Georgia Ranks 11th in the Nation on Advanced Placement Exams

Georgia ranks 11th in the nation in the percentage of seniors scoring a 3 or higher on Advanced Placement (AP) Exams, according to The College Board's AP Report to the Nation released today. This report measures progress of the class of 2010.

"Our students must have rigorous coursework in high school to be successful after they graduate,” said State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge. “I am so pleased that more of our students than ever are taking AP courses and passing the exam.”

Advanced Placement classes and exams are administered by the College Board, which also administers the SAT. AP classes offer rigorous college-level learning options to students in high school. Students who receive a 3, 4 or 5 on AP exams may receive college credit.

The AP Report to the Nation looks at data for 2010 high school seniors. Among Georgia's public high school seniors in 2010:

* 19.1% scored a 3 or higher on at least one AP exam during high school. That is higher than the national average of 16.9%.
* Georgia is tied for 6th in the nation when comparing the five-year increase of seniors scoring a 3 or higher on at least one AP exam (4.7% growth compared to 3.0% for the nation).
* Georgia has the 10th highest one-year increase of seniors scoring a 3 or higher on at least one AP exam (1.3% growth compared to 1.0% for the nation).

When it comes to public school students enrolling in AP courses and taking the exams, Georgia is also a national leader. Only four other states in the country had a greater percentage of AP exam-takers last year. The percentage of Georgia seniors who took an AP exam was 37.3%, compared to 28.3% for the nation. State Efforts to Increase AP Participation

The State of Georgia has undertaken many successful efforts to increase participation in AP programs and success on AP exams. Among the initiatives:

From 2003-2010, the Georgia Legislature approved funds to pay for students to take at least one AP exam per year. For those seven years, economically-disadvantaged students had all of their AP exams paid for each year.

The Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) has organized the distribution of AP Teacher Training Grants. Since 2006, GaDOE has funded approximately $970,693.00 in grant awards to train 1,342 new AP teachers. These awards have allowed 792 new AP courses to be offered in public high schools throughout the state. It is anticipated that in 2010 an additional 400 AP teachers will be trained.

The GaDOE has sponsored regional workshops for teachers of AP for the past four years. These workshops are led by master teachers of AP in Georgia high schools. To date, over 2,100 AP teachers have participated in these course-specific workshops.

The Georgia Virtual Schools (GAVS) continues to add AP classes, increasing access to students throughout the state, including those that might not otherwise be able to take an AP class. In 2009-2010, 552 students enrolled in 21 different AP courses.

AP Honor Schools

Superintendent Barge also named today more than 350 AP Honor Schools.

"Georgia continues to see positive trends in Advanced Placement -- not only in the number of students taking the courses, but in the number of students having success," Superintendent Barge said. "Much of the progress we’re seeing in Georgia can be attributed to our AP Honor Schools."

The 2011 AP Honor Schools are named in five categories, based on the results of AP exams:

* AP CHALLENGE SCHOOLS: Schools with fewer than 900 students with students testing in the four core areas of English, Mathematics, Social Studies and Science
* AP ACCESS & SUPPORT SCHOOLS: Schools with 30% of AP test takers that are African-American or Hispanic and at least 30% of all AP exams scoring 3 or higher
* AP MERIT SCHOOLS: Schools with at least 20% of students taking AP exams and at least half of the AP exams scoring a 3 or higher
* AP STEM SCHOOLS: Schools with students testing in at least two AP math courses and two AP science courses (AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Statistics, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Environmental Science, AP Physics B, AP Physics C, AP Computer Science)
* AP STEM ACHIEVEMENT SCHOOLS: Schools with students testing in at least two AP math courses and two AP science courses and at least 40% of the exam scores on AP math and AP science exams earning scores of 3 or higher.

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New Jobs Forecast Predicts Millions of Workers at Risk of Being Left Behind

/PRNewswire/ -- A new, highly detailed forecast shows that as the economy struggles to recover, and jobs slowly return, there will be a growing disconnect between the types of jobs employers need to fill and numbers of Americans who have the education and training to fill those jobs.

The report, Help Wanted: Projecting Jobs and Education Requirements through 2018, by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, forecasts that by 2018, 63 percent of all jobs will require at least some postsecondary education. Employers will need 22 million new workers with postsecondary degrees - and the report shows that we will fall short by three million workers without a dramatic change in course. This translates into a deficit of 300,000 college graduates every year between now and 2018.

"America needs more workers with college degrees, certificates and industry certifications," said Anthony P. Carnevale, the Center's director. "If we don't address this need now, millions of jobs could go offshore."

The Center's study is the first to help Americans connect the dots between employment opportunity and specific education and training choices. The report projects job creation and education requirements through most of the next decade, showing job growth by industry and occupation nationally, and with state-by-state forecasts.

Substantial gains in employment will not occur until 2011. It will take until 2015 for job creation to catch up to where it would have been before the massive recession losses. In 2018, America will need more college-educated workers than it will have.

-- Employers will need 22 million new workers with AA's, BA's or better -
and we will fall 3 million short.
-- In addition, employers will need 4.7 million workers with
postsecondary certificates.


The fastest growing six industries and five occupations will require the highest levels of education, with the exception of sales support and health care support. In 2018, 75-90 percent of jobs in the following industries: Information Services; Private Education Services; Government and Public Education Services; Financial Services; Professional and Business Services and Healthcare Services will require postsecondary education or training. These industries will provide 40 percent of all jobs in 2018. About 90 percent of the jobs in four of the five fastest growing occupational clusters require postsecondary education. They are Healthcare Professional and Technical Occupations, STEM Occupations, Community Services and Arts Occupations and Education Occupations.

Postsecondary education and training determine access to the middle class. Those with only a high school diploma or less are falling out of the middle class.

But what matters most is the occupation for which you prepare. That's why 27 percent of people with certificates and 31 percent of people with AA degrees earn more than the average BA.

The report also provides a state-by-state analysis on jobs and education requirements.

-- The District of Columbia, North Dakota, Minnesota, Massachusetts, and
Colorado will lead the nation in the share of total jobs requiring
postsecondary education.
-- Texas, California, Nevada, Mississippi, and Arizona will lead the
nation in the share of total jobs for high school dropouts.


"Instead of asking whether everyone needs to go to college, we should be asking if we can produce enough workers with high level degrees and credentials that meet the demands of the 21st century economy," said Jamie P. Merisotis, President and CEO of Lumina Foundation for Education, which supported the research.

Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers, put it simply: "The bottom line is: we are under-investing in education. This report shows that the demand for well-educated Americans isn't being met by our current investments."

"We're sending more students to college than ever before, but only about half them will ever earn a degree," said Hilary Pennington, Director of Education, Postsecondary Success & Special Initiatives of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "This report shows why it is critical that we create the kinds of supports and incentives that help students earn the credentials that employers value."

Help Wanted: Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements through 2018 is part of the Center's efforts to support such an alignment. One barrier to more effective education and career planning lies in the shortcomings of the official data. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is the primary source for projecting education and job requirements, but its estimates of postsecondary education demand between 1998 and 2008 fell short of the actual postsecondary education demand in 2008 by 47 percent. The Center's methodology tested accurately within 4 percent.

Help Wanted: Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements through 2018 is available online at http://cew.georgetown.edu/, or hard copies can be obtained by contacting the Center at cewgeorgetown@georgetown.edu. There are three documents: an executive summary, a national report and a state-level analysis. The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (cew.georgetown.edu) is an independent, nonprofit research and policy institute that studies the link between individual goals, education and training curricula and career pathways.

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Schools Honored for AP Performance

More than 80 "AP Honor Schools" named

State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox named more than 80 Advanced Placement (AP) Honor Schools today.

"Georgia is making tremendous strides with Advanced Placement -- not only in the number of students taking the courses, but in the number of students having success," Superintendent Cox said. "Much of that progress comes from the dedication to rigor and excellence at each of our AP Honor Schools."

Advanced Placement (AP) classes and exams are administered by the College Board, which also administers the SAT. AP classes offer rigorous college-level learning options to students in high school. Students who receive a 3, 4 or 5 on AP exams may receive college credit.

The 2009 AP Honor Schools are named in three categories, based on the results of 2007-2008 AP classes and exams:

- AP CHALLENGE SCHOOLS: Schools with fewer than 900 students that are offering AP classes in the four core areas of English, Mathematics, Social Studies and Science
- AP ACCESS & SUPPORT SCHOOLS: Schools with 30% of AP test takers that are African-American or Hispanic and at least 30% of all AP exams scoring 3 or higher
- AP MERIT SCHOOLS: Schools with at least 20% of students taking AP exams and at least half of the AP exams scoring a 3 or higher

The AP Honor Schools are listed below.

On Wednesday (February 4), the College Board released the AP Report to the Nation, which showed that Georgia ranked 15th nationally in the percentage of 2008 high school seniors that had at least one AP exam with a score of 3 or more.

Schools named in all three AP Honor School categories
(School, district)

- Davidson Magnet School, Richmond
- DeKalb School of the Arts, DeKalb

School named in two AP Honor School categories
(School, district, categories)

- Chamblee High School, DeKalb (access and merit)
- Cross Keys High School, DeKalb (challenge and access)
- Decatur High School, Decatur City (challenge and merit)
- Johnson Magnet School, Richmond (challenge and access)
- Montgomery County High, Montgomery (Challenge and access)
- North Oconee High, Oconee (challenge and merit)
- Savannah Arts Academy, Chatham (challenge and merit)
- Thomasville High School, Thomasville City (challenge and access)

AP CHALLENGE SCHOOLS: Schools with fewer than 900 students that are offering AP classes in all four academic areas

Albany High School, Dougherty
Avondale High School, DeKalb
Bremen High School, Bremen City
Buford High School, Buford City
Calhoun High School, Calhoun City
Cook County High School, Cook
Cross Keys High School, DeKalb
Davidson Magnet High School, Richmond
Decatur High School, Decatur City
DeKalb School of the Arts, DeKalb
East Jackson High School, Jackson
Greene County High School, Greene
Johnson Magnet High School, Richmond
Lincoln County High School, Lincoln
McIntosh County Academy, McIntosh
Montgomery County High, Montgomery
North Oconee High School, Oconee
Northeast High School, Bibb
Putnam County High School, Putnam
Rabun County High School, Rabun
Savannah Arts Academy, Chatham
Schley County Middle-High School, Schley
Southeast Bulloch High School, Bulloch
Temple High School, Carroll
Thomasville High School, Thomasville City
Vidalia Comprehensive High, Vidalia City

AP ACCESS & SUPPORT SCHOOLS: Schools with 30% of AP Test Takers that are African-American or Hispanic and at least 30% of all AP Exams scoring 3 or higher

Academy of Richmond County, Richmond
Bacon County High School, Bacon
Baldwin High School, Baldwin
Berkmar High School, Gwinnett
Bradwell Institute, Liberty
Bryan County High School, Bryan
Burke County High School, Burke
Campbell High School, Cobb
Central Gwinnett High School, Gwinnett
Chamblee High School, DeKalb
Chapel Hill High School, Douglas
Clinch County High School, Clinch
Cross Keys High School, DeKalb
Dalton High School, Dalton City
Davidson Magnet High School, Richmond
DeKalb HS of Technology, North, DeKalb
DeKalb School of the Arts, DeKalb
Douglas County High School, Douglas
Druid Hills High School, DeKalb
Dublin High School, Dublin City
Dutchtown High School, Henry
Eagle’s Landing High School, Henry
East Laurens High School, Laurens
Emanuel County Institute, Emanuel
Fayette County High School, Fayette
Jenkins High School, Savannah-Chatham
Jenkins County High School, Jenkins
Johnson Magnet High School, Richmond
Luella High School, Henry
McEachern High School, Cobb
Montgomery County High, Montgomery
Randolph Clay High School, Randolph
Rockdale County High School, Rockdale
Salem High School, Rockdale
Sandy Creek High School, Fayette
Shaw High School, Muscogee
Shiloh High School, Gwinnett
South Gwinnett High School, Gwinnett
Southwest DeKalb High School, DeKalb
Tech High School, Atlanta Public Schools
Thomasville High School, Thomasville City
Woodland High School, Henry

AP MERIT SCHOOLS: Schools with at least 20% of students taking AP exams and at least half of the AP exams scoring a 3 or higher

Alpharetta High School, Fulton
Brookwood High School, Gwinnett
Centennial High School, Fulton
Chamblee High School, DeKalb
Chattahoochee High School, Fulton
Columbus High School, Muscogee
Davidson Magnet High School, Richmond
Decatur High School, Decatur City
DeKalb School of the Arts, DeKalb
Duluth High School, Gwinnett
Harrison High School, Cobb
Lakeside High School, Columbia
Lassiter High School, Cobb
Milton High School, Fulton
North Forsyth High School, Forsyth
North Gwinnett High School, Gwinnett
North Oconee High School, Oconee
North Springs High School, Fulton
Northview High School, Fulton
Parkview High School, Gwinnett
Riverwood High School, Fulton
Roswell High School, Fulton
Savannah Arts Academy, Chatham
South Forsyth High School, Forsyth
Starrs Mill High School, Fayette
Walton High School, Cobb
West Forsyth High School, Forsyth