By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
When Burlington High School made a change about four years ago to go back to weighted grading for advanced-placement classes for the Class of 2016, Principal Eric Burling said he wanted to see students push themselves.
That effort looks like it is paying off.
With the presentation of the school’s AP Scholars at Monday night’s School Board meeting, Burling had much to cheer about.
“I really think in the Class of 2015, we had some outstanding scholars in there,” Burling said at the school board meeting Monday night. He also said he had wanted to challenge students to worry less about grade-point average and more about challenging themselves.
So far, it seems to have paid off. The number of students with scores of 3 or higher on the exams – generally the cutoff for college credit in the class – has doubled from 74 to 144 since 2011. In addition, close to 74 percent of students who took the AP exams scored 3 or above.
While just four of the AP Scholars were at the presentation Monday night, the four who were had more than a combined two years of college credits already accounted for, either through the AP program or through Co-operative Academic Partnership Program classes, where college classes are taught by certified teachers at the high school.
The school’s scholar report has also improved. In 2011-12, there were a total of 18 scholars. This year, there are 37, broken into three different categories. Twenty-two students were AP Scholars with an average score of 3.27. To be eligible for the award, students need to score 3 or higher on three or more AP exams.
Six were named AP Scholars with Honors, with an average score of 3.67. For that award, students need to score at least 3.25 on all exams taken, and at least three or higher on four. Nine students finished as AP Scholars with Distinction with an average score of 4.02. To earn that honor, students need to score at least 3.5 on all exams taken, and score three or higher on five exams.
AP Scholars with Distinction
Eric Beets, Brad Burling, Brittany Ehlen, Patrick Henning, Chloe Hill, Callum Leemkuil-Schuerman, Jakob Scholze, Nathaniel Sibley and Katie Windsor.
AP Scholars with Honors
Natalie Dukes, Jacob Gilbreath, Sophia Grandi, Sydney McCourt, John Neu, Sarah Pritzl.
AP Scholars
Thomas Allen, Daniela Beltran-Hernand, Houston Cowan, Lydia Crabtree, Kylie Dawley, Andrew Froemming, Claire Halverson, Kayelynn Jonescue, Peter Koenen, Brooke Kozelou, Courtenay Krusemark, Jordyn Kumba, Benjamin Lois, Austin Madsen, Corina Nelson, Rebecca Otis, Jennifer Panackal, Timothy Pritzl, Miranda Reed, Kiya White, Emily Winker.
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