Press Releases

College Board Announces Advanced Placement Results: A Greater Percentage of the Nation's Students Succeed on AP® Exams, Predictors of Success in College

Report Points to the Need for Better Preparation in Earlier Grades

02/13/08

NEW YORK—More than 15 percent of the public high school class of 2007 achieved at least one AP® Exam grade of 3 or higher¹—the score that is predictive of college success. This achievement represents a significant and consistent improvement since the class of 2002 when less than 12 percent of public school graduates attained this goal.

Out of all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, Vermont captured the largest increase in the percentage of high school graduates who scored a 3 or higher on an AP Exam.

In its fourth annual "AP Report to the Nation," the College Board (the not-for-profit membership association that owns and administers the AP Program), focuses on educators' quantifiable successes in helping a wider segment of the nation's students gain access to and achieve success in college-level work. Of the estimated 2.8 million students who graduated from U.S. public schools in 2007, almost 426,000 (15.2 percent) earned an AP Exam grade of at least a 3 on one or more AP Exams during their high school tenure, the report documents. This is up from 14.7 percent in 2006 and 11.7 percent in 2002.

Earning a 3 or higher on an AP Exam is one of "the very best predictors of college performance,"² with AP students earning higher college grades and graduating from college at higher rates than otherwise similar peers in control groups, according to recent reports from researchers at the University of California at Berkeley,³ the National Center for Educational Accountability,⁴ and the University of Texas at Austin.^5,6

New York, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, Massachusetts and Connecticut all saw more than 20 percent of their students graduate from high school having earned an AP Exam grade of 3 or higher. AP achievements for each state's class of 2002, class of 2006 and class of 2007 are detailed in the report. (See "The 4th Annual AP Report to the Nation," Table 1, page 5.)

"Educators and policymakers across the nation should be commended for their sustained commitment to helping students achieve access to and success in AP courses and exams" said College Board President Gaston Caperton. "More students from varied backgrounds are accomplishing their AP goals, but we can't afford to believe equity has been achieved until the demographics of successful AP participation and performance are identical to the demographics of the overall student population."

Though 75 percent of U.S. high school graduates enter college,⁷ dropout rates and the fact that about half of all college freshmen are taking at least one remedial course indicate that secondary schools must dedicate themselves to more than college admission,⁸ the report asserts.

"Remedial course work in college costs taxpayers an estimated $1 billion a year,"⁹ Caperton said. "To shrink the gap between those who enter college and those who complete a degree, we must target the divide between high school graduation standards and the skills that all students need to be prepared for the rigors of college. The critical reasoning, subject-matter expertise and study skills students must develop to succeed on the three-hour college-level AP Exams fortify high school graduates for a successful transition into their freshman year at college. This makes providing better readiness for—and access to—AP courses absolutely essential."

The report notes that an equity and excellence gap appears whenever the percentage of traditionally underserved students—such as African-American, Hispanic/Latino, or American Indian students—who are among those achieving access to and succeeding on AP Exams is less than the percentage of underserved students in the entire graduating class. This means that despite increased efforts to provide underserved students with access to AP courses, AP Exam results indicate that often these students are not receiving adequate preparation for the intensity of the college-level work.

Though several states have successfully closed the equity and excellence gap for Hispanic/Latino students, no state with large numbers of African-American or American Indian students has closed the gap, says the report.

State-based Initiatives

The report highlights states' efforts to implement programs that support academic achievement for all students. States that have experienced success are highlighted; these include Florida, which has expanded AP participation and performance among African-American and Hispanic/Latino students with initiatives set forth in the College Board Florida Partnership for Minority and Underrepresented Student Achievement; Illinois, which, through its College and Career Success for All Students Program, offers competitive grants to school districts emphasizing training for AP teachers, counselors and principals; and Mississippi, which, in addition to seeing an increase in the percentage of African-American students scoring a 3 or higher since the class of 2002, also provides scholarships for teachers to attend colleges and universities during the summer to receive AP teacher training.

College Board Initiatives

To support its mission of connecting students to college success and opportunity, the College Board has a College Readiness System that integrates programs, services and professional development for educators, and is designed to help schools and districts create a culture focused on student success; implement rigorous, high-quality curricula; effectively assess student learning to inform instruction; and help teachers differentiate instruction to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student population.

Among these programs are SpringBoard®, an English and math curriculum for grades six through 12; CollegeEd®, a college and career-planning curriculum for students in grades seven through 12; PSAT/NMSQT®, a rigorous national assessment that measures skills that are important for success in college; AP Potential™, a tool that identifies potential AP students; and the College Board Standards for College Success™, freely available content standards for middle school and high school English Language Arts and Mathematics and Statistics that will prepare all students for AP or college-level work.

"We can't just drop students into college-level courses in high school without laying the appropriate groundwork. Major initiatives are needed to ensure that students in middle school and ninth and 10th grades are prepared so that they will have an equitable chance at success when they go on to take AP courses and exams," said Caperton.

About the Advanced Placement Program®

The College Board's Advanced Placement Program® enables students to pursue college-level studies while still in high school. Thirty-seven courses in 22 subject areas are offered. Based on their performance on rigorous AP Exams, sections of which are scored by college faculty and experienced AP teachers, students can earn credit, advanced placement, or both for college. More than 3,600 colleges and universities around the world recognize AP for credit, placement, and/or admissions decisions, including more than 90 percent of four-year colleges and universities in the U.S.

The College Board: Connecting Students to College Success

The College Board is a not-for-profit membership association whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the association is composed of more than 5,400 schools, colleges, universities, and other educational organizations. Each year, the College Board serves seven million students and their parents, 23,000 high schools, and 3,500 colleges through major programs and services in college admissions, guidance, assessment, financial aid, enrollment, and teaching and learning. Among its best-known programs are the SAT®, the PSAT/NMSQT®, and the Advanced Placement Program® (AP®). The College Board is committed to the principles of excellence and equity, and that commitment is embodied in all of its programs, services, activities, and concerns.

Contact

Jennifer Topiel, The College Board, (212) 713-8052, communications@collegeboard.org

¹ Each AP Exam is scored using a five-point scale: 5—Extremely well qualified; 4—Well qualified; 3—Qualified; 2—Possibly qualified; 1—No recommendation.

² Saul Geiser and Veronica Santelices, "The Role of Advanced Placement and Honors Courses in College Admissions"(2004), Center for Studies in Higher Education, University of California: Berkeley.

³ Ibid.

⁴ Chrys Dougherty, Lynn Mellor, and Shuling Jian, "The Relationship Between Advanced Placement and College Graduation" (2005), National Center for Educational Accountability.

⁵ In press. Leslie Keng and Barbara G. Dodd. "An Investigation of College Performance of AP and Non-AP Student Groups."

⁶ In press. Linda Hargrove, Donn Godin, and Barbara Dodd. "College Outcomes Comparisons by AP and Non-AP High School Experiences."

⁷ Kati Haycock "Closing the Achievement Gap" Educational Leadership (2001), Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

⁸ "Preparing Students for Success in College," Policy Matters (2005), American Association of State Colleges and Universities.

⁹ "Paying Double: Inadequate High School and Community College Remediation." Alliance for Excellent Education (August 2006).