2008 Woodie Awards
More teens try AP classes, but fewer pass
Marc Freeman / South Florida Sun-Sentinel (MCT)
Issue date: 12/4/06 Section: News
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Palm Beach County high school students are taking college-level classes in record numbers, meaning more money for campuses despite a drop in the percentage of exams passed.
Schools last year collected about $992 from the state each time a student earned a passing score of 3 on an Advanced Placement exam, producing a record payout of $8.6 million, administrators say. More than $376,000 of that reward went to teacher bonuses, with the remainder for testing fees, teacher training and other program expenses.
Between 2002 and this year, the percentage of students taking the rigorous AP exams at the conclusion of their AP classes increased from twenty-two percent to thirty-two percent, recent statistics show. During the same period, the percentage of students passing the tests in subjects such as English literature, U.S. history, and calculus dropped from sixty percent to fifty percent. More students are taking the tests, but fewer are passing.
An encouraging sign for administrators is the number of passing exams by juniors and seniors rose from 4,294 to 7,226 this year. That demonstrates that more students are making the most of the classes, said Trevor Packer, executive director of the AP program for the College Board, the nonprofit association that oversees the college-level courses.
"Without exam results that show the students are developing a college-level understanding of the college material, growth is not good for growth's sake," he said.
The national program, with thirty-seven courses and exams across twenty-two subject areas, is in its fifty-first year. High school students who take the classes can gain college credits or skip introductory college classes.
Recent participation gains have been greatest among the county's white students, from 26.2 percent to 39.8 percent, but there also are more black and Hispanic students taking the tests than four years ago, according to the College Board. Black students' participation rate increased from 6.7 percent to 11.9 percent, while the Hispanic students' rate climbed from 21.6 percent to 28.7 percent.
Schools last year collected about $992 from the state each time a student earned a passing score of 3 on an Advanced Placement exam, producing a record payout of $8.6 million, administrators say. More than $376,000 of that reward went to teacher bonuses, with the remainder for testing fees, teacher training and other program expenses.
Between 2002 and this year, the percentage of students taking the rigorous AP exams at the conclusion of their AP classes increased from twenty-two percent to thirty-two percent, recent statistics show. During the same period, the percentage of students passing the tests in subjects such as English literature, U.S. history, and calculus dropped from sixty percent to fifty percent. More students are taking the tests, but fewer are passing.
An encouraging sign for administrators is the number of passing exams by juniors and seniors rose from 4,294 to 7,226 this year. That demonstrates that more students are making the most of the classes, said Trevor Packer, executive director of the AP program for the College Board, the nonprofit association that oversees the college-level courses.
"Without exam results that show the students are developing a college-level understanding of the college material, growth is not good for growth's sake," he said.
The national program, with thirty-seven courses and exams across twenty-two subject areas, is in its fifty-first year. High school students who take the classes can gain college credits or skip introductory college classes.
Recent participation gains have been greatest among the county's white students, from 26.2 percent to 39.8 percent, but there also are more black and Hispanic students taking the tests than four years ago, according to the College Board. Black students' participation rate increased from 6.7 percent to 11.9 percent, while the Hispanic students' rate climbed from 21.6 percent to 28.7 percent.
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