Indiana continues gains in Advanced Placement results

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Media Contacts:
Lynelle A. Miller, 317.232.6614, lamiller@doe.in.gov
Jason Bearce, 317.232.6618, jbearce@doe.in.gov

Indiana's 2007 statewide Advanced Placement (AP) results indicate that more Hoosier high school students are enrolling in AP courses and passing the exams necessary to earn college credit. In 2007, Indiana out-paced the nation in growth on the measures of number of test takers, number of AP exams taken and the number of passing scores of 3 or higher.

“These Advanced Placement results indicate that more of our students are making the connection between challenging high school courses and college-readiness,” said Dr. Suellen Reed, Superintendent of Public Instruction. “Indiana has made significant progress in providing students increased access to Advanced Placement, but we must do more to ensure the quality and consistency of these courses statewide.”

Positive Results

• A total of 18,158 public school students took AP exams in 2007, a 13 percent increase from 2006.
• Indiana also saw an 11.7 percent increase in the number of exams taken in 2007, totaling 28,344.
• In addition to increased participation in AP programs, more Hoosier students are passing the exams necessary to earn college credit.
• In 2007, Indiana saw an 11.9 percent increase of public school students who scored a 3 or higher on 14,465 exams taken, compared with 12,921 AP exams with a score of 3 or higher in 2006.
• Since 2001, the number of Indiana AP exam scores of 3 or higher increased by 7,422 or 105 percent and the number of Indiana public school students participating in AP has increased by 74 percent.

Supporting student success in Indiana

Indiana has placed an increased emphasis on more students taking AP courses over the past decade. In addition to paying fees for all math and science AP exams, the state requires all high schools to offer at least two AP courses and has made completion of AP courses (and passing the corresponding exams) one option for earning a Core 40 with Academic Honors diploma.

According to a U.S. Department of Education study, participation in AP and other rigorous courses, like Indiana’s Core 40 curriculum, is a stronger predictor of success in college than test scores or grade point average. Indiana’s rising student participation in Advanced Placement courses reflects growing enrollments in the state’s Core 40 curriculum. The Core 40 curriculum became a graduation requirement for all incoming high school freshmen beginning in fall 2007.

Gender/Ethnic Groups

In addition to gains made by Indiana’s overall student population on AP, the state experienced increases in the numbers of students taking and passing AP exams across all gender and ethnic groups when compared to last year.

Gender:

• Indiana’s male and female test-takers increased by 9.9 percent and 15.7 percent respectively in 2007.
• Passing scores earned increased by 11.3 percent (male) and 12.6 percent (female).
• Female students comprised 55.1 percent of all Indiana test-takers with males comprising the remaining at 44.9 percent.

Ethnicity:

• Among Indiana’s ethnic groups, the largest one-year percentage increase in test-takers was American Indians at 44.1 percent followed by Hispanic students at 25 percent, Asian students at 13.7 percent, White students at 13.3 percent, and Black students at 11 percent.
• The state’s American Indian students recorded the highest percentage gain in the number of passing scores at 41.7 percent, followed by Asian students at 15.3 percent, White students at 12.8 percent, Black students at 7.1 percent and Hispanic students at 1.8 percent.
• White students remain the vast majority of AP participants in Indiana, comprising 84.5 percent of the testing population this year.

About the program

Administered by The College Board – the same organization responsible for the SAT college entrance exam – the AP program allows students to pursue college-level coursework in high school. Most of the nation's colleges and universities, and institutions in 28 countries, have an AP policy granting incoming students credit, placement, or both for qualifying AP exam grades. Participating schools in every state offer AP courses, and tests are given each May.

For more information on the Advanced Placement program, visit www.collegeboard.com.