More Students Pass AP Exams
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Maryland led the nation, followed by New York and Virginia on a key measure of college readiness: pass rates on Advanced Placement exams. In a report released February 10, the College Board found that a higher proportion of the class of 2010 took AP tests during their public high school careers than did their counterparts in 2001, with 16.9 percent of them earning 3 or better on the 5-point grading scale.
At 24.8 percent, Maryland had the highest percentage of public high school graduates who had passed at least one AP test for the second year in a row. New Jersey, where nearly a quarter of students scored a perfect 5, led the nation in the percentage of top-scorers, followed closely by Connecticut and Massachusetts.
The pass rate is considered an important indicator not only of student performance but also of access to college-level curriculum. The report showed continued challenges around AP participation and achievement for minority and low-income students. Although the numbers of test takers has doubled in a decade, a lower proportion of black and low-income students are taking AP classes than their share of total enrollment.
Filed under: K-12 Education News
Tags: Grades 9-12, Mathematics, Public Policy, Scholarships and Fellowships, Science
