Number of Schools Offering AP Falls After First Audit of Courses

In the wake of the first-ever audit of Advanced Placement courses, educators are giving mixed reviews to what the head of the AP program is calling “the largest curricular review that’s ever been undertaken in American history.”

One of the more striking effects of the audit, the results of which were released last week by the College Board, was a steep drop in the number of schools offering Advanced Placement courses. After more than 30 years of steady growth, the number of schools worldwide offering at least one AP course dropped by nearly 13 percent from the 2006-07 school year to the current one, according to the College Board, the New York City-based nonprofit organization that owns the Advanced Placement brand.

AP teachers at high schools around the world took part in the audit, which the College Board announced in 2005 amid concerns about whether the program’s rapid growth had diluted its quality. The process, which is ongoing, involved a review by college professors of individual teachers’ syllabuses in the 37 subject areas covered in AP classes, which are designed to teach college-level material and prepare students to pass end-of-course AP exams that can qualify...