NEWS RELEASE
Contact:Kelly Graeber, Communications Coordinator
662-234-3541, ksgraeber@oxfordsd.org
Date:September 4, 2013
For Immediate Release
Oxford School District Officials Release 2013 Advanced Placement Test Scores
Students Set Academic Records for Oxford High School
Oxford, Mississippi - Oxford High School students continue to raise the academic bar both locally and globally. In 2013, students continued a record of excellence in education in the area of Advancement Placement (AP) Testing.
Oxford School district officials released the 2013 Advanced Placement Tests Report for Oxford High School listing a number of successes:
The largest number of AP students ever tested 161 students
The largest number of AP tests ever given at Oxford High School 374 tests
The largest number of AP students with 3+ scores 108 students
In the AP test area of Calculus AB, the average mean score of 3.74 was the highest it has been at Oxford High School. In Physics B, the average score of 3.93 exceeded the global mean of 2.94 by a full point.
Advanced Placement is a program created by the College Board that offers college-level coursework and examinations to high school students. High school students can receive scholarships and course credit for obtaining a score of 3 or more on the AP tests. Oxford High School students take these courses, which are the same courses offered on the college level such as Biology, Calculus, United States History, and English Literature. Oxford High School offers 15 AP courses to students in grades 10 through 12.
Once students complete their AP coursework during the school year, they sit for the subject area's test. Based on a score of 1 to 5, if the student scores a 3 or above (3+), they can apply that course credit to a college that accepts it. Universities and colleges individually select which AP courses that they accept as college credit.
Oxford High School Senior Counselor Dr. Mike McLarty says that high school students are realizing how competitive college entry is today. That's one reason more Oxford High School students are taking the AP courses, simply because of the rigorous coursework the classes offer. For example, when an Oxford High School student takes an AP course in U.S. History as a high school student, they are taking the same U.S. History course a college student would take on the college level.
Oxford Students Excelling in Advanced Placement Testing - Add One
"There's no doubt taking the AP courses are great preparation for college for our high school students who take them," said Dr. McLarty. "Colleges love to see AP courses listed as completed on a high school transcript. They know the high school student has gone through the rigorous college-level coursework. Entrance requirements for college mean that our high school students are competing with a bigger pool of students. It's a 'welcome to the real world' moment when they figure this out."
Dr. McLarty advises students and their parents to consider course pre-requisites, teacher recommendations, personal strengths and weaknesses, test scores, study habits, career goals, and the time commitment to taking Pre-AP and Advanced Placement courses.
"Our students continue to want to be challenged academically, and the results alone of this report demonstrate why the Oxford School District continues to shine as an academic standout in the state of Mississippi," added Oxford School District Assistant Superintendent Bill Hamilton.
"Teachers, staff, district administration, and parents are very proud of our students' drive to achieve personal academic success," added Hamilton. "We all want our students to be able to compete academically while in high school, and then to continue to pursue academic excellence after they graduate from our school district."
In addition to the outstanding Advanced Placement Test scores, Oxford High School boasts:
20 AP Scholars with scores of 3 or higher on 3 or more AP exams
14 AP Scholars with scores on average of 3.25 on all exams and/or higher on 4 or more exams
22 AP Scholars with distinction and score average of 3.5 on all exams and scores of 3 or higher on 5 or more exams
Six National AP Scholars with scores of 4 or higher on at least eight AP exams
33 students who had taken five or more AP exams
In 2013, the Oxford School District recognized six National AP Scholars: Dora Chen, Taide Ding, Jimmy Pan, Adhithya Ravishankar, Yujing Zhang and Joelle Young. National AP Scholars are granted to students in the United States who receive an average score of at least 4 on all AP exams taken, and scores of 4 or higher or more on these exams.
If parents or families of Oxford High School students want to find out more information on Pre-AP and AP courses offered, both families and students are encouraged to meet together with a high school counselor. For more Oxford School District news, visit www.oxfordsd.org.
