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Thursday, February 15, 2007
AP: More Questions Than Answers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A few years ago, I wrote a story about an Emory University graduate who had received one of the institution’s most prestigious awards. To say Meg Rithmire was a go-getter would be an understatement.
She had taken and passed so many Advanced Placement courses and tests when she attended Brookwood High School in Gwinnett County that she entered college as a sophomore. Then, she was tapped to enter a selective program that enabled her to earn both bachelor’s and master’s degrees within four years.
According to a recent report from the College Board, which created the AP program and also owns the SAT, more of Georgia’s high school students are taking the classes and subsequent exams than ever before. Because the courses — taught on high school campuses as part of the regular day by certified high school teachers — present college-level material, students who pass the standardized final exams can receive both high school and college credit.
State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox seems downright overjoyed with the jump in the number of Georgians entering and passing AP, and Gov. Sonny Perdue has added $2.2 million to the budget to help students pay for more of the exit exams next school year.
Here’s what state officials don’t tell you: AP still is only reaching a fraction of students statewide — fewer than 10 percent of all high school students last year — and nearly 47 percent of the tests taken by those students received failing grades.
