Nine students at Lampasas High School have earned AP Scholar Awards in recognition of their achievement on AP exams.

The College Board's Advanced Placement Program provides motivated and academically prepared students with the opportunity to take rigorous college-level courses while still in high school, and to earn college credit, advance placement, or both for successful performance on AP exams.

About 18 percent of the 1.6 million students worldwide who took AP exams performed at a sufficiently high level to also earn an AP Scholar Award.

The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on students' performance on AP exams.

At Lampasas High School, two students -- Alexi Bulloch and Heath Cofield -- qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams.

Three students qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on four or more exams. Honorees are Leah Balke, Amanda Garrison and Tiffany Landers.

Four students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP exams with grades of 3 or higher. They include Shirley Frobish, Brittany Ham, Katie Matthew and Britanny Nuckles.

Of this year's award recipients at LHS, all nine were seniors in the Class of 2008.

Each AP exam is developed by a committee of college and university faculty and AP teachers, ensuring that exams are aligned with the same high standards expected by college faculty at some of the nation's leading liberal arts and research institutions.

AP credit is accepted by more than 3,600 colleges and universities worldwide for college credit, advanced placement or both on the basis of successful AP exam grades.