More than 300 Solon High School students and recent graduates have been honored for their exceptional scores on Advanced Placement tests, including two recent graduates who received the best scores in Ohio.

Lisa Guo and Roger Zou, both 2012 graduates and both now in their freshman year at Duke University, are the 2012 Ohio AP State Scholars. Zou took 17 AP exams during his time at Solon and earned average score of 4.76 out of 5 on those tests. Guo took 16 AP exams at Solon and earned a perfect score of 5 on all the tests. 

MORE COVERAGE: SEE A LIST OF ALL STUDENTS HONORED

The College Board, which administers the national Advanced Placement program, has notified Solon High School that is presenting 305 awards to Solon students and recent graduates who have earned the designation of AP Scholar in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the college-level AP exams. This is nearly 200 students above the number recognized for this achievement a decade ago.

"We are so proud of the accomplishments of our students who take rigorous AP course loads," said Solon High School Principal Erin Short. "Each year, we see increasing numbers of SHS students who opt to challenge themselves by enrolling in these difficult classes.

"Equally striking is the number of our Solon students who are performing well enough on the AP exams that they are receiving these prestigious recognition awards from the College Board. For Solon to have the top two AP scholars in Ohio is a remarkable honor and an independent endorsement of the high level of achievement for our students,” Short added.

The College Board’s AP Program provides students with an opportunity to take challenging courses and to receive possible college credit while still in high school based on their performance on the AP exams. After scoring the exams, the College Board awards academic honors at various levels of achievement based on the number of year-long courses and exams the students successfully completed.  

Each year, the number of Solon students taking AP exams increases, but this measure of how well those students are performing on the exams is equally, if not more, important.

In 2012, 649 students took 1,576 AP exams in Solon, with 90 percent earning scores of 3 of higher on the exams and potential college credit. The average AP exam score among the 305 Solon students recognized by the College Board was 4.35.

Solon offers 20 different AP classes, including English Language, European History, English Literature, Economics, Calculus AB, U.S. Government, Calculus BC, U.S. History, Computer Science, French, Statistics, German, Biology, Spanish, Chemistry, Studio Art, Environmental Science, Music Theory, Physics B and Psychology.