(Special from the Alabama State Department of Education)
Montgomery, Ala. – Alabama public schools show large gains from 2003-2013 in Advanced Placement® (AP), according to the 10th Annual AP Report to the Nation, released today by the College Board. AP is a rigorous academic program that offers high school students the chance for college-level study in 34 courses with a wide variety of subject areas. AP supports Alabama’s goals of improving postsecondary access and increasing college persistence and completion rates.
Over the last ten years, the number of graduates who took an AP course in high school has risen by over 254 percent in Alabama, from 3,123 to 11,086. There are 1,000 more students scoring a grade of 3 or higher in 2013 than the number of students who only took the exam in 2003.
Dr. Tommy Bice, State Superintendent of Education said, “Over the last ten years, we have seen an impressive jump in the number of students taking AP classes and scoring higher on the exams. We hope to continue to expand AP courses to 100 more schools by 2020 through the partnership with A+ College Ready. AP courses offer more than challenging coursework – they offer students a chance to be college and career ready by taking and mastering ambitious work.”
Success on an AP exam is defined as a grade of 3 or higher – a score research shows is indicative of college success and graduation.
For the class of 2013, 4,773 students scored a grade of 3 or more, up from 1,723 for the class of 2003.
Scoring a grade of 3 or higher allowed students in the class of 2013 to earn credit for college courses, saving $14,745,830 yearly in tuition expenses at average rate of $304.77 per credit hour. This represents an estimated 48,384 college credits.
The percentage of Alabama students in the class of 2013 who scored a 3 or higher was 10.8% .
Mary Boehm, President, A+ College Ready said, “Through a partnership with the University of Alabama, the National Science Foundation and College Board, 50 high schools across the state will participate in a pilot of a new computer science course that will become an an AP course in 2016 – ultimately giving Alabama students a leg up as they compete for college opportunities and careers in this arena.”
The four most popular AP course are English Language and Literature Composition, English Literature and Composition, United States History, and Biology. And to increase student interest in the high growth field of computing, the State Board of Education recently decided that some Computer Science courses can now be counted as a math credit for graduates in Alabama’s public schools.
| All Participation & Scores – Numbers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 2008 | 2003 | |
| Test-Takers | 11,086 | 5,290 | 3,123 |
| 3-5 Exam Scores | 4,773 | 2,689 | 1,723 |
| African-American Students’ Progress | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 2008 | 2003 | |
| Test-Takers | 2,697 | 824 | 318 |
| 3-5 Exam Scores | 523 | 190 | 78 |
| Hispanic Students’ Progress | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 2008 | 2003 | |
| Test-Takers | 331 | 143 | 57 |
| 3-5 Exam Scores | 154 | 76 | 36 |
| Low-Income Students’ Progress | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 2008 | 2003 | |
| Test-Takers | 2,641 | 457 | 111 |
| 3-5 Exam Scores | 609 | 106 | 37 |
| White Students’ Progress | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 2008 | 2003 | |
| Test-Takers | 7,209 | 3,940 | 2,497 |
| 3-5 Exam Scores | 3,655 | 2,192 | 1,449 |
Alabama will present at the College Board Collaborate Southern Regional Forum, February 20-21, in Atlanta, GA. Additional professional development opportunities and the complete AP report are available online at www.collegeboard.com.
