The 10th Annual AP® Report to the Nation
Author: College Board
Date: 2014-02-11
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Advanced Placement,African American Students,American Indian Students,Asian American Students,Disproportionate Representation,Educational Opportunities,Equal Education,Gender Differences,High School Students,Public Schools,Racial Differences,Scores,Success,White Students,Low Income Groups,College Preparation,Alaska Natives,Data Analysis,Educational Quality,Federal Programs,Graduation,Minority Groups,Pacific Islanders,High School Graduates,Geographic Location,Tests

From the moment students step into an Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) classroom, they notice the difference in the teacher's approach to the subject, in the attitude of their classmates, in the new way of thinking the curriculum requires. More than just a class, AP is a community of students and educators who are passionate, curious, and committed to academic excellence. In AP classrooms, students examine texts, data, and evidence with great care, learning to analyze source material, develop and test hypotheses, and craft effective arguments. They engage in intense discussions, solve problems collaboratively, and learn to write and speak clearly and persuasively. The Advanced Placement Program®--the collaborative community of AP teachers and students, states, districts, schools, colleges, and universities committed to the daily work of developing college-level knowledge and skills--has grown significantly in the past 10 years. This expansion is built on the deep conviction that all students who are academically prepared--no matter their location, background, or socioeconomic status--deserve the opportunity to access the rigor and benefits of AP. When compared to their matched peers, research consistently shows that students who score a 3 or higher on an AP Exam typically: (1) Earn higher GPAs in college; (2) Perform as well or better in subsequent college courses in the discipline than non-AP students who took the introductory class in college; (3) Take more--not less--college course work in the discipline; (4) Are more likely to graduate college within five years; and (5) Have higher graduation rates. When students succeed on AP Exams, it means that their mastery of college-level content and skills has been externally validated by experts in the field. This validation is honored by thousands of colleges and universities around the world, who award credit, placement, or both for the demonstrated accomplishments of these motivated students. The expansion of AP has nearly doubled the number of students who have been given access to the opportunity of AP, more than quadrupled the number of low-income graduates who have been given this opportunity AND the expansion has resulted in a larger increase in successful AP experiences than not, a tribute to the educators who have worked hard to prepare many more students and to the students who have embraced the opportunity. However, there are more academically ready students out there who are not participating. Nearly 300,000 students in the class of 2013 with potential to succeed in AP graduated having never participated in a matched AP course. The next step toward equitable access and responsible expansion is to identify those students with potential, using validated tools, and ensure they have the AP opportunities they have earned. The hope of College Board is to accomplish two things with this 10th Annual AP Report to the Nation: (1) to celebrate the AP community's hard work and incredible achievement; and (2) to highlight areas for continuous improvement. The appendix contains the following tables: (1) &quot;Participation&quot; presents the Total Number of Graduates by State 2003-2013, Number of Graduates Who Took an AP Exam During High School, and Percentage of Graduates Who Took an AP Exam During High School. (2) &quot;Success&quot; presents the Number of Graduates by state 2003-2013 who Scored 3+ on an AP Exam During High School, and the percentage of Graduates Who Scored 3+ on an AP Exam During High School.