SJS News

For the third consecutive year, Saint James School has earned Platinum recognition on the AP School Honor Roll, the highest distinction awarded by the College Board and one achieved by only six percent of eligible schools nationwide.

The AP School Honor Roll, launched in 2023, recognizes schools that are not only offering Advanced Placement coursework, but doing so in a way that expands access, builds a strong college-going culture, and supports students in achieving meaningful success on AP exams. Schools are evaluated across multiple criteria, including student participation, performance, and readiness for college-level work.

At Saint James, those criteria are being met and exceeded. In May 2025, 114 Saint James students enrolled in 19 AP courses took a total of 245 AP exams. Their results were exceptional: 95 percent of students earned a score of 3 or higher, and 78 percent earned a 4 or 5. These scores not only reflect mastery of rigorous, college-level material but also position students to earn college credit and advanced placement at universities across the country.
But numbers alone do not tell the full story.

Behind these results is a deliberate and evolving academic philosophy that balances rigor with access. Saint James has taken a thoughtful approach to expanding AP opportunities for students.

“We are taking a fresh look at a more data-driven approach to placement, while also focusing more on equity and access,” said Kimberly Kingry, Associate Headmaster and Academic Dean. “Every student who has the potential to earn a score of 3 or higher on an AP exam in a given subject area should have access to at least one AP course in that discipline before graduation.” 

This philosophy reflects a shift toward opportunity which ensures that more students are challenged at a high level while still receiving the support they need to succeed. It is also a key reason Saint James continues to excel on the AP Honor Roll, where access and achievement are equally valued.
At the same time, the School’s success is a collective effort that is rooted in preparation that begins well before students enter an AP classroom. 

“A great measure of credit is due to those teachers in the trenches with the second, third, and fourth formers who are preparing students for AP-level work,” Mrs. Kingry said. “Without that readiness, we wouldn’t achieve this recognition from the College Board.” 

That preparation is intentional and sustained. One example is Saint James’ dedicated March exam week, which provides students with a full mock exam experience in every AP subject. This structured approach allows students to practice under authentic testing conditions, identify gaps in their understanding, and refine their skills in the critical weeks leading up to the May exams.

“It’s about building muscle memory,” Mrs. Kingry said. “When we get to May, students have already had that authentic, full exam experience.” 

While strong systems and thoughtful curriculum design play an important role, one of the most significant factors behind Saint James’ AP success is the experience and expertise of its teachers.

Across departments, Saint James faculty bring years, or even decades, of AP teaching experience into the classroom. Teachers such as Mrs. Kingry and Mr. Ponder (English), Ted Camp and Anne James (History), Ian Brauner, Ashley Leslie, and Jason Weibel (Science), Tania McDuffie and Joe Paradis (Math), Jeremy McDonald (Art), Kelly Northrup (Latin), Allison Flanary (French), and Jennifer Sherman (Spanish) have spent years refining their approach, deepening their subject knowledge, and learning how to prepare students for the demands of AP coursework. 

“Like effective teachers at any level or in any subject, good AP teachers grow in their practice year by year,” Mrs. Kingry said. “You never stop learning. You never stop sharpening your skills.”

That growth is not limited to classroom experience. Several Saint James teachers also serve as AP exam graders, which provides an intensive professional development experience that offers unique insight into how exams are evaluated at the national level.

For many educators, becoming an AP grader begins with an application to the College Board. From there, teachers are selected to participate in a week-long grading session over the summer, where they evaluate hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of student responses alongside educators from across the country.

For Tania McDuffie, who has been involved in AP grading for 27 years, the experience has become a defining part of her professional life.

“I like to help my students get into the mind of the grader and really understand the philosophy behind the grading,” she said. “The students really benefit because you get the inside track.”

That “inside track” is not theoretical. It translates directly into how students are taught and how they approach the exam. Ms. McDuffie describes how subtle changes in scoring expectations, often unknown to those outside the grading process, can significantly impact student performance. Teachers who serve as graders are able to anticipate these shifts and adjust their instruction accordingly.

“You can tell when you’re grading which students have teachers who are graders because they did it the correct way,” she said.

Similarly, longtime AP Spanish teacher and grader Jennifer Sherman emphasized how grading experience deepens a teacher’s understanding of the rubric, the framework used to score student responses.

“You’re constantly working with the rubric, and you hear enough samples that you know what they’re looking for as a grader,” she said. “You do then have a little bit of a home court advantage in training your students for the exam.” 

For students, that advantage can be transformative. AP exams are not just about content knowledge. They are about how effectively students communicate that knowledge within the structure of the exam. Teachers who have graded AP responses understand exactly what distinguishes a strong answer from an exceptional one.

Ms. Sherman noted that this insight allows teachers to guide students more precisely. 

“It’s learning why that question has been written the way it has been,” she said.

For newer AP teachers, the experience of grading can be equally impactful. Ashley Leslie, a member of the Class of 2012 and now an AP Environmental Science teacher at Saint James, completed her first AP grading last summer. She described the experience as both intensive and eye-opening.

“You’re assigned a question, and then you learn what the question is, the type of answers you should expect, and whether or not you should give it a point,” she said.

Through this process, Ms. Leslie gained a clearer understanding of how precise students must be in their responses. Even small differences in wording can determine whether an answer earns credit.

“It makes you realize what kind of specificity they care about,” she said, noting that students must be careful not to rely on assumptions or vague language.
She also discovered how grading standards shape effective test-taking strategies. For example, students who provide multiple answers in hopes of earning partial credit may actually hurt their chances.

“I’ve really tried to get my students out of the habit of giving multiple answers because it’s only going to hurt you,” Ms. Leslie said.

Perhaps most importantly, the experience helped her refine how she teaches.

“It’s really framed how I would grade things and therefore how they can better succeed on the exam,” Ms. Leslie said.

This direct connection between grading experience and classroom instruction is a hallmark of the Saint James AP program. In addition to Ms. McDuffie, Ms. Sherman, and Ms. Leslie, Dr. Brauner and Dr. Weibel are also AP graders. Our teachers return from AP grading with practical insights that immediately benefit Saint James students—whether it’s emphasizing clarity, refining writing strategies, or helping students understand exactly how their responses will be evaluated.

While faculty expertise plays a critical role, Saint James teachers are quick to credit students themselves as an essential part of the School’s success.

“Our kids take those exams seriously,” Ms. Sherman said. “Out of respect for themselves and for us, they really go in there and do what they’re supposed to do.” 

That shared commitment to preparation, effort, and doing one’s best creates a culture where high achievement is not an exception but an expectation.
It is also a culture built on relationships. At Saint James, small class sizes and close connections between students and teachers allow for individualized support and meaningful mentorship. Teachers know when to challenge students, when to encourage them, and how to help them navigate the demands of college-level work.

The result is a learning environment where students are not only prepared for AP exams but also equipped with the skills they will need beyond Saint James.

Earning Platinum recognition on the 2025 AP Honor Roll is a significant achievement and is a testament to the teachers who bring both experience and insight into the classroom and to the students who rise to meet the challenges set before them.