Press Releases
College Board Announces 2008 AP® Results: More U.S. Students Succeed on AP Exams, Predictors of Success in College
New Research Shows AP® Continues to Reduce College Costs for Students
02/02/09
NEW YORK — More than 15 percent of the public high school class of 2008 achieved at least one AP® Exam score of 3 or higher1 — the score that is predictive of college success — announced Gaston Caperton, president of the College Board. Additionally, AP students are much more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree in four years than their peers, thereby reducing college costs and supporting higher education’s goal of on-time degree completion.
In its fifth annual “AP Report to the Nation,” the College Board, the not-for-profit membership association that administers the AP Program, spotlights educators’ quantifiable successes in helping a wider, more ethnically diverse segment of students gain access to and achieve success in college-level work. The report documents that, of the estimated 3 million students who graduated from U.S. public schools in 2008, more than 460,000 (15.2 percent) earned an AP Exam score of at least 3 on one or more AP Exams during high school. This is up from 14.4 percent in 2007 and 12.2 percent in 2003.
Caperton said, “The economic effect of this positive trend on families is significant. Performing well on an AP Exam is more than just the completion of a rigorous course; it is the bridge to college success, which includes graduating on time.”
New research shows that AP continues to prepare students for college success in many ways, including helping offset college costs. While the majority of students entering college today fail to earn a bachelor’s degree on schedule in four years,2 AP students are much more likely to graduate within four years,3 saving the cost of additional tuition and preventing a delay in their entry into the workforce. AP participation and success also now helps students qualify for scholarships at 31 percent of U.S. colleges and universities.4 And studies continue to show that students scoring at least 3 on an AP Exam experience greater academic success in college and graduate from college at higher rates than their comparable, non-AP peers.5
“In these times of economic distress, as family budgets are squeezed and financial aid resources are spread thin, rigorous courses like AP that prepare students for the demands of college and foster an increased likelihood of on-time graduation, can be a very valuable resource for families,” Caperton said.
In addition to the national report, individual reports for all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia provide even more detailed information about AP in each state.
Out of all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, Maryland achieved the highest percentage (23.4) of public school students scoring at least a 3 on an AP Exam. Maine attained the largest single-year increase in the percentage of high school graduates who scored a 3 or higher on an AP Exam while Vermont realized the largest five-year gain. The report highlights the six states with the highest five-year gains: in addition to Vermont, these include Maine, Maryland, Arkansas, Washington and Oregon. (See “States with the Greatest Expansion of AP Scores of 3+ Since 2003,” page 6.) Additionally, Maryland, New York, Virginia, Connecticut, Massachusetts and California all saw more than 20 percent of their students graduate from high school earning at least one AP Exam score of 3 or higher. AP achievements for each state’s class of 2003, class of 2007 and class of 2008 are detailed in the report. (See the fifth annual “AP Report to the Nation,” Table 1, page 5.)
“Educators, administrators and policymakers should be proud of the achievements produced by their sustained commitment to helping students gain access to and achieve success in AP courses and exams,” Caperton said. “Each year sees more students from diverse backgrounds accomplishing success in AP, but we can’t afford to let ourselves believe equity has been achieved until the demographics of successful AP participation and performance are identical to the demographics of the overall student population.”
The report notes that an equity and excellence gap appears when traditionally underserved students — such as African American, Hispanic or Latino, or American Indian students — comprise a smaller percentage of the group of students experiencing success in AP than the percentage these students represent in the overall graduating class. This means that despite strides that have been made by educators to provide traditionally underrepresented students with access to AP courses, more work remains. This work includes ensuring that all students are provided with the kind of academic experiences that can prepare them for the rigors of AP and college.
Though several states have successfully closed the equity and excellence gap for Hispanic/Latino students, no state closed the gap for African American students and no state with large numbers of American Indian students closed the gap, says the report.
Some states have seen progress toward this goal. For example, Alabama has seen the largest five-year increase in the percentage of its successful AP student group who are African American. In 2008, 7.1 percent of the state’s successful AP student population was African American, up from 4.5 percent in 2003, notes the report. Additionally, 16 schools lead the nation in helping African American and/or Latino students succeed in particular AP subjects, and the report applauds the example these schools (in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Tennessee and Texas) are setting. (See “Schools with the Largest Numbers of African American or Latino Students Experiencing Success in AP,” page 10, and the corresponding Table 3, page 11, for details.)
Though 75 percent of U.S. high school graduates enter college,6 dropout rates and the high percentage of college students required to take at least one remedial course show that secondary schools must dedicate themselves to more than just college admissions,7 the report says.
“With remedial college course work costing taxpayers an estimated $1 billion each year, we must target the divide between high school graduation standards and the skills all students need to successfully manage college,” Caperton said. “Dropping high school juniors and seniors into college-level courses without laying the appropriate groundwork will neither produce excellent AP results nor prepare these students for college success. Instead, we must continue to seek out ways to reach students in middle school and ninth and 10th grades so that they will have stronger prospects for success when they take AP courses.”
National Initiatives
As part of the new administration’s education agenda, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden have prioritized initiatives that help prepare students for college and the workforce. Among these is the “Make College a Reality” initiative, which has a goal of increasing by 50 percent the number of U.S. students participating in AP or college-level classes by 2016. Additionally, the administration intends to support outreach programs like GEAR UP, TRIO and Upward Bound in an effort to encourage more young people from low-income families to consider and prepare for college.
College Board Initiatives
To support its mission of connecting students to college success and opportunity, the College Board has a College Readiness System™ that integrates programs, services and professional development for educators, and is designed to help schools and districts create a culture focused on student success; implement rigorous, high-quality curricula; effectively assess student learning to inform instruction; and help teachers differentiate instruction to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student population.
Among these programs are SpringBoard®, an English and math curriculum for grades six through 12; CollegeEd®, a college and career-planning curriculum for students in grades seven through 12; PSAT/NMSQT®, a rigorous national assessment that measures skills that are important for success in college; AP Potential™, a tool that identifies potential AP students; and the College Board Standards for College Success™, freely available content standards for middle school and high school English language arts and mathematics and statistics that will prepare all students for AP or college-level work.
About the Advanced Placement Program®
The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) enables students to pursue college-level studies while still in high school. Through more than 30 college-level courses, each culminating in a rigorous exam, AP provides willing and academically prepared students with the opportunity to earn college credit and/or advanced placement. Taking AP courses also demonstrates to college admissions officers that students have sought out the most rigorous curriculum available to them. Each AP teacher’s syllabus is evaluated and approved by college faculty from some of the nation’s leading institutions, and AP Exams are developed and scored by college faculty and experienced AP teachers. AP is accepted by more than 3,600 colleges and universities worldwide for college credit, advanced placement, or both on the basis of successful AP Exam scores. This includes over 90 percent of four-year institutions in the United States. In 2008, students representing over 17,000 schools around the world, both public and nonpublic, took AP Exams.
The College Board
The College Board is a not-for-profit membership association whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the association is composed of more than 5,600 schools, colleges, universities and other educational organizations. Each year, the College Board serves seven million students and their parents, 23,000 high schools, and 3,800 colleges through major programs and services in college admissions, guidance, assessment, financial aid, enrollment, and teaching and learning. Among its best-known programs are the SAT®, the PSAT/NMSQT® and the Advanced Placement Program® (AP®). The College Board is committed to the principles of excellence and equity, and that commitment is embodied in all of its programs, services, activities and concerns.
Contact
Jennifer Topiel, The College Board, (212) 713-8052, communications@collegeboard.org
1 Each AP Exam is scored using a five-point scale: 5 — Extremely well qualified; 4 — Well qualified; 3 — Qualified; 2 — Possibly qualified; 1 — No recommendation.
2 IPEDS database, 2008. 26.5 percent of U.S. public school students graduate in four years or less; approximately 25 percent earn a bachelor’s degree in five or six years; approximately 25 percent drop out or take more than six years to earn a bachelor’s degree; and approximately 23 percent transfer to another college or university, typically then experiencing lower graduation rates than students who do not transfer.
3 Linda Hargrove, Donn Godin, and Barbara Dodd, “College Outcomes Comparisons by AP and Non-AP High School Experiences,” The College Board, 2008.
4 Unpublished institutional research, Crux Research, Inc. March 2007.
5 Leslie Keng and Barbara G. Dodd, “A Comparison of College Performances of AP and Non-AP Student Groups in 10 Subject Areas,” The College Board, 2008. Rick Morgan and John Klaric, “AP Students in College: An Analysis of Five-Year Academic Careers,” The College Board, 2007. Chrys Dougherty, Lynn Mellor, and Shuling Jian, “The Relationship Between Advanced Placement and College Graduation,” National Center for Educational Accountability, 2005. Saul Geiser and Veronica Santelices, “The Role of Advanced Placement and Honors Courses in College Admissions,” Center for Studies in Higher Education, University of California, Berkeley, 2004.
6 Kati Haycock, “Closing the Achievement Gap,” Educational Leadership (2001), Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
7 “Preparing Students for Success in College,” Policy Matters (2005), American Association of State Colleges and Universities.