AP exams report: Orange County leads Florida in the number of students who took and passed Advanced Placement exams last year, and was the eighth-ranked district in the nation, according to College Board officials. More than 20,000 Orange students took at least one AP class, an increase of almost 16 percent. The number of AP tests passed was up 11 percent, to 15,407. Among states, Florida ranked third with almost 31 percent of its high school graduates taking and passing at least one AP course in 2015. Orlando Sentinel.

Expulsions up: Expulsion are up in the Hillsborough County School District after six years of decline, according to a district report. Last year, 508 students were expelled, compared to 458 the previous year. Black students, who represent 21 percent of the population in the schools, made up 55 percent of all middle and high school expulsions. Tampa Bay Times.

Prayer fight: As Tampa Cambridge Christian School fights the Florida High School Athletic Association in court over the constitutionality of a pregame prayer in last year's state championship football game, its team is again in the playoffs. The FHSAA did not allow the team to broadcast a prayer over the public address system last year, leading the school to file a federal lawsuit. And if the team makes it to the title game this year, it will again ask to use the public address system for a pregame prayer. WUSF. (more…)