College & Workforce Readiness

Higher Rates of Students Passing AP Exams

By Catherine Gewertz — February 09, 2011 4 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Includes updates and/or revisions.

The proportion of each high school graduating class that passes an Advanced Placement exam continues to grow, with nearly 17 percent of the class of 2010 passing at least one such exam, according to a College Board report released today.

New figures show that 16.9 percent of students in last spring’s graduating class scored a 3 or better on one or more AP exams by the time they graduated, up from 15.9 percent in 2009 and 10.8 percent in 2001. The exam is scored on a scale of 1 to 5, with 3 considered passing. The College Board’s research says that students who score 3 or higher are more likely to succeed in college courses.

Of the 3 million students in last year’s graduating class, 28.3 percent took an AP exam sometime in high school, up from 26.4 percent in 2009 and 16.8 percent in 2001.

Trevor Packer, the College Board vice president who oversees the AP program, said in a conference call with reporters that the growth in participation is driven partly by a proliferation of state and district initiatives designed to encourage students to take more challenging courses.

As the popularity of Advanced Placement courses and exams grows, however, fewer tests get a passing grade, a continuing trend that College Board officials have said is to be expected because the testing pool includes more students who have not previously had access to good preparation. In the class of 2010, 56.1 percent of the exams taken received a passing grade, compared with 56.5 in 2009 and 60.8 percent in 2001. (“Growing Popularity of AP Exams Brings Trade-Offs,” Feb. 11, 2010.)

Far more “traditionally underserved” students—those from low-income homes or ethnic and racial minority groups—are participating in the AP program, College Board data show. Between 2001 and 2010, the number of African-American students who took an AP exam tripled. Participation by Latino students nearly tripled, and participation by low-income students nearly doubled between 2006, the first year the College Board reports data in that category, and 2010.

Uneven Passage Rates

But students from some ethnic and racial minority groups continue to be underrepresented among students who take and pass the tests, the data show.

While African-American students made up 14.6 percent of all graduating seniors in 2010, for instance, they were only 8.6 percent of AP test-takers and 3.9 percent of those who passed them. Latino students were not as severely underrepresented, making up 16.8 percent of the class, 16 percent of those taking the exams, and 14.6 percent of those passing.

Asian students were overrepresented; while they were 5.5 percent of the graduating seniors, they made up 10.2 percent of those taking AP exams and 11.7 percent of those passing them. White students presented a mixed picture of representation, making up 60.5 percent of the graduating class, 57.9 percent of the students taking AP exams, and 62.5 percent of those scoring 3 or higher.

The College Board’s equity index shows that most states have far to go before their traditionally underserved students are as successful in the AP program as the rest of their peers. The New York City-based College Board compares data to see whether the proportion of each disadvantaged student subgroup in each state’s graduating class approximates the proportion of those who pass an AP exam. By that measure, only two states—Hawaii and South Dakota—met the organization’s definition of equity for black students. Fourteen states met it for Latino students, including Florida, where Latino students made up 23 percent of the senior class, but 28 percent of those passing AP exams.

Mr. Packer said that the ethnic and racial gaps, particularly those between African-American students and others, are a “strong and enduring concern” at the organization. To better understand how schools and districts can help underserved students in the AP program, the College Board has completed an analysis of successful school district practices that it plans to release next month, Mr. Packer said.

He also noted that College Board research shows that students who enter an AP class with the same PSAT score succeed at similar rates, regardless of their racial or ethnic background. That indicates, he said, that success in AP rests not on what happens during an AP course but “in the years leading up to AP.”

A key concern for the College Board, he said, is the prevalence of low scores on its math and science exams. The latest data show, for example, that one-third of the exams in biology, chemistry, and environmental science earned a score of 1, the lowest possible. Mr. Packer attributed that trend to too many high schools “rushing” students into AP classes without the necessary preparation.

AP passage rates for the entire graduating class varied significantly by state. Maryland once again topped the list with the highest percentage of graduating seniors who passed at least one AP exam, with 26.4 percent, followed by New York with 24.6 percent and Virginia with 23.7 percent. Mississippi had the lowest, 4.4 percent, followed by Louisiana with 4.6 percent and North Dakota with 6.8 percent.

A version of this article appeared in the February 23, 2011 edition of Education Week as Higher Rates of Students Passing AP Exams

Events

School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s 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 Students 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 Solution Tree
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
Teaching Webinar
Empowering Students Using Computational Thinking Skills
Empower your students with computational thinking. Learn how to integrate these skills into your teaching and boost student engagement.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way

EdWeek Top School Jobs

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

Read Next

College & Workforce Readiness Q&A Graduation Rates Might Get Worse Before They Get Better
Schools must make a convincing case for why students should show up, Robert Balfanz says.
5 min read
Learning Recovery Hurdles 092023 1303680911 01
iStock/Getty
College & Workforce Readiness These Students Are the Hardest for Schools to Track After Graduation
State education chiefs are working with the Pentagon to make students' enlistment data more accessible for schools.
5 min read
Students 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.
Students 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