AP Participation and Performance Continue to Climb
The District’s Gains Prepare More Students for College Success
Greensboro, NC – Sometimes a teacher’s nudge is what it takes. Teal Russell will complete four Advanced Placement (AP) courses when she graduates this spring from Dudley High. She will move on from Guilford County Schools (GCS) to one of the six four-year universities that sent her an acceptance letter. And she will be prepared.
“Students shouldn’t be afraid to take on a challenge, because they might end up doing really well,” said Russell. Although hesitant about AP, she took the courses after being encouraged by a teacher. Now, Russell will have passing scores and potentially class credit in hand when she enters college to study biochemistry.
GCS student participation and performance in AP courses are on the rise. The most recent data reflects sustained improvement for the district throughout the past eight years.
For the 2007-08 school year, the district’s number of AP test takers increased 8 percent and exams taken increased 7.6 percent. These increases are consistent with state and national gains released this month in the College Board’s fifth AP Report to the Nation.
“We are very pleased with the progress,” said Guy Ferguson, AP, International Baccalaureate (IB) and SAT Coordinator. “GCS has a tradition of promoting rigor in the classroom, not just for our best students, but for all. AP and IB classes are excellent opportunities for students to challenge themselves and are the primary way to provide Advanced Learners with appropriate levels of work in high school.”
The district’s percentage of exam scores of three or higher increased 3.9 percent during 2007-08. While this is a smaller gain than seen by the state and nation, it is part of a larger 65 percent increase in successful scores since 2001. Success on an AP exam is defined by the College Board as a score of three or higher on a scale of five. Research shows that scores of three, four and five are predictive of college success and college graduation. Also, colleges and universities typically accept AP scores of three or better for class placement or credit.
GCS is intent on continuing its gains in both student participation and performance on the exams. Increased AP participation and success are goals in the district’s strategic plan. Furthermore, the district hopes to narrow the achievement gap for students of all ethnic groups. On the 2007-08 AP exams, the percentages for some Hispanic groups rose substantially: Mexican American students scoring a three or higher increased 66.7 percent, and for Puerto Rican students, it increased 42.9 percent.
The achievement gap for black students has not been closed in any state or county in North Carolina, including Guilford. While the number of black students in GCS taking AP has risen 65 percent and scores of three or higher have increased 44 percent since 2001, these increases are smaller than the district’s overall numbers.
GCS has implemented measures to address the achievement gap for black students and to boost student achievement on AP across the board. AP Potential, a College Board program, compares student PSAT scores with their possible success in AP. The program, in conjunction with teacher recommendations and student success in prior coursework, helps GCS school administrators identify students for AP courses and encourage them to take on the challenge.
The district is also encouraging students to take more AP courses and exams prior to their senior year. Ferguson said students who take AP exams in their freshman, sophomore and junior years are more likely to score a three or higher on subsequent exams their senior year because they have prior experience. GCS pays for students to take the exams, and that policy has been a significant contributor to the growth of student testing participation.
According to the College Board, 17.3 percent of the seniors in N.C. public high schools earned a 3 or higher on one or more AP exams during high school. This compares to 15.2 percent for the nation. GCS alone constituted 11.3 percent of the state’s AP test takers, 11.8 percent of the exams taken and 9.4 percent of students who scored a three or higher.
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