State School Superintendent Richard Woods named 272 Advanced Placement Honor Schools on Thursday, including Bradwell Institute and Liberty County High School.
These schools are part of an AP program in Georgia that is earning accolades. Georgia is 13th in the nation for the percentage of students earning the highest AP exam scores (3, 4, and 5) and tied for third in the nation in one-year percentage-point growth in the percentage of public school graduates scoring a 3, 4, or 5 on at least one of the exams.
Students typically earn at least three college credits for each AP score of 3 or higher, and Georgia students recorded 91,413 of those scores in 2015. The schools being recognized by the Georgia Department of Education fall into six categories, based on the results of 2015 AP courses and exams.
Bradwell and Liberty were both listed as AP Access and Support and AP STEM schools.
AP Access and Support Schools have at least 30 percent of their AP exams taken by students who identified themselves as African-American and/or Hispanic, and 30 percent of all AP exams earning scores of 3 or higher.
AP STEM Schools have students testing in at least two AP math courses and two AP science courses (calculus AB, calculus BC, statistics, biology, chemistry, environmental science, physics B, physics C and computer science).
AP courses and exams are administered by the College Board, which also administers the SAT. AP courses are one of several ways Georgia students can access college-level learning opportunities while in high school. Students who receive a 3, 4, or 5 on AP exams are often eligible to receive college credit.
“Through the AP program, these schools are personalizing learning and expanding the opportunities available for their students,” Superintendent Woods said. “This honor is a credit to the hard work of many dedicated educators here in our state, and I offer my congratulations to the teachers and students at each of these schools — and my gratitude for their hard work and dedication.”
The Georgia Department of Education began recognizing AP Honor Schools in 2008.