Eight Massachusetts high schools join Mass Insight’s AP STEM & English Core Program

Sept. 19, 2019 – Boston – Eight Massachusetts high schools are starting the school year with a new partner. The partnership with Mass Insight Education & Research, a Boston-based nonprofit dedicated to accelerating student learning and closing achievement gaps, is focused on increasing academic opportunity for high school students. The partnership helps high schools expand Advanced Placement® courses while also supporting teacher professional development and encouraging more students, particularly underserved students, to enroll in rigorous AP courses, with the goal of earning college credit while in high school. 

Mass Insight’s AP STEM & English program was launched in 2007 and currently partners with more than 80 high schools each year, serving over 10,000 students and over 600 teachers across Massachusetts. The program offers high-quality professional development for AP teachers, additional classroom time for students through Saturday Study Sessions, and resources for schools to purchase books and equipment to add AP classes. Mass Insight’s AP STEM & English program is funded through a public-private partnership including $2.5 million from a state contract managed by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, $1 million in private funding raised by Mass Insight, and school district fees. For the past three years with support from Mass Insight’s program, Massachusetts has led the nation in the percentage of high school seniors earning a qualifying score on an AP exam. 

“This program is a successful public-private partnership that is closing the achievement gap and helping more students succeed in college,” said Mass Insight’s President & CEO Dr. Susan F. Lusi. “We are proud to work with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary education and dozens of statewide sponsors to help more high school students achieve in rigorous college-level courses.” 

Going into the 12th year of the Mass Insight AP STEM & English program, this year’s new cohort of Core schools includes: 

• Blackstone-Millville Regional High School 
• Brockton High School 
• Clinton High School 
• Dartmouth High School  
• Holyoke High School 
• Pathfinder Regional Vocation Technical High School 
• Southwick Regional High School 
• Springfield Honors Academy 

Advanced Placement courses offer students the chance to earn college credit while still in high school and expose them to college-level coursework, preparing them for college and career success. 

“We are thrilled to welcome the new schools into our Core program,” said Sally Guadagno, Director of the AP STEM & English program at Mass Insight. “Every school that expands its AP coursework leads to more students experiencing college-level academics and instilling confidence in their potential.”