McIntosh and Starr’s Mill high schools have been named to the list of only 47 schools across the state honored as 2013 AP Merit Schools, according to the Georgia Department of Education in a Feb. 20 press release.
AP Merit Schools are defined as schools with at least 20 percent of the student population taking Advanced Placement (AP) exams and at least 50 percent of all AP exams earning scores of 3 or higher.
McIntosh in Peachtree City and Starr’s Mill on the city’s southern border have helped Georgia move up to 12th in the nation in the percentage of seniors scoring a 3 or higher – a passing score – on the AP exams, according to The College Board’s AP Report to the nation released last week. Georgia ranked 13th in the nation last year.
In addition, all five Fayette County high schools — Sandy Creek, Whitewater, Starr’s Mill, McIntosh and Fayette County High School — were named as AP STEM Schools, defined as schools with students testing in at least two AP math courses and two AP science courses (AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Statistics, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Environmental Science, AP Physics B, AP Physics C, AP Computer Science).
All three Coweta County high schools — Newnan, East Coweta and Northgate — also made that list.
Drilling down farther, all five Fayette high schools and all three Coweta high schools also were part of a group of 106 high schools across the state that were tabbed AP STEM Achievement Schools, defined as schools with students testing in at least two AP math courses and two AP science courses and at least 40 percent of the exam scores on AP math and AP science exams earning scores of 3 or higher.
Research shows that students who took AP math or science exams were more likely than non-AP students to earn degrees in physical science, engineering or life science disciplines — the fields leading to some of the careers essential for America’s future prosperity. AP courses and exams are currently offered in the following STEM subjects: Biology, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Chemistry, Computer Science A, Environmental Science, Physics B, Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism, and Physics C: Mechanics, Statistics.
This report measures progress of the Class of 2012. When results are broken out by subgroup, Georgia’s African-American students rank 2nd in the nation (behind Washington D.C.) in the percentage of seniors scoring a 3 or higher on AP exams. Georgia’s 10-year increase (10.1 percent) in the percentage of seniors scoring a 3 or higher on AP exams also shows impressive results, ranking 9th in the nation.
Georgia is also a national leader when it comes to public school students enrolling in AP courses and taking the exams. Only five other states in the country had a greater percentage of AP exam takers last year. The percentage of Georgia seniors who took an AP exam was 41.1 percent, compared to 32.4 percent for the nation.
“Georgia’s students continue to outperform most of their peers throughout the country on Advanced Placement exams,” said State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge. “These results show that Georgia’s students can compete against any students in the nation. Just as SAT results get everyone’s attention, I think the performance of our students on Advanced Placement exams deserves the same attention.”
Governor Nathan Deal added, “The continued high scores of all Georgia students on AP exams are certainly cause for celebration. Advanced Placement courses help students develop college-level academic skills, and passing scores on those exams help students earn college credit for the knowledge they’ve gained. Georgia’s improvement on the percentage of seniors earning a three or better on AP exams represents a good deal – for our students and our state.”
Advanced Placement classes and exams are administered by the College Board, which also administers the SAT. AP classes offer rigorous college-level learning options to students in high school. Students who receive a 3, 4 or 5 on AP exams may receive college credit.
The AP Report to the Nation looks at data for 2012 high school seniors. Among Georgia’s public high school seniors in 2012:
There has been a steady increase in the number of Georgia’s public school students benefitting from the AP experience:
The number of public school graduates leaving high school having taken an AP Exam in Georgia has increased by 149 percent in the last decade.
The report says 21.7 percent (17,767) of students from Georgia’s public high school class of 2012 scored 3 or higher on at least one AP exam during high school (ranking Georgia 12th in the nation), compared to 19.5 percent for the nation.
Also, 41.1 percent of graduates (33,647) from Georgia’s public high school class of 2012 took at least one AP Exam during high school, compared to 28.3 percent (21,730) from the class of 2007 and 20.5 percent (13,518) from the class of 2002.
Georgia is 9th in the nation when comparing the ten-year increase of seniors scoring a 3 or higher on at least one AP exam (10.1 percent growth compared to 7.9 percent for the nation).
The number of African American graduates who took at least one AP exam during high school nearly doubled in five years, from 4,555 to 8,900. The number of these students who scored 3 or higher on at least one AP exam more than doubled, from 1,086 to 2,417.
The report says 13.6 percent (2,417) of African American students from Georgia’s public high school class of 2012 scored 3 or higher on at least one AP exam during high school (ranking Georgia 2nd in the nation), compared to 4.4 percent for the nation.
More of Georgia’s traditionally underserved public high school graduates are participating and succeeding in AP.
The number of low-income graduates who took at least one AP exam during high school increased from 2,665 in the class of 2007 to 9,806 in the class of 2012. The number of these students who scored 3 or higher on at least one AP exam increased from 880 to 3,641.
The number of Hispanic/Latino graduates who took at least one AP exam during high increased from 995 for the class of 2007 to 2,488 for the class of 2012. The number of these students who scored 3 or higher on at least one AP exam more than doubled during that time, from 599 to 1,375.
The report says 7.9 percent of Georgia’s graduating class of 2012 was Hispanic/Latino, and 7.4 percent of successful AP exam takers from the 2012 graduating class were Hispanic/Latino.
The 10 most popular AP exams taken by Georgia public high school graduates during high school, in descending order of popularity, were U.S. History, English Language and Composition, World History, English Literature and Composition, U.S. Government and Politics, Calculus AB, Psychology, Statistics, Biology and Macroeconomics.
