Press Releases
Increase of 15 Percent in Number of Independent Schools Participating in the College Board's Advanced Placement Program® Pushes AP® Schools Above the 15,000 Mark
06/01/05
NEW YORK -- The number of independent schools that participated in the College Board's Advanced Placement Program® this year jumped by 15 percent from last year, the College Board said today.
Four hundred thirty-seven additional private schools introduced AP® courses or exams this year. This increase was seen in every region of the nation and in international schools in nearly 100 countries.
A total of 3,385 independent schools participated in the AP Program this year, as compared to 2,948 nonpublic schools that took part last year. This increase pushed the total number of participating schools to more than 15,000 this year. As a result of this increase in participating schools, a record number of students took AP Exams this spring: 1.2 million students worldwide took more than 2 million AP Exams.
The Washington, D.C.-based National Association of Independent Schools, a membership association that represents approximately 1,200 day, boarding, or day/boarding private schools from around the country, spoke to the issue. Patrick Bassett, president of the association, said, "The AP Program has transformed the landscape of education in America over the decades of its existence by making college-level courses available to secondary school students. Independent college preparatory schools were among the first in the nation to adopt the AP Program, and for many schools the Program continues to provide a capstone experience by offering an academic challenge that helps students succeed when they enter the intellectually rigorous university environment."
Longtime AP participating school administrators agree. One is Edward J. Shanahan, headmaster of Choate Rosemary Hall, in Wallingford, Connecticut, who said, "As head of a school that has been part of the AP Program since its inception, I can say with enthusiasm that it has many benefits. We at Choate offer preparation for two dozen AP Exams. College-level courses across the high school curriculum meet the needs of academically advanced students, stressing the conceptual grasp of material as well as the factual. The college credit is a bonus; the challenging work of the AP curriculum prepares our students for college very well.
"Equally important," Shanahan added, "the professional development opportunities available to our faculty through the AP Program keep them current in their fields. Beyond that, the Program offers our four to five faculty members who are AP Exam Readers every year a chance to have a dialogue with college faculty, as well as with public and independent school teachers nationwide."
Headmaster Timothy Wiens of Boston Trinity Academy in Brookline, Massachusetts, which also introduced AP classes this year, said, "We believe that Advanced Placement courses not only challenge our students, but also prepare them for the work they will face in a top college or university classroom."
Wiens noted that Boston Trinity Academy was established in 2002 and is "made up of a very diverse student body in every respect." He added that after studying the merits of both the AP and the IB programs, the school implemented the AP Program in three subjects.
Next year, he said, the school will add four more subjects. "All students at BTA will minimally have taken AP English Literature, English Language, U.S. History, and European History (all required for graduation) by the time they go to college."
Over the years, schools with diverse populations have become increasingly involved in the Advanced Placement Program. From 1994 to 2004, there was a 222 percent increase in the number of AP Exam grades of 3 or higher among traditionally underserved minority students.
"This demonstrates that equity and excellence stand together in the Advanced Placement Program," said Gaston Caperton, president of the College Board.
The Advanced Placement Program, which was introduced by the College Board in September 1955, allows high school students to carry out rigorous college-level course work and, upon successful completion of an exam, to receive college credit, advanced placement, or both. The program currently offers 34 courses in 19 subject areas.
For more information, contact the College Board Public Affairs office at 212 713-8052.