ALABASTER – Alabaster City Schools (ACS) and Thompson High School (THS) are celebrating dozens of students who earned recognition for great success on their Advanced Placement (AP) exams taken last spring.
The statistics show impressive gains for the most recent administration of AP Exams at Thompson High School: 88 AP Scholars; 18 AP Scholars with Honor; 20 AP Scholars of Distinction; 10 AP Capstone Diploma honorees; and 16 AP Seminar and Research Certificate honorees.
Additionally, Thompson High School has earned distinctions related to its AP program. THS has been named to the 2024 AP School Honor Roll for developing an AP program that creates a college-going culture and gives students opportunities to earn college credit and to maximize their college outcomes. Thompson High School has also been honored with the 2024 AP Access Award for ensuring AP coursework is equally available to students regardless of background.
“The AP School Honor Roll recognizes schools that have done outstanding work to welcome more students into AP courses and support them on the path to college success,” said Trevor Packer, the College Board’s Senior Vice President of AP and Instruction. “We know it takes a considerable schoolwide effort–dedication from teachers, counselors, administrators, students, and parents–to make AP access a priority.”
AP Exams are standardized exams designed to measure how well a student has mastered the content and skills of a specific AP course. According to the College Board, most AP courses have an end-of-year exam, but a few courses have different ways to assess what a student has learned.
AP Scholar status is granted to students who receive scores of three (3) or higher on three or more AP Exams. AP Scholar with Honor designation is granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of three (3) or higher on four or more of these exams. For AP Scholar with Distinction status, students must receive an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of three (3) or higher on five or more of these exams. The AP Capstone Diploma is granted to students who earn scores of three (3) or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research and on four additional AP Exams of their choosing. Finally, the AP Seminar and Research Certificate is granted to students who earn scores of three (3) or higher on both AP Seminar and AP Research.