69传媒

College & Workforce Readiness

Eligible 69传媒 Missing Out on AP

By Caralee J. Adams 鈥 February 08, 2012 4 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

In all but four states, more public school students in the class of 2011 took and passed at least one Advanced Placement exam鈥18.1 percent on average nationwide鈥攗p from 16.9 percent for graduates the year before, according to a released last week.

Yet the 8th annual 鈥淎P Report to the Nation鈥 shows that many students who had the academic potential to succeed in AP didn鈥檛 take exams, either by choice or because they attended a school that did not offer the subjects.

This year鈥檚 report by the College Board analyzes data from the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test and found that of the 771,000 students in the class of 2011 who scored well enough to be considered ready for AP, nearly 478,000 (62 percent) did not take an AP exam for which they were recommended.

鈥淭hese data confirm the need to continue expansion of AP opportunities for prepared and motivated students, because hundreds of thousands of U.S. students have indeed been academically ready for the challenge of an AP course but lacked the opportunity, encouragement, or motivation to participate,鈥 said Trevor Packer, the senior vice president of AP and college readiness for the College Board, in a written statement.

The gap in ability versus participation was even greater for most groups of minority students. Of the white students recommended for AP, 61.6 percent did not take an AP subject, while 42.1 percent of Asian-American students did not take it. Yet 79.4 percent of African-Americans, 70.4 percent of Hispanic/Latinos, and 73.7 percent of American Indian/Alaska Natives did not take the recommended AP subject.

Although the number of minority students taking AP courses is increasing overall, they are still underserved in AP classrooms compared with their proportion of the school population, this year鈥檚 report shows.

Math, Science Weakness

When it comes to performance of all students in last year鈥檚 class, the percentage that received a passing score of 3 or higher was 56.2 percent, 0.1 percent higher than the class of 2010. Still, it was down from 2001, when 60.8 percent passed.

AP tests are graded on a scale of 1 to 5. A score of 3 is considered a minimum passing score for predicting success in college, according to the College Board, the nonprofit based in New York City that sponsors the courses and exams.

Student success in passing AP science and math exams such as chemistry, biology, statistics, and calculus dipped slightly in this year鈥檚 report as the number of test-takers grew.

For math, there was a 5.7 percent increase in students taking the tests, but a 4.9 percent increase in those passing. The percentage of students passing AP math exams dropped from 57.3 percent to 56.9 percent from the class of 2011 compared with the previous year鈥檚 class.

For science, 8.8 percent more students took the AP exam, and 7.7 percent more received a 3 or higher score, dropping the overall passing rate from 49.8 percent to 49.3 percent from the class of 2011 compared with that of 2010.

In the overall state breakdown, Maryland led with 27.9 percent of its graduates participating in AP and scoring a 3 or higher. New York, Virginia, Massachusetts, and Connecticut rounded out the top five states.

鈥淎s AP expands to a broader group of students, however, the rate of students not earning a 3 or higher is also at a historic high,鈥 Mr. Packer said. 鈥淭he higher percentage of students not succeeding in AP confirms the point that just as not all high school students are ready for college, not all high school students are ready for AP, and greater emphasis should be placed on preparing students in the pre-AP years (typically grades 6-10) for the rigors of AP and college.鈥

鈥淭here is some progress in the fact that more students are taking AP,鈥 said Bob Wise, the president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia. 鈥淎P is a proxy for increased rigor academically and for college and career readiness. The good news is that student demand for rigor is continuing to increase and student performance is slowly increasing. Some of it is handicapped by the availability and the confidence level of how well they鈥檇 do. Should they take an AP course? Should they take that risk?鈥

The challenge is to increase access to AP and persuade teachers, students, and parents to understand that taking the AP course is worthwhile regardless of how students are going to finish in the end, Mr. Wise said. The experience of taking an advanced course is valuable, even if students get a 1 or a 2 on the final AP exam, he said.

Mr. Wise says he鈥檚 surprised that gatekeeping policies limiting AP classes to the top 10 percent of student still exist. 鈥淭hat sends a message to the other 90 percent: Don鈥檛 aspire,鈥 he said. 鈥淓very place I鈥檝e seen where students were challenged to do more, and were given the supports to do that they rose to that challenge.鈥

A version of this article appeared in the February 22, 2012 edition of Education Week as Eligible 69传媒 Missing Out on Advanced Placement Courses

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
Teaching 69传媒 to Use Artificial Intelligence Ethically
Ready to embrace AI in your classroom? Join our master class to learn how to use AI as a tool for learning, not a replacement.
Content provided by 

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide 鈥 elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

College & Workforce Readiness These 69传媒 Are the Hardest for 69传媒 to Track After Graduation
State education chiefs are working with the Pentagon to make students' enlistment data more accessible for schools.
5 min read
69传媒 in the new Army prep course stand at attention after physical training exercises at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C., on Aug. 27, 2022. The new program prepares recruits for the demands of basic training.
69传媒 in the new Army prep course stand at attention after physical training exercises at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C., on Aug. 27, 2022. State education leaders are working with the Pentagon to make graduates' enlistment data part of their data systems.
Sean Rayford/AP
College & Workforce Readiness As Biden Prepares to Leave Office, He Touts His 'Classroom to Career' Work
At a White House event, the president and first lady highlighted their workforce-development efforts.
3 min read
President Joe Biden speaks at the Classroom to Career Summit in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024.
President Joe Biden speaks at the Classroom to Career Summit in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Nov. 13, 2024.
Ben Curtis/AP
College & Workforce Readiness Can the AP Model Work for CTE? How the College Board Is Embracing Career Prep
The organization known for AP courses and the SAT is getting more involved in helping students explore potential careers.
5 min read
David Coleman, CEO of the College Board, speaks at the organization's annual conference in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 21, 2024.
David Coleman, CEO of the College Board, speaks at the organization's annual conference in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 21, 2024. Long an institution invested in preparing students for college, the College Board increasingly has an eye on illuminating career options.
Ileana Najarro/Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness The Way 69传媒 Offer CTE Classes Is About to Change. Here's How
The revision could lead to significant shifts in the types of jobs schools highlight, and the courses students are able to take.
4 min read
Photo of student working with surveying equipment.
E+