For Immediate Release
Contact: Kerry Minster
706.454.1562
kerry.minster@lakeoconeeacademy.org

LAKE OCONEE ACADEMY ADVANCED PLACEMENT® EXAM SCORES

TOP STATE, NATIONAL AND GLOBAL MEAN SCORES

LOA Named AP Merit School for 2017

Greensboro, Ga. (September 22, 2017) - The Advanced Placement® (AP®) program at Lake Oconee Academy (LOA) has continued its trend of high achievement on AP exams resulting in scores that ranked higher than the state, national and global mean for the 2016-17 school year.

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 nine AP courses for students in grades nine through eleven in the 2016-17 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.

The mean scores for 2016-17 AP exams are:

LOA administered 139 AP exams to 73 students, with 71% of students scoring a 3 or higher. Of the 71% who scored a 3 or higher, 35% scored a 4 or 5.

LOA is pleased to have 22 students who were named AP Scholars for 2016-17. The AP Scholar Awards recognize high school students who have demonstrated college-level achievement through AP courses and exams. LOA has 11 students who earned the AP Scholar award that is granted to students who receive scores of 3 or higher on three or more AP exams. The AP Scholar with Honor, for students who received an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on four more of these exams, was awarded to seven students. Finally, the AP Scholar with Distinction, granted to students who received an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams, was achieved by four LOA students.

In addition, LOA was named an AP Merit School for 2017; a school with at least 20% of the population taking AP exams and at least 50 percent of all exams earning scores of 3 or higher.

"At LOA we believe that the AP program offers the most challenging options for students to prepare themselves for success in their post-secondary choices, whether that is at a technical school, in the military, or in a competitive four-year university," said Dr. Hester Vasconcelos, AP Coordinator at LOA. "AP uses a national set of curriculum standards, claims, and evidence for each AP course, and each AP course ends with a national exam. AP teachers must submit a national audit to have the course included officially as an AP course on a student's transcript. The scores students receive are an excellent way to measure their preparedness compared to other students across the country taking the same courses."

During the 2017-2018 school year, LOA is offering 16 AP courses: AP Biology, AP Calculus AB, AP Computer Science Principles, AP Microeconomics, AP English Language, AP English Literature, AP US Government, AP Human Geography, AP Spanish Language, AP Spanish Literature, AP Studio Art 2D, AP Studio Art Drawing, AP US History, AP Capstone Seminar, AP Physics 1, and AP Physics 2.

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