Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Information recently released by the College Board shows that the number of students participating in Advanced Placement (AP) Exams in 2005 increased by 108 percent over 2004, representing the largest increase in access to Advanced Placement curricula any state has achieved in a single year during the 50-year history of the College Board's AP program.
"This is such good news for Arkansas students because simply having participated in an AP course is a predictor of later success," said Dr. Ken james, Commissioner of Education with the Arkansas Department of Education. "Research clearly indictes that a student who has taken an AP course is more likely to complete a bachelor's degree in four years or less."
The increase in AP students, he added, is a direct result of Act 102 of the Second Extraordinary Session of the 84th General Assembly. That legislation required that AP courses be available in the four core areas of study-English, math, science and social studies-in Arkansas high schools by the 2008-2009 school year, but many schools have already begun adding AP classes to their course offerings. An additional 23 schools added AP courses to their 2004-2005 class schedule, making a total of 235 schools with at least one AP course this past school year.
Dr. James also credits the growing AP enrollment to the fact that more teachers have attended the College Board's Advanced Placement Summer Institutes. In addition, the state began paying the fees for students to take the AP tests in May 2005, easing access to the course examinations for many Arkansas students.
A total of 13,883 students took 23,014 AP exams in 2005, compared to 6,674 students taking 11,112 AP Exams in 2004. Of those taking the test in 2005, 6,524 scored a 3 "Qualified", a 4 "Well Qualified", or a 5 "Extremely Well Qualified".
Governor Mike Huckabee also expressed his pleasure with the news. "We're delighted by this huge increase in the number of students taking these exams. It's proof that our education reform efforts are working. Arkansas students are realizing that a rigorous course load is necessary to be properly trained for the jobs of the 21st century. It's great to have Arkansas as a national leader in education rather than being a state that trails the field," he said.
"Another exciting aspect is that we have many more minority and low-income students enrolled in AP classes now," Dr. James said. Since 2000, the number of AP exams taken by African-American students has grown by 2,678; for Hispanic students during that same time period, the number of AP exams taken has grown by 580; and for lown-income students, the number is 2,573.
"Arkansas is to be commended for its uniquely successful effort to open the doors to AP to a large and diverse population of students throughout the state," said Gaston Capterton, president of the College Board. "By extending this college-level curriculum to so many students--particularly to the traditionally underserved--the state of Arkansas has demonstrated a commitment to educational excellence and access that is worthy of emulation as well as congratulations."
