Palo Alto Unified School District is well known for its outstanding performance on standardized tests. But, according to the College Board, PAUSD also places among the top in the nation for expanding access to Advanced Placement courses.

This success earned PAUSD a spot — along with 387 other districts nationwide — on the College Board’s “AP Achievement List.”

In order to achieve this distinction, districts need to meet three criteria, according to the email sent from the College Board to Supt. Kevin Skelly. The first is an increased number of students taking AP exams. The required increase varies depending on district size; PAUSD’s AP participation increased 13 percent (978 to 1107 students taking exams) from 2008 to 2010. The second criterion is an increase in the percentage of AP exams taken by underrepresented minorities and the third is an increase in the percentage of passing scores earned.

“This means the demographic of students taking AP tests is becoming more diverse while scores are rising,” Paly Principal Phil Winston said.

This recognition is designed to encourage schools to give a broader group of students the opportunity to take AP classes.

“When access to AP is provided for the range and breadth of prepared and motivated students, districts can achieve even higher learning outcomes for their students than when AP opportunities are restricted to a smaller segment of the high school population,” Trevor Packer, vice president of the Advanced Placement Program at the College Board said in a recent press release.

Assistant Supt. Scott Bowers was pleased with the recognition, but said that access to AP courses is still a topic of discussion at the district level.

“There has been lots of discussion about access to AP courses,” Bowers said. “Are we setting up prerequisites that are keeping a lot of kids from taking AP courses?”

Bowers noted that the district’s high performance on AP tests has raised questions about the accessibility of the courses.

In 2010, 52 percent of exams taken by students in the district were scored a five. By contrast, fewer than a 20 percent of tested students nationwide scored a five on popular AP tests like United States History, English, Biology, and Chemistry. Ninety-six percent of PAUSD students attained a passing score (three or higher), one of the highest proportions in the country.

“When most students are scoring a four or a five on the AP it could reflect excellence in teaching, but it could also mean you are limiting access,” Bowers said. “It’s an interesting balance.”

Bowers said the district’s high scores could indicate that only the most prepared students take the AP classes, while students who are looking for a challenge but are not as prepared are discouraged from enrolling.

Paly encourages students to take challenging classes, according to Winston.

“One of the ways to increase enrollment [in AP courses] is to encourage students to challenge themselves,” Winston said. “Paly certainly does that.”