Good News About Good Schools
Friday, January 13, 2006
Spruce Creek wins scholarly acclaim
Staff Report
PORT ORANGE — Spruce Creek High School ranks first among International Baccalaureate programs in North America -- and fourth in the world -- for the number of exams given in that high-powered academic program. The school´s accomplishment was reported in a recent analysis of exams given last spring at more than 1,100 schools that offer International Baccalaureate diplomas. The programs, for which high school students can earn college credit if they score well enough on final exams, are based on rigorous academic standards set by the International Baccalaureate program in Geneva, Switzerland. At Spruce Creek, 393 students took 1,236 exams last spring with most scoring well enough to be eligible for college credit, according to International Baccalaureate coordinator Vicki Murphy. Eighty-five percent of Spruce Creek students scored well enough to earn the International Baccalaureate diploma, compared to a world and North American average of 78 percent. Spruce Creek and DeLand high schools have offered the International Baccalaureate program since 1989. DeLand ranked 98th in the world last spring for the number of exams given, with 149 students taking 437 tests.
|