The eligible Cherokee County schools are: Creekview, Etowah, River Ridge, Sequoyah and Woodstock.
Those five are among 31 Georgia high schools selected by the College Board for the new AP STEM Access program, which was created to increase the number of minority and female high school students who participate in AP courses related to science, technology, engineering and math disciplines that prepare students for college-level studies.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled to see this many Georgia high schools selected to expand access to Advanced Placement courses,” State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge said in the Wednesday release. “Advanced Placement courses offer the rigor and relevance we need to ensure students are ready for whatever they choose to do after high school. Having more access for our students to take courses in the STEM fields will help us meet students’ needs and the expectations of colleges and employers. I encourage all of these schools to apply so more students have this access.”
According to the release, the qualifying public schools were chosen because they have historically had a population of underrepresented students who were academically prepared for an AP STEM course that is not offered by the school.
The 31 qualifying Georgia high schools are part of more than 800 public schools from across the country being invited to apply for the AP STEM Access program, which is supported by a $5 million grant from Google as part of the company’s Global Impact Awards to DonorsChoose.org.
The program aims to encourage traditionally underrepresented minority and female students who demonstrate strong academic potential to enroll and explore these areas of study and related careers.
Students who took AP math and science were more likely than non-AP students to earn degrees in physical science, engineering and life science disciplines — the fields leading to some of the careers essential for America’s future prosperity, according to research. The correlation is particularly strong among African American, Hispanic/Latino and female students, the research showed.
Participating schools will start the new AP math and science courses in fall 2013 and will make a commitment to offer these new AP courses for a minimum of three years, allowing the courses to become an integral part of the overall array of AP course offerings within the school.