PRHS students gain college credit with AP

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

— The Advanced Placement classes offered at Pea Ridge High School will provide more than just high school credit for 84 students who scored high enough to earn college credit as well.

Five students earned qualifying scores in AP World History, according to teacher Mike Harrod.

“This is the second year we’ve had students qualify,” Harrod said, referring tohis AP World History class.

Although AP classes have been taught at Pea Ridge High School since 2007, World History and Statistics were just added two years ago, according to Malinda Stewart, AP coordinator and PRHS math teacher.

Stewart said 124 students at PRHS took AP classes this year. Those students took 221 exams with 84 qualifying - earning a 3, 4 or 5, scores determinedby AP rules to “qualify,” although each college sets its own standards with some only accepting 4 or 5, Stewart said.

AP classes at PRHS this year are Music Theory, Studio Art 2D and Studio Art 3D, English Language and Composition, English Literature and Composition, World History, Calculus AB, Statistics, Biology and Chemistry. Stewart saidU.S. History is to be added.

More than a third of the students at the school take advanced placement classes.

“Numerous studies show that students who take AP classes are better prepared for college,” Stewart said, “whether they qualify or not. It’s more rigorous study.”

The Arkansas Advanced Initiative for Math and Sciences gives $100 to students for each testin which they qualify in math, science and English, Stewart said. The school gives $50 to students for any other tests in which they qualify.

Stewart teaches regular Algebra 2, pre-AP Algebra 2 and pre-AP pre-Calculus. She said the AP coordinator can not teach an AP class because of the amount of work involved in the administration and because she has to handle the tests.

Year PRHS Ark. Total # students Total # exams 2007 21% 31% 67 84 2008 36% 31% 58 93 2009 31% 31% 70 101 2010 28% 32% 125 213 2011 40% 33% 124 221

Sports, Pages 9 on 08/10/2011