During a study session Wednesday, Astoria School Board and staff discussed the possibility of changing some of Astoria High School’s honors courses to Advanced Placement (AP).

Both attract high-achieving students to college-level courses. Staff creates the curriculum for honors courses, many of which grant credit at Clatsop Community College through the Coastal Commitment program. AP is a program operated by exam provider College Board, which creates curriculum, exams and audits classes before they get the designation.

AP is the preferred norm for many colleges and universities, some of which won’t take community college or honors credits said Astoria School District Superintendent Craig Hoppes. AP courses have an exam at the end, separate from the student’s grade, but required to receive college credit.

If Astoria did offer AP courses, he added, CCC would still be interested in offering students credit through Coastal Commitment.

Hoppes asked Honors English teacher Clint Hill and language arts teacher Craig Randall, who taught an AP English course at Knappa High School last year, whether they would be willing to teach an AP course. Both indicated they would.

“It feels like what my honors class is already … and really all I’m missing is test prep,” said Hill. He added that he’d have to dedicate significant time to AP exam preparation.

Randall said the AP title allows the teacher to push kids further. Even if Knappa students didn’t pass the AP exam last year but got good grades, they earned CCC Coastal Commitment credit.

In other news from the Wednesday board meeting:

• Board Chairman Martin Dursse read a proclamation for Classified Employee Appreciation Week, March 2 to 6.

• Hoppes reported that staff training on the school board goal based around creating a strategic plan for the district started Thursday at Astoria Middle School. It starts next week at AHS, Feb. 26 at John Jacob Astor Elementary School and April 2 at Lewis and Clark Elementary School. A parent meeting will be organized in April, as the district works on various strategies to get as many as possible to attend the meeting.

• The district met Jan. 22 with migrant recruiters to organize an English Language Learner (ELL)/Migrant summer school. It is also working to provide more interpreters for the district.

• On the district’s goal to reduce the achievement gap between students, it completed applications for Title IIA professional development funds from the Oregon Department of Education. Once approved, the district can begin providing training for staff on parts of a plan to reduce the achievement gap between the general population and underserved groups such as ELL and low-income students.

• On the district’s health and wellness goal, it has created three subcommittees based around health services; health promotion for staff; and family and community involvement.

• The district continues to provide mental health services to its students through Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare, which has the state contract to service people using the Oregon Health Plan. Hoppes said the district is researching how to offer a menu of local counselors, inside and outside of CBH, to come meet with students at a designated space on campus.