It is with great pride that the North Penn School District (NPSD) shares the accomplishments of North Penn High School (NPHS) senior Moira Shoush on her outstanding achievements on the Baccalauréate Exam in Toulouse, France during the 2017-2018 school year.
As part of the International Friendship Committee's Foreign Exchange Student Program (click here to learn more), Moira spent her junior year abroad studying in Toulouse, France. Before her departure, Moira had shown great promise in her French studies by placing at the top of her Level 3 Honors French Class. Although the French school system can be challenging to navigate, Moira, alongside her French peers, sat for the French Baccalauréate National Exam at the conclusion of the 2017-2018 school year in France.
This high-stakes exam is used to admit students into French universities. In France, a student's acceptance and placement is determined solely by their score. Traditionally without a passing grade on the French "Bac" exam, a student will have a difficult time advancing in the professional world. The "Bac" exam is said to be much more all-encompassing than the American SAT exam. It assesses students over several days in multiples disciplines. This high-anxiety test is not multiple choice. Instead, it may ask students to read an article and write a composition where they synthesize their learning from the classroom along with the information from the article. In some instances, students may need to defend this composition in front of a panel of teachers as well.
To NPHS' delight, Moira Shoush not only chose to attempt this exam, but scored a 17.75/20 with a mark of "Mention Très Bien," which translates in English to "Highest Honors/Summa Cum Laude." For reference, the highest scores of 19 and 20 are incredibly rare. Moira was the very first American at her French school to take the exam and has set an incredible precedent.
"This is a huge accomplishment," said NPHS Guidance Counselor Brian Daly. "We are not aware of any North Penn exchange students to France who have ever sat for, let alone scored so high, on this exam."
The NPSD would like to congratulate Moira, her family and her teachers on this spectacular, international achievement.
For more information on the International Friendship Committee, please click here.