This summer brought news of great success for all Robinson Knights. “We really made some strides on the IB and AP passage rates,” announced Gary Brady, Robinson’s Assistant Principal for Magnet (IB) Curriculum.
Two years ago Robinson High School’s overall Advanced Placement (AP) Test passage rate (combining traditional and IB students) was 38 percent. While 2013 AP results increased strongly, Robinson’s AP passing rate jumped an additional 13 percent in 2014 to 59 percent. Impressively, Robinson’s 2014 AP Test passage rate was higher than all other high schools in Hillsborough County School District except Bloomingdale High School.
Robinson’s IB Knights achieved a 75 percent AP passage rate, a 15 percentage point increase over last year. AP Exams are graded 1 through 5 with 3 or higher representing a passing grade. According to the College Board, the 2013 national passage rate was 58.9 percent.
Each spring IB seniors also sit for comprehensive exams to determine if they will graduate with IB diplomas (those whose scores fall short graduate with a standard diploma). In 2012, 65 percent of Robinson IB seniors earned one and 76 percent did in 2013. This summer 90 percent received credit for an IB diploma, a full 14 percent increase over 2013.
It surpassed the administration’s own goal of 80 percent by ten points. “Every kid and teacher had an equal part in this,” Mr. Brady said, adding that many students took advantage of Saturday school, tutoring and guidance regarding ways to maximize individual performance on the challenging exams.
The 2014 performance narrowed the gap in passage rates between Robinson and Hillsborough’s longer-existing IB high schools. While a 30 percent performance gap existed in 2012, Robinson’s recent performance put its IB seniors with six percentage points of the highest IB passage rate in the county. Congratulations to all Knights, IB administrators and faculty!