Post by gatordog on Feb 11, 2010 8:30:29 GMT -5
More taking AP exams, but fewer successfully
By Stephanie Banchero, Tribune reporter
February 10, 2010
A record number of Illinois high school students took Advanced Placement exams last year, but the proportion of them who passed the rigorous end-of-course tests continued to decline, according to data released Wednesday.
The Illinois trend mirrors a national one.
Officials from the College Board, the group that administers AP tests, attribute the dipping pass rates to an increasingly diverse test population. More low-income and minority students are taking the exams, but many attend schools that do not offer adequate preparation.
In Illinois, only one out of every five African-American students who took AP exams passed at least one, compared with 77 percent of Asian-Americans, 53 percent of Latinos and 75 percent of whites.
The AP program lets high school students take college-level studies. Students can take classes in 33 subjects, from music to calculus to Latin. Generally, the classes are weighted more heavily than regular courses, allowing students to boost their grade-point average.
The exams are scored from 1 to 5, with 3 the magic number to earn college credit.
About 25 percent of the state's 2009 graduating class took an AP exam, compared with 27 percent nationally.
Illinois ranked in the upper half of the nation in the percentage of seniors — nearly 16 percent — who scored a 3 or higher on at least one AP exam. Five years ago, about 13 percent posted a 3 or higher.
"The gains that Illinois students have made in terms of AP participation and success is another sign of our state's commitment to providing a rigorous curriculum that prepares students for college and careers," said state education Superintendent Christopher Koch.
Homewood-Flossmoor High School had the highest number of African-American students in the nation posting a 3 or higher on the AP psychology exam.
sbanchero@tribune.com
Interesting Graphic info at
www.chicagotribune.com/news/education/chi100210met-apexams_gfx,0,7689877.graphic
By Stephanie Banchero, Tribune reporter
February 10, 2010
A record number of Illinois high school students took Advanced Placement exams last year, but the proportion of them who passed the rigorous end-of-course tests continued to decline, according to data released Wednesday.
The Illinois trend mirrors a national one.
Officials from the College Board, the group that administers AP tests, attribute the dipping pass rates to an increasingly diverse test population. More low-income and minority students are taking the exams, but many attend schools that do not offer adequate preparation.
In Illinois, only one out of every five African-American students who took AP exams passed at least one, compared with 77 percent of Asian-Americans, 53 percent of Latinos and 75 percent of whites.
The AP program lets high school students take college-level studies. Students can take classes in 33 subjects, from music to calculus to Latin. Generally, the classes are weighted more heavily than regular courses, allowing students to boost their grade-point average.
The exams are scored from 1 to 5, with 3 the magic number to earn college credit.
About 25 percent of the state's 2009 graduating class took an AP exam, compared with 27 percent nationally.
Illinois ranked in the upper half of the nation in the percentage of seniors — nearly 16 percent — who scored a 3 or higher on at least one AP exam. Five years ago, about 13 percent posted a 3 or higher.
"The gains that Illinois students have made in terms of AP participation and success is another sign of our state's commitment to providing a rigorous curriculum that prepares students for college and careers," said state education Superintendent Christopher Koch.
Homewood-Flossmoor High School had the highest number of African-American students in the nation posting a 3 or higher on the AP psychology exam.
sbanchero@tribune.com
Interesting Graphic info at
www.chicagotribune.com/news/education/chi100210met-apexams_gfx,0,7689877.graphic