By Dr. Pamela M. Brisson, ESIS director
Scholar-athletes at ES International School-Naples taking Advanced Placement exams this year performed at very high levels, in several classes beating their peers across the world.
Advanced Placement exams culminate study in courses designed by the College Board, the organization that administers the SAT. The courses are designed at a college level, and teachers use syllabi and assessments that reflect rigor expected in universities. Exams are scored on a basis of 1 to 5, with scores of 3 and higher deemed “successful” and accepted by many colleges and universities for credit. Because of the advanced rigor, even students who earn below a 3 have been seen in studies to out-perform college peers who did not take an AP course in high school.
A small independent school with 35 high school students training in tennis at the elite Academia Sanchez-Casal, ESIS saw 23 students in grades 9-12 this year take AP exams, an exceptionally high 66% participation rate.
All of the seniors graduated having taken at least one exam in the following subjects: AP Spanish Language & Culture, AP Art History, AP U.S. Government & Politics, AP Microeconomics, AP Calculus AB, AP Environmental Science, and AP US HIstory.
Some highlights:
- In Spanish, 7 of 8 students scored a 3 or higher, with 3 students scoring a perfect 5. The class mean of 3.88 was higher than the global mean of 3.86.
- In Art History, 4 of 5 students earned scores of 3 or 4. That success rate of 80% was higher than the global rate of 69%, and the class mean of 3.20 was higher than the global mean of 3.15.
- In US Government & Politics, 7 of 10 students earned scores of 3 or higher, with 1 scoring a 5. The 70% success rate compared to a 58% rate globally. The class mean of 3.2 outpaced the global mean of 2.8.
- In Microeconomics, 2 students scored a 5.
- In Calculus, 2 students earned a 3.
- In Environmental Science, 1 student scored a 5.
- Vishnu Prasad led the student performances by earning two perfect scores of 5, in AP Microeconomics and AP Environmental Science. Following him at the highest level of performance were the following students who earned a 5: Ana Angeles Sanchez in AP Spanish; Krishna Chemudupati in AP Microeconomics; Adele Fernandez Lecaroz in AP US Government & Politics; Valeria Gonzalez in AP Spanish; and Elena Salazar in AP Spanish.
These results reflect the best gained thus far at ESIS-Naples and validate a shared commitment to nurture students’ academic, as well as their athletic, growth. We educators at ESIS are fortunate to teach students in small classes that provide the opportunity for considerable individual attention. While students come here primarily to train on the tennis courts, they bring their discipline and competitive mindset to the classroom. Because they all want to play at the collegiate level, if not on the professional circuit, they understand that they need to perform in school as well as in tennis. By exerting considerable effort, they transcend the description of student-athletes and are truly scholar-athletes.
Dr. Pamela M. Brisson
ES International school director, Naples Florida
