LAKE OCONEE ACADEMY NAMED A COLLEGE BOARD AP® CAPSTONE SCHOOL

LOA One of Only 21 Participating High Schools in Georgia

Greensboro, Ga. (December 5, 2016) - Lake Oconee Academy (LOA) was recently named an Advanced Placement (AP®) Capstone™ school for the 2017-18 school year - one of only 21 participating high schools in Georgia. The AP Capstone is a College Board program that provides current AP students with the research, teamwork, writing and communication skills that colleges seek in its applicants.

The AP Capstone include two courses, AP Seminar and AP Research, which are designed to enrich other AP courses in which a student is enrolled and will qualify students for the AP Capstone Diploma. Students generally take AP Seminar in 10th or 11th grade, followed by AP Research. Students must earn scores of 3 or higher (on a scale of 1 to 5) in AP Seminar and AP Research, and on four additional AP Exams from other courses, to qualify for the AP Capstone Diploma. The AP Seminar and Research Certificate™ is available to students who earn scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research but not on four additional AP Exams, according to the College Board website.

"The AP Capstone courses are a tremendous addition to the opportunities offered for high school students at LOA," said Dr. Hester Vasconcelos, AP Coordinator at LOA. "The coursework mirrors formal college-level research and writing similar to an academic thesis paper expected at competitive colleges. As with everything we do in the high school at LOA, this program will help student transcripts stand out when applying to colleges and further prepare our students to be successful in their post-secondary education choices."

In addition, faculty professional development is part of the AP Capstone requirements. LOA teachers must complete five-day in-person training over the summer prior to teaching the course.

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