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Georgia Connections Academy's 2015 Graduating Class Outperforms State Virtual Charters on College Admission Tests
Recently released SAT and ACT scores by the Georgia Department of Education reveal that Georgia Connections Academy is the highest performin
Recently released SAT and ACT scores by the Georgia Department of Education reveal that Georgia Connections Academy is the highest performing virtual public charter school in the state, announced Executive Director Heather J. Robinson.
Georgia Connections Academy (GACA), a statewide tuition-free K–12 public virtual school, increased student test participation, as well as achieved a higher average score than any other Georgia virtual school, while performing on par with the state average.
“It is rewarding to see the hard work of our teachers and students reflected in the recently released scores of the college admission tests,” said Executive Director Robinson. “We are incredibly proud of our students and are so pleased that our 2015 SAT scores show higher academic performance than any other virtual charter in Georgia.”
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More than 18,000 K-12 students were enrolled in a statewide virtual public school in Georgia in the 2013-14 school year, according to the latest Keeping Pace with K-12 Digital Learning. Approximately 4,000 K-12 students attend GACA, which added its high school program in the 2012-13 school year.
2015 SAT Average Scores
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School: Georgia Connections Academy; Test Takers: 109; Average Score: 1452
State: Georgia; Test Takers: 63,200; Average Score: 1450
The GDOE announced that state SAT scores increased in 2015, while national score averages dropped. Though a similar analysis is not yet fully available 2015 ACT scores, GACA also performed well in this college entrance exam, achieving a composite score on par with the state, announced Executive Director Robinson.
2015 ACT Average Scores
School: Georgia Connections Academy; Test Takers: 48; Composite Score: 20.8
State: Georgia; Test Takers: 54,653; Composite Score: 21.0
“The classroom is changing. Education is no longer one size fits all—it is about learning through a style and pace that is tailored to an individual student’s strengths, weaknesses and needs,” said Executive Director Robinson. “Students enrolled with Georgia Connections Academy benefit from flexibility in terms of pace and scheduling, an award-winning curriculum, specially trained, state-certified teachers, as well as individualized lesson plans. Georgia Connections Academy provides a high-quality public education to a child in any county, whether in a rural area in the southern part of the state or the urban neighborhoods of Atlanta.”
Additionally, Executive Director Robinson said there are unique opportunities to for high school students to accelerate their learning and course rigor through dual enrollment programs that complement and enhance the Advanced Placement (AP) courses offered at virtual charter school.
“Why not graduate high school with college hours already completed so they can study in their career field even sooner? The lines between high school and college are increasingly blurred for advanced learners—that’s why these scores excite me,” commented Executive Director Robinson.
In Georgia, 76.9 percent of students from the class of 2015 took the SAT—a total of 72,898 students. Of that group, 39.8 percent were underrepresented minority students, up from 38.8 percent in 2014 and 38.1 percent in 2011. Georgia high school graduates who take a college test are likely to go to college and 80 percent of those who enroll will choose a Georgia university, according to GDOE.
Links to the state SAT results are available here:
Link to the ACT results is here:
