Plano earns stellar review from Board

MISD Superintendent Gary Plano earned stellar feedback from the School Board after a successful mid-year review during the Jan. 20 special meeting.

The Board unanimously and enthusiastically voted to extend his contract, said Board President Janet Frohnmayer.

“I believe Dr. Plano accomplished more in a very short time than we anticipated,” said Board member Pat Braman. “We’re very excited about the future.”

Once finalized sometime this week, Plano’s contract will extend until 2012.

More earn credit for AP

More students across the state of Washington participated in and took Advanced Placement classes and exams during the last school year, according to the College Board’s annual ‘AP Report to the Nation.’

Washington saw a 5 percent increase in the number of students who earned a score of at least 3 on the test since 2003, according to the fifth annual study. Only four states in the United States had a higher increase than Washington.

Last year, 16,294 students in Washington took at least one AP exam, up from 9,722 in 2003, according to the study. Students who score 3 or higher are usually able to earn college credit for their work.

At Mercer Island High School there are currently 923 students in AP classes. The most popular AP course at MIHS is AP U.S. history, which is being taken by 169 students. AP environmental science is second with 110 students. Eighty-eight students are currently taking an AP class in comparative government and politics, the third highest enrollment in AP classes at the school.

The federal government and individual states have worked over the past several years to increase access to AP courses and tests for high school students. An increase in participation and access to the AP system has been made possible at the federal level by three Advanced Placement Incentive program grants which allow for professional development for teachers in schools with high poverty levels. The federal government has also given funds to help rural schools give teachers training on delivering AP courses and exams.

Qualifying low-income students may be eligible for a test fee reduction, thanks in part to a federal program to reduce to costs of administering the tests.

In total, AP courses are offered in 37 subjects and students take exams in May.

For a full version of the report, visit www.collegeboard.com/apreport.

Privett expands

The Privett Academy will be expanding its current space to accommodate an increase in the number of students, and to offer a wider variety of courses.

According to Privett Academy Director Carol Meyer, the academy is expanding within its current space, doubling the square footage. The expanded school will have 3,500 square feet compared to the old space of 1,800 square feet. Meyer said that the expansion moves the school from both the upstairs and downstairs of the building to only the upstairs. The school will continue to be located at 9311 S.E. 36th St. in the Ogden building.

Along with the extra space, the school will offer more classes. Beginning in the fall, the private sixth- through 12th-grade academy will begin offering science classes, as well as AP courses in math, science, English and history, said Meyer.

Privett Academy began in 1995 with one teacher and 10 students. The school currently has 10 full-time students and 152 students enrolled overall.Approximately 95 percent of students are taking at least one class, most of which are math courses. Meyer said the majority of the students at Privett are Islanders, but there are some who reside elsewhere.

For more information, contact Meyer at the Academy’s main office at (206) 232-0059.