La Plata High School Receives AP Award from College Board | details

La Plata High School recently earned a spot on the Advanced Placement (AP) School Honor Roll for the 2023-24 school year. The school received an award for achieving qualifying levels of AP honor roll metrics in the areas of college culture, college credit, and college optimization.

Kate Kozicki-Miller, AP Language Arts teacher at La Plata High School, has been there for over 14 years, teaching students the importance of taking AP classes in high school. “There’s been a big push to get students to take AP classes, to find a subject that they’re comfortable with — or want to grow in — to push themselves,” Kozicki-Miller said. “This is not just for a character, it’s for them. We are here for them.”

La Plata received the bronze award through the College Board, a non-profit that provides support to students for college success. “The AP School Honor Roll recognizes schools that have done outstanding work to welcome more students to AP courses and support them on the path to college success,” said Trevor Packer, the College Board’s chair of AP and instruction.

The school was the only CCPS high school to receive the award for the 2023-2024 school year. “I appreciate that we were recognized for the hard work the teachers put into getting the students into the AP classes,” said Douglass Dolan, principal at La Plata. He said the students respect their teachers and he’s glad the program is getting the recognition La Plata deserves.

The Bronze award means reaching a certain percentage of students in the graduating class who took an AP exam at any point in high school, the percentage of students in the graduating class who scored a three or higher on any AP exam in high school, and the percentage of students in the graduating class who took five or more AP exams in high school, with at least one exam during their freshman or sophomore year.

Seniors in the program, Addison Sheridan and McKinley Harrold enjoy the challenge of their AP classes. “I want to get a head start in college and challenge myself to show others that I can do more,” Sheridan said. Harrold said AP classes are based less on the grade a student gets and more on what they learn. “Teachers try to make it as close to a college professor as they possibly can,” he said.

To learn more about the AP School Honor Roll program through the College Board, visit https://bit.ly/3AutL7n.

About CCPS

Charles County Public Schools provides 27,765 students in grades kindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 38 schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high-quality education that builds character, prepares for leadership and prepares students for life, career and higher education.

The Charles County Public School System does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or disability in its programs, activities, or employment practices. For inquiries please contact Dr. Mike Blanchard, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (Students) or Nikial M. Majors, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (Employees/Adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, PO Box 2770, La Plata, MD 20646; 301-932-6610/301-870-3814. For special overnight stays, call 301-934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks before the event.

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