Students Earn AP Scholar Awards

 November 26, 2007

PSD Students Earn AP Scholar Awards and College Credit

More than 190 students in Poudre School District earned the distinction of AP Scholar in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the college-level Advanced Placement (AP) Program Exams taken last May.

The College Board’s AP Program offers students the opportunity to take challenging college-level courses while still in high school, and to receive college credit, advanced placement, or both for successful performance on the AP Exams. About 18 percent of more than 1.4 million high school students in 16,000 secondary schools worldwide who took the AP Exams performed at a sufficiently high level to earn the recognition of AP Scholar.

Students took AP Exams in May 2007 after completing courses at their high schools. The number of PSD students who earned AP Scholar distinction include: 92 at Fort Collins High School; 32 at Fossil Ridge High School; 44 at Poudre High School; and 56 at Rocky Mountain High School.

The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on students’ performance on AP Exams.

The National AP Scholar Award is for students who earned an average grade of 4 or higher on a 5-point scale on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 4 or higher on eight of the exams. Students who qualified for the National AP Scholar Award at PSD high schools include 2 at FCHS and 5 at RMHS.

The AP Scholar with Distinction Award is presented to students who earned an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. Students who qualified for this award include 31 at FCHS, 12 at FRHS, 7 at PHS, and 15 at RMHS.

The AP Scholar with Honor Award is presented to students who earned an average grade of 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams. Students who qualified for this award include 22 at FCHS, 6 at FRHS, 4 at PHS, and 6 at RMHS.

The AP Scholar Award is given to students who completed three of more AP Exams with grades of 3 or higher. Students who qualified include 39 at FCHS, 14 at FRHS, 33 at PHS, and 30 at RMHS.

More than 1,400 institutions award a full year’s credit (sophomore standing) to students presenting a sufficient number of qualifying grades. In 2007, 37 AP Exams were offered in a wide variety of subject areas, each consisting of multiple choice and essay or problem-solving or oral response questions.

The College Board is a non-profit membership organization whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity.