image linked below illustrates what I mean. In it, the green bars represent score percentages for all AP Psych students globally, while the blue bars represent Chi-Hi AP Psych students. 

So, as you celebrate your impressive achievements, remember what your score reflects. It reflects a LOT of hard work over the past year: doing reading modules and quizzes when you were tired and could have chosen otherwise, going to countless study sessions and practice exams (sometimes during snow storms), developing your study skills, and not giving up even when things weren't easy. And, you did this DESPITE a lot of obstacles, including substantially reduced instructional time and multiple snow days. Some of you were reluctant to even sign up for this exam because you worried that you might not pass, but I hope you now appreciate that it was worth the shot! In addition to some college credit, you've earned a heck of a lot of knowledge about psychology that I hope you'll put to good use in your future academics, your career, and your relationships.

So, with that accomplishment in mind, it's time for me to turn my attention to preparing for the arrival of a new crop of AP Psych students. I'll be at school for the next couple of weeks developing next year's pacing guide and planning out a curriculum that (hopefully) will bring success for 2018-19 students. This means, later today, I'll be purging my Remind list from last year. If you wish to contact me from this point forward, email will be your best choice (wellevk@chipfalls.org).

Congratulations on your accomplishments, and best wishes as you continue your journey.

Sincerely, 

Mrs. Welle