AP Scores, Participation Up—but Not Among African American Students

Larger numbers of high school students are taking—and scoring well on—Advanced Placement exams, according to a new report from the College Board, the nonprofit organization that administers AP exams. But the racial makeup of test-takers still does not match that of high school populations, with African American students particularly underrepresented.  The report, The 4th Annual AP Report to the Nation, includes findings about participation in the AP program and tests, achievement on exams, and changes in the equity and excellence gaps between minority students and their white peers.

While about three-quarters of all U.S. high school graduates enter college, about half of all college freshmen must take at least one remedial course. Therefore, the goal for secondary schools must not just be college acceptance, but college success, the report’s authors assert. Research from investigators not associated with the College Board indicates that scoring at least three out of five possible points on an AP exam is one of “the very best predictors of college performance.” That success depends, of course, on AP courses and exams demonstrating a rigor equal to what students will find in college classrooms, as well as the courses’ availability to students of all socioeconomic and racial groups. These study results indicate that often, students from underrepresented groups are not receiving adequate preparation to tackle AP-level coursework—a problem that frequently stems from the courses they took as eighth- or ninth-graders. In order to close the equity and excellence gaps in AP participation and achievement, students must be reached at younger ages—ideally middle school—to build a foundation for AP coursework and achievement in the junior and senior years.

FINDINGS

Participation in AP Exams

• About 25 percent of American high school students in the class of 2007 had taken an AP exam at some point in their high school career, up from 18 percent in 2002.
• Of those test-takers, 15.2 percent scored at least a three out of five possible points on an exam, up from 11.7 percent in 2002.
• The largest numbers of students nationwide took the U.S. History exam (333,561) and the English Literature and Composition exam (298,478).

Performance and Equity

• African American students accounted for 7.4 percent of all AP test-takers in 2007, while white students accounted for 61.7 percent of all test-takers.

• Only 3.3 percent of students earning at least a three on an AP exam were African American, even though African American students represented 14 percent of high school seniors.
• Hispanic test-takers who did well on AP exams more closely matched their representation in the student population; 13.6 percent of Hispanic test-takers scored at least a three on an AP exam, and Hispanic students represented 14.6 percent of all high school seniors.
• In Mississippi, the percentage of African American students scoring at least a three on an AP exam has increased from 8.9 percent in 2002 to 11.5 percent in 2007—the largest increase of any state.

The entire report may be downloaded from the College Board Web site (pdf).

DID YOU KNOW?

• There is a significant equity and excellence AP gap between white students and African American students in 46 states.
• Fifty-five percent of the AP Spanish Language test-takers were Hispanic or Latino.
• On average, schools offering AP exams offer nine different AP subjects.