Percentage of Students Participating and Succeeding in AP® Increases; Access to AP Still an Issue for Many Underrepresented Minority Students

Feb. 2012

Programs and Services

Across U.S. public high schools, 18.1 percent of graduates participated in the Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) and earned at least one AP Exam score of 3 or — higher — a  testament to the conviction of many educators that more students deserve access to rigorous course work in high school. At the same time, the increasing number of graduates who participated in AP but did not have a successful experience suggests that more must be done to prepare students for rigorous course work during the pre-AP years. The 8th Annual AP Report to the Nation also offers new analyses showing that underserved minority students remain underrepresented in AP classrooms at rates that exceed their white and Asian peers.

In an encouraging national trend, all but four states showed that an increasing number of public school graduates participated in the AP Program. Maryland again led the nation with the highest percentage of its graduates (27.9 percent) participating in AP and scoring a 3 or higher on an AP Exam. Following Maryland in the top 10 were New York (26.5 percent), Virginia (25.6 percent), Massachusetts (25.5 percent), Connecticut (25.3 percent), Florida (23.9 percent), California (23.4 percent), Colorado (22.3 percent), Vermont (21.4 percent) and Utah (20.7 percent).

Nineteen states exceeded the national average of 18.1 percent.

In an era when more than 35 percent of college freshmen and sophomores require remediation and less than 40 percent of college freshmen will earn a degree in four years, educators are increasingly using the high standards embedded within AP courses to help more high school students develop the critical thinking skills and content knowledge essential for college success.

Research indicates that students who succeed on an AP Exam during high school typically experience greater academic success in college, lower college costs and are more likely to earn a college degree than their peers.

“Given the tremendous success of the hundreds of thousands of AP students in the class of 2011, we must remember and recognize the dedication of the many educators who make it possible,” said College Board President Gaston Caperton. “The AP community is composed of tens of thousands of individuals who play a pivotal role in helping high school students realize their full potential, and I offer my sincere thanks to each of them.”

Since 2001, Maryland also has led states that achieved the largest positive change (13.1 percentage points) in the proportion of high school graduates participating and succeeding in AP, followed by Massachusetts, Connecticut, Florida, Minnesota, Maine, Vermont, Washington, Arkansas and Virginia.

The report also shows that 12.1 percent of graduates in the class of 2011 participated in AP but did not have a successful experience, indicating that these students were unprepared for the rigor of AP. This confirms that just as not all high school students are ready for college, not all high school students are ready for AP, and greater emphasis should be placed on preparing students in the pre-AP years (typically grades 6–10) for the rigors of AP and college.

This year’s report features new analyses, based on PSAT/NMSQT® performance, suggesting that nearly half a million students did not take the AP Exam(s) during high school for which they had exhibited the academic potential to succeed. Among 771,000 PSAT/NMSQT takers in the class of 2011 with high academic readiness for AP (i.e., a 70 percent  or greater probability of scoring a 3 or higher), nearly 478,000 of these students did not take an AP Exam for which they had demonstrated potential. In particular, American Indian/Alaska Native, African American and Latino students with high levels of readiness for AP were much less likely than their white and Asian peers to take a recommended AP Exam.

“These data confirm the need to continue expansion of AP opportunities for prepared and motivated students, because hundreds of thousands of U.S. students have indeed been academically ready for the challenge of an AP course but just lacked the opportunity, encouragement or motivation to participate,” said Trevor Packer, senior vice president of AP and College Readiness. “The engaging, hands-on learning that takes place in AP courses requires students to think critically, construct solid arguments and see many sides of an issue — all skills that prepare students for college and beyond. We encourage educators and parents to help all prepared students take an AP course in high school.”

In the class of 2011, the numbers of traditionally underserved minority students participating and succeeding in AP continued to increase. However, these students remain underrepresented not only in AP classrooms but also among Americans earning a college degree. Equitable preparation for AP and increased AP course-taking opportunities are vital efforts that must be made. Research consistently shows that minority and low-income students who earn a 3 or higher on an AP Exam are more likely than their peers to earn higher grades in college and to earn a college degree within five years. Florida remains the only state in the nation with a relatively large population of Hispanic/Latino graduates — nearly 1 in 4 graduates is Hispanic/Latino — that has achieved 100 percent AP equity and excellence for that population.

An additional focus of the report is on the participation of students in AP courses in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) disciplines. The numbers of students who are taking AP STEM courses and succeeding in them continued to increase. The experimentation and problem solving introduced through AP STEM course work and exams support national efforts to increase student achievement in these subjects. In the class of 2011, 27.6 percent of the AP Exam takers scored a 3 or higher on a STEM exam. Research shows that students who took AP math or science exams were much more likely than non-AP students to earn degrees in physical science, engineering or life science disciplines — fields leading to some of the careers essential to America’s future prosperity.