2014 Advanced Placement Exam Participation and Performance for Students in Montgomery County Public Schools and Public School Students in the State of Maryland and the Nation. Memorandum
Author: Sanderson, Geoffrey T.
Date: 2014-12-03
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Advanced Placement Programs,Equivalency Tests,High School Students,Public Schools,Comparative Analysis,Student Participation,Performance,Asian American Students,African American Students,Hispanic American Students,White Students,Multiracial Persons,High Schools,Gender Differences,Special Education,English Language Learners,Academic Achievement,Counties

The continuing emphasis by Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools (MCPS) on rigorous course taking resulted in MCPS students taking a record-setting 33,662 Advanced Placement (AP) exams in 2014. Additionally, the percentage of AP exams taken by MCPS students who attained scores of 3 or higher (73.9 percent) was 13.0 and 16.7 percentage points higher than those for public school students in the state of Maryland (60.9 percent) and the nation (57.2 percent), respectively. Generally, the number of AP exams taken by MCPS students in 2014 accounted for 30.9 percent of all those taken by Maryland public school students, and the number of AP exams with scores of 3 or higher taken by MCPS students accounted for 37.5 percent of all those in Maryland. MCPS students of all races/ethnicities set records for the number of AP exams with scores of 3 or higher compared with their peers in the state and the nation. Particularly noteworthy was the percentage of AP exams taken by MCPS Black or African American students receiving scores of 3 or higher (49.8 percent), which was 16.9 and 20.9 percentage points higher than those in the state (32.9 percent) and the nation (28.9 percent), respectively. Overall, the number of AP exams taken by MCPS Black or African American students with scores of 3 or higher accounted for 29.7 percent of all such exams in Maryland in 2014 and 2.3 percent of all such exams in the nation. Noteworthy gains were found in both the number of exams taken and the percentage of AP exam scores of 3 or higher in Calculus BC and Physics C: Mechanics for students overall and for at least three racial/ethnic groups from 2013 to 2014. There was an increase in the number of exams taken and the percentage of AP exam scores of 3 or higher in English Language and Composition, Calculus BC, Chemistry, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, and World History for Black or African American students. An increase was evident for Hispanic/Latino students in the number of exams taken and the percentage of AP exam scores of 3 or higher in Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Statistics, Physics C: Mechanics, and Spanish Language. The positive trends in AP exam participation and performance provide evidence of MCPS' continuing efforts to ensure inclusive and challenging curricular opportunities for students of all races/ethnicities and to prepare all students for college-level work. The tables attached to this memorandum provide additional AP exam information. Tables A1 through A6 provide data on exam taking and performance among groups of students enrolled in MCPS schools, and public school students in Maryland and the nation. Tables B1 through B22 provide 2014 AP data for student groups and high school participation and performance by subject.