MONTGOMERY — Three Gadsden-area schools will participate in a statewide plan next school year to increase the number of students taking Advanced Placement math, science and English courses, Gov. Bob Riley announced Wednesday.

By Dana Beyerle
Times Montgomery Bureau

MONTGOMERY — Three Gadsden-area schools will participate in a statewide plan next school year to increase the number of students taking Advanced Placement math, science and English courses, Gov. Bob Riley announced Wednesday.

Riley said Gadsden City, Hokes Bluff and Southside high schools are among the 20 schools that will participate in the 2010-2011 AP training and incentive program. It’s being financed by philanthropists, private businesses and a legislative appropriation.

“The future of Alabama depends on how well we prepare our next generation of leaders,” Riley said.

Representatives of the 20 schools or their school systems attending the ceremony in the Old House Chamber of the Capitol pledged to increase AP enrollment next year by 85 percent, from 1,656 students to 3,063 students.

Attending the ceremony hosted by the A Plus Education Partnership were Etowah County Schools Superintendent Michael Bailey, incoming superintendent Alan Cosby, Hokes Bluff High School Principal Jeff Lasseter and Gadsden City Schools AP director Melinda Hawkins.

Bailey said he hopes to increase AP participation at Hokes Bluff from 18 students by as many as 45 more students.

“We’ll be able to offer AP calculus and biology and AP literature,” Lasseter said.

“We have government and history, and we’ve had success in them.

“We look forward to what we can do in math and science.”

Southside hopes to increase AP participation from 59 to 144 students, according to A Plus.

Hawkins said she has about 60 AP students and hopes to increase that by at least 25 students next year.

Hawkins said Gadsden City will add AP courses in English, calculus BC, statistics and music theory.