GBHS, NHS may get AP academies
BY VICI PAPAJOHN Gulf Breeze News vici@gulfbreezenews.com

Amid meetings to cut bills and refine budgets to allow for deep state cutbacks, Superintendent Johnny Rogers also announced that he is seriously considering the concept of creating an Advanced Placement (AP) Academy within Gulf Breeze High School (GBHS) and Navarre High School (NHS).

Rogers notified GBHS Principal Sylvan Ladner and Bill Emerson, NHS Principal, that this academy idea is now under full review. He instructed them to begin planning and initiating internal discussions to develop the best practices to adopt in order to create the AP academies, according to sources.

According to an email sent out by school board member Ed Gray, the concept is to structure and create a defined academic path for qualifying students to fully take advantage of advanced placement opportunities. The scheduling for such studies will be suited to meet the academic goals of the advanced placement curriculum. Such a schedule will be tailored so that AP courses are taught on a two semester plan to coincide with AP standardized testing schedules in the late spring.

"My goal is to build and promote the academic standing of our high schools," Gray says. "By implementing the concept of advanced placement academies initially at Gulf Breeze and Navarre High Schools we can build upon the concept and create similar academies at the other high schools throughout the county. Other schools have achieved a lot of success in career development course implementation. The AP academies can set the standard for academic excellence at a level that can become a model for the state."

Gray told parents in the email blast late Monday that another goal he hopes to develop is to seek out and expand the number of certified AP teachers as well as implement incentive plans for success when students reach a level three competency on the standardized tests. Achieving a level three score qualifies the student for college credit and a heavier weighting of the student's grade point average in the eyes of universities accepting new student applications.

Because of this weighting, AP course often have more benefit than dual enrollment classes depending on the student's ultimate college goals.