Hale earns the Advanced Placement Scholar Award

— GENTRY - Christ Hale, a 2008 graduate of Gentry High School, has earned an Advanced Placement Scholar Award in recognition of his exceptional achievement on AP Exams.

Chris qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP Exams with grades of 3 or higher. Only about 18 percent of the nearly 1.7 million students worldwide who took AP Exams performed at a sufficiently high level to also earn an AP Scholar Award.

The College Board's Advanced Placement Program provides motivated and academically prepared students the opportunity to take rigorous college-level courses while still in high school, and to earn college credit, advanced placement or both for successful performance on the AP Exams.

Gentry High School currently offers seven AP courses: English Literature and Composition, English Language and Composition, Calculus, Statistics, Biology, U.S.

History and European History.

Through more than 30 different collegelevel courses and exams, AP also provides students with the opportunity to stand out in the college admissions process.

Each exam is developed by a committee of college and university faculty and AP teachers, ensuring that AP exams are aligned with the same high standards expected by college faculty at some of the nation's leading liberal arts and research institutions.

More than 3,600 colleges and universities annually receive AP grades. Over 90 percent of four-year colleges in the United States provide credit and/or placement for qualifying exam grades. Research consistently shows that AP students who score a 3 or higher on AP Exams - based on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest - typically experience greater academic success in college and higher graduation rates than students who do not participate in AP.

The College Board is a not-for-profit membership organization whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the association is composed of more than 5,600 schools, colleges, universities and other educational organizations. Each year, the College Board serves seven million students and their parents, 23,000 high schools, and 3,800 colleges through major programs and services in college readiness, college admissions, guidance, assessment, financial aid, enrollment and teaching and learning.

Among its best-known programs are the SAT, the PSAT/NMSQT, and the Advanced Placement Program (AP). The College Board is committed to the principles of excellence and equity, and that commitment is embodied in all of its programs, services, activities and concerns.

News, Pages 11 on 09/23/2009