Students who took Tevin Washington’s Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies class at Danville High School and then took the AP exam had a 100% pass rate on the exam. 

Out of the 24 students who were in the class, 14 students took the AP exam. A passing score on an AP exam is a score of 3 or higher, with the highest score being 5. 

“I am extremely proud of my students for taking the course and ultimately putting in the work and effort to pass the AP exam,” Washington said. “This is the first time all students who took an AP exam for a course I taught all passed with a 3 or higher, which shows the dedication of this particular group of students.”

That’s not the only good news about Danville High School’s AP exam data between the years of 2023-2025. There were 135 students who took an AP exam in 2025, a 39% increase from 2023. Those 135 students took a total of 243 AP exams, a 94.4% increase from 2023.

The AP African American Studies course, which had a 100% AP exam pass rate, goes in-depth on topics surrounding African-American history, culture, achievements and more. Washington said students are required to contribute to class discussions and engage with primary and secondary sources.

“The support of the administration at DHS and those at Central Office have truly made this class possible,” he said. “The topics of this course can be difficult to grasp for students, but I am extremely lucky to have the ability to instruct in ways that I believe capture the attention of our students and help make some of the more difficult content manageable for them all with support from administration and parents. Opportunities were afforded for students in this course such as our alternative spring break trip to Alabama to directly engage with the places where civil rights history was made. This brought what we were learning in class to life for those who went on the trip, and I hope that that is something they will always cherish.” 

He also attributes students’ success on the exam with their engagement with learning content, as well as their dedication. 

“As the course centers around the African American experience, a lot of the content is new to students and even myself, which makes learning about it so much more interesting,” Washington said. “Making connections between today's world to events that unfolded over the last few hundred years in African American history captured the students' attention in a way that I have not necessarily seen or been able to achieve to a great deal in other standard history classes.”

He said he was “constantly amazed at the maturity of the students in the class in dealing with the content.”

Washington has the ability to focus on topics that fit within the scope of College Board's requirements, but he can decide how to accomplish those goals. 

“If students want to focus more on a particular topic, there is freedom to delve into that topic while still covering the learning objectives,” he said. “This class, unlike the other classes I teach, is driven more by the discussion of students and their input on what we are learning. I may have an outline of what I want a day to look like in terms of lesson, but the discussion of the class could very easily take us in another direction.”

Over the past four years, Washington has been able to grow the class and “turn it into something that draws student interest.”

“This course is for everyone who has the interest and dedication to honestly engage with the course content and history of this country no matter their background or skin color, and I hope that all the students take away a sense of duty and conviction that they can make a better future because it will be up to them as they become tomorrow's leaders,” he said.