Brookwood announces 32 AP Scholars

THOMASVILLE -

Now that school has started, students at Brookwood School are settling into their daily routine. As they become accustomed to the rigors of the college-preparatory curriculum, this week’s release of Brookwood students’ excellent AP scores from last year serves to remind them that their hard work can pay off in college credit.

 

Advanced Placement, or AP, courses are classes that are taken in high school, but taught at the college level. At the end of the course, students take an AP exam, and based on the result of that exam, can earn college credit. A score of 3 or better on the AP exam’s 5-point scale is sufficient to earn credit at most colleges and universities.

 

76 Brookwood students took a total of 137 AP exams last school year, and 83% of those students earned a passing score on at least one of their AP tests. Overall, Brookwood students had a pass rate of over 93%, which is well above the global average of 61% and the Georgia average of 58%.

 

“Earning a three or higher on an AP Exam is perhaps the greatest single predictor of college success,” says Mr. David Grooms, Upper School Director at Brookwood. “This is true because AP exams demand demonstration of critical thinking skills, content knowledge and synthesis of concepts into a predominantly written exam that covers an entire year of work.”

 

In addition to the strong performance of Brookwood students overall, a total of 32 Brookwood students earned special recognition as AP Scholars, AP Scholars with Honor, and AP Scholars with Distinction. Nationally, about 18 percent of students who take AP exams in a given year earn one of these awards. At Brookwood, over 40 percent of students who took an exam last year earned one of the honors.

 

To earn recognition as an AP Scholar a student must earn a score of 3 or better on three or more Advanced Placement exams. Brookwood’s AP Scholars for 2019 are Rich Beverly, Crichton Bryan, Madison Butler, Amelia Clark, Andrew Cooper, Evans Dodys, Madeline Gordon, Colin Grimsley, Millie Hogan, Nic Lauderdale, Reid Myers, Joe Parker, Anna Stencel, Holland Walker, and Vincent Yokley.

 

To be designated as an AP Scholar with Honor, a student must earn scores of 3 or better on at least four Advanced Placement exams, and score an average of 3.25 or higher on all AP exams taken. This year’s honorees from Brookwood are Jonathan Burns, Cricket Daniel, Michaela Falconer, Ellie Harrer, Brett Heath, Audrey Johnson, Peyton Middleton, Thompson Miles, Vivian Newman, and Lance Wortman.

 

In order to achieve the AP Scholar with Distinction, a student must earn scores of 3 or better on at least five exams, and score an average of 3.5 or higher on all AP exams taken. Seven Brookwood students earned the award this year: Brianna Beach, Abby Chapman, Lilly Jackson, Julia Johnson, Bridger Middleton, Raleigh Rollins, and Caroline Wolff.

 

Earning an AP Scholar distinction is a great accolade for a student, and according to Ms. Kim Lord, Director of College Counseling at Brookwood, is also a reflection of the degree to which the school prepares students for success in college.

 

“The AP exams provide an external benchmark on how we are doing as a school,” Lord says. “When we see that our students are scoring so well on these exams, we feel confident that our students will be more than ready for the rigors of college.”

 

Additionally, Lord says that success on an AP exam involves more than just learning content: “Our students’ overall success is a testament not only to their tenacity and commitment in preparing for the exam, but also to our teachers who inspire such commitment while ensuring our students attain mastery of the material.”

 

The College Board, which administers the AP exams, has not yet released average scores for 2019 tests. However, Brookwood students overall scored 21% better on their 2019 AP tests than the average scores from 2018.

 

“My AP classes have helped me develop better writing skills, study habits, and test-taking abilities,” says Brookwood senior Rich Beverly. “Because of them, I feel confident about being able to do the work in college.”

 

“Our goal is to prepare students for success in college and beyond,” said Brookwood School Headmaster Dr. Randy Watts. “We know that the academic preparation of all of our students is outstanding. The success on AP exams is just one example

of the academic excellence that our students demonstrate.”