Greensboro, Ga. (August 31, 2015) – As Lake Oconee Academy continues to build its high school framework, the first class of high school freshmen, the Class of 2018, is meeting the challenges of a rigorous program with great success. Twenty-one out of thirty-two students in last year’s freshmen class took the opportunity and enrolled in Advanced Placement®(AP®) Biology and/or Human Geography courses. The results are in, and LOA students’ scores ranked well above the Georgia and national mean, or average, score.
The AP® program is administered by the College Board and offers college-level coursework to high school students. Colleges and universities will often grant course credit and advanced placement for qualifying scores on exams. LOA offered two AP® classes for 9th grade students in the 2014-15 school year, and expanded that selection to four classes for this year’s 9th and 10th grade students. LOA plans to have 12-15 AP® classes available by the 2017-18 school year. AP® exams are scored on a scale from 1 to 5: 5 - extremely well qualified; 4 – well qualified; 3 – qualified; 2 – possibly qualified; 1 – no recommendation.
LOA administered twenty-nine AP® exams to twenty-one students, with 72% of students scoring a 3 or higher. Of the 72% who scored a 3 or higher, 48% scored a 4 or 5. The LOA freshmen students’ scores fared extremely well on the state and national stage when compared to other high schools students (mostly juniors) who took the AP Biology and AP Human Geography exams in 2014-15 school year. The mean, or average, score for those two exams in Georgia is 2.78 and in the United States is 2.82. The mean score for LOA students is 3.07.
Students scoring a 1 or 2 on the exam will still gain value from the course as it demonstrates the fact that a student was willing to challenge him/herself with a rigorous course of study while in high school. Many colleges will give consideration to students who challenge themselves beyond what is commonplace in the high school curriculum.
“LOA believes that a successful AP® program doesn’t begin in high school,” said Dr. Hester Vasconcelos, AP® Coordinator at LOA. “Teachers in elementary and middle school work as integral parts of an AP® vertical team that provides students with opportunities to develop the skills necessary for success in their AP® classes. Providing support for each student through built-in tutoring, faculty office hours, and vertical alignment allows for an open door AP® policy that encourages students to challenge themselves, work hard, and subsequently build strong transcripts.”
LOA administration and teachers treated all students in grades 8 -10 to dessert at lunch on Friday, August 21, to recognize and celebrate the hard work of the AP® students.
Photo: LOA 10th grade students who participated in AP® Biology and/or AP® Human Geography in their freshman year are (front row, left to right) Cydney Bish, Abbey Wendt, Philip Knowles, Blake Beeker, Bobby Hatfield, John Fowler, Clayton Hinspeter, Meredith Grill, Grey Morris, Major Dukes, Stephanie Cervantes, (back row, left to right) Tucker Dukes, McKenzey Harris, Savannah Bussey, Kunj Sukha, Eli Ramsey, Samantha Cervantes, JD Higdon, Brandon Heffner, Savannah Courter and Morgan Clark.
For immediate release
Contact: Kerry Minster
706.454.1562
kerry.minster@lakeoconeeacademy.org