by John Krupa
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Friday, June 8, 2007
Southern states, and Arkansas in particular, are leading the nation in student participation in Advanced Placement programs, according to a report issued Tuesday.
The Georgia-based Southern Regional Education Board’s report shows 26 percent of 2006 graduating seniors in the board’s member states took at least one Advanced Placement exam. That’s 2 percentage points higher than the national average.
The board, a nonprofit dedicated to improving educational opportunities in the region, has 16 predominantly Southern member states, including Arkansas .
Arkansas posted the greatest increase in student Advanced Placement participation in the nation for the second consecutive year. The percentage of Arkansas seniors who took at least one exam grew by 7 percentage points to 31 percent from 2005 to 2006. That added up to about 8,161 students. The figure grew by 11 percentage points from 2004 to 2005.
The 2007 tests were administered in May, and results are not yet available.
Joan Lord, the board’s director of educational policies, said Tuesday that Southern states’ gains are remarkable considering the South’s legacy of lagging behind the rest of the nation in education.
Between 2003 and 2005, Arkansas adopted legislation requiring high schools to offer a minimum number of Advanced Placement courses, giving students gradepoint average bumps for taking the classes and having the state cover the $83 exam fees.
“Consider that in 2000 fewer than one in 10 high school students in Arkansas took an AP course. Now it’s 1 in 3. That’s pretty remarkable,” said board spokesman Alan Richard.
Southern states, including Arkansas , need to focus on getting more blacks in Advanced Placement classes, Lord said.
Only 13 percent of black Arkansas students took Advanced Placement exams in 2006, according to the report.
Northwest Arkansas school districts have been state leaders in offering Advanced Placement courses, said Ann Biggers, administrator of the Arkansas Department of Education’s Gifted and Talented Office.
At Bentonville High School , for example, the number of Advanced Placement exams taken grew from 73 in 1999 to 849 in 2006, a increase of 1,063 percent.
“It’s the best preparation for success in college that students can have,” said Kay Jacoby, Bentonville’s executive director of secondary education.
The board report also said that International Baccalaureate programs are growing rapidly in member states.
The International Baccalaureate program exposes students to a rigorous, internationally recognized, two-year college preparatory curriculum. More schools are using the program to supplement their Advanced Placement offerings.
Board member states increased International Baccalaureate enrollment by 7 percent to 19,285 students from 2005 to 2006.
Next year, Bentonville High School and Springdale High School will be two of seven schools in the state offering International Baccalaureate programs.
Don Love, assistant superintendent for curriculum and secondary instruction, said Tuesday that Springdale High graduated its first class of 11 International Baccalaureate students this year. Thirtytwo should enroll in the program next year, and Love ultimately expects enrollment to hit 60.
