Three Norcross schools will be receiving funds for its Advanced Placement exams administered by the National College Board this spring.
According to a press release, and high schools, in addition to , are among the 18 Gwinnett County Public Schools for the funds.
More than $46,500 will be awarded to the schools through the financial help of Cisco Systems, Primerica Financial Services and Scana Energy in Gwinnett County.
“We are pleased to be able to open doors for students with financial need and see the AP program as providing a strategic advantage that contributes to post-secondary success,” says Karen Fine Saltiel, executive vice president with Primerica.
According to the National College Board, research shows the rigor of AP courses is an indicator of future college success. Studies have shown that 45 percent of students who take one AP course and exam in high school graduate on time from college, and 61 percent of students who take two or more AP exams graduate on time. By way of contrast, only 29 percent of other college students earn a bachelor’s degree within four years.
Earlier this school year, the Georgia Department of Education recognized Gwinnett’s high schools as AP Honor Schools for challenging students with rigorous AP coursework. In addition, the 2011 College Board AP Scholar Report shows that during the 2010-2011 school year, 2,552 Gwinnett students earned the AP Scholar honor, a College Board recognition for high performance on college-level work while in high school. That’s an increase from the 2,263 GCPS students who earned the title the previous school year.
