The College Board over the last few years has bet on two new courses to boost participation of underrepresented students in the Advanced Placement program: AP African American Studies and AP Precalculus.
Both courses offer high school students the chance to obtain college credit based on their performance on year-end AP exams. And new data show that both saw Black and Latino students register for these exams at high levels.
According to the College Board, 58 percent of all AP African American Studies exam registrants this November were Black (including those who identified as Black/multiracial and Black/Latino)—making Black students significantly more likely to take this course and exam than other AP courses. (A total of 22,308 students signed up for the AP African American Studies exam.)
And Black and Latino students were significantly more likely to take the AP Precalculus course and exam compared to other AP science, technology, engineering, and math courses.
While Black students made up 5.8 percent of all AP STEM exam registrations this November, they accounted for 8.4 percent of AP Precalculus registrations. Latino students made up 19 percent of all AP STEM registrations and 26.3 percent of AP Precalculus sign-ups. (A total of 247,110 students signed up for the AP Precalculus exam.)
Researchers say that if students are successful in courses like AP African American Studies and AP Precalculus, they may be more likely to pursue other advanced courses.
“Students of color are underrepresented in AP classes and advanced classes broadly, and it’s a stubborn disparity,” said Kristen Hengtgen, a senior policy analyst who focuses on access to advanced coursework at the Education Trust, an advocacy and research organization. “We haven’t really figured out how to diminish the gaps yet. So this is really exciting.”
Work remains to increase equitable access to AP courses
While experts like Hengtgen acknowledge the positive participation results from the new AP courses, they caution that work remains to ensure equitable access to the AP program, especially as federal policies work to ban diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
In 2023, about 75 percent of Black students attended high schools with at least five AP courses available, compared to 93 percent of Asian students, 84 percent of Latino students, and 77 percent of white students.
Courses like AP African American Studies, which offers an interdisciplinary approach to cultural studies and helps students think critically about their own lives, can help increase access as this year’s exam registration numbers show.
“With AP African American Studies, I mean, that’s a ‘wow’ [participation] number to me,” Hengtgen said. “We know AP courses have a factor in students being considered for college and being considered for selective universities. To see this course as an opportunity to particularly engage Black students, it’s really exciting.”
Meanwhile, researchers at the College Board had recognized that not all students, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, had access to precalculus classes in high school, meaning they would have to take—and pay for—the course in college. Taking precalculus in college could also limit students’ chances of taking advanced courses some STEM majors require, Hengtgen said, thus making them less likely to continue in those fields.
AP Precalculus was designed to fill that gap.
“Our experience and research have shown that many students can succeed in Advanced Placement, indeed many more than who currently participate in AP,” Trevor Packer, head of the AP program, said in a statement. “We are committed to reaching a wider range of students with relevant and engaging new courses and helping more students gain critical knowledge, engage in hands-on learning, and build the professional skills that will help them succeed in college and career.”
Hengtgen hopes that even amid questions over what diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives schools can invest in, state and school leaders will continue to seek out proven strategies that can help all students access and succeed in advanced coursework. For instance, she said, there is growing bipartisan interest in bills that would automatically enroll students in AP courses upon meeting some baseline criteria.
“We have proven efforts that can increase access for all sorts of student groups, not just students of color,” Hengten said. “Schools, districts, and states can do this work and not have to single out students of color, if that’s the time that we’re living in.”
