(FRANKFORT, Ky.) -- The number of Kentucky public high school students taking Advanced Placement (AP) examinations and scoring at high levels continues to rise, data released today from the College Board indicate.
In 2004, 9,688 Kentucky public school students took 15,211 AP exams. In 2005, 10,387 took 16,361 exams -- an increase of 6.4 percent in test-takers and 7.1 percent in exams. Since 2000, the number of public school students taking AP exams has risen nearly 60 percent -- 6,175 took AP exams that year.
AP exams are graded from 1 to 5. In 2004, 6,951 of the exams taken by Kentucky public school students received grades of 3, 4 or 5. In 2005, 7,545 of the exams received grades of 3, 4 or 5 -- an increase of 7.4 percent.
"One of the keys to Kentucky students' continued improvement on AP exams is access," said Kentucky Education Commissioner Gene Wilhoit. "Schools and districts have worked to ensure that students know about AP, and every student should have opportunities to participate in AP classes. We also should focus attention on the rigor and relevance of the AP courses offered, both in the classroom and through the Kentucky Virtual High School, so that the coursework is meaningful and meets the high expectations of AP."
The performance of ethnic groups in Kentucky's public schools also showed increases from 2004 to 2005. Since 1999, the number of non-white public school students taking one or more AP exams has more than doubled.
NUMBER OF PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS TAKING ONE OR MORE AP EXAMS BY ETHNICITY
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
African American 135 154 202 337 356 410
American Indian 13 15 14 23 33 28
Asian 202 234 282 298 384 446
Hispanic 54 65 67 80 115 148
White 5,621 5,838 6,610 7,471 8,535 8,952
Other 100 117 135 155 194 219
No Response 50 84 83 123 142 184
TOTAL 6,175 6,507 7,393 8,487 9,759 10,387
NUMBER OF PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH GRADES 3-5 ON AP EXAMS BY ETHNICITY
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
African American 41 42 68 95 106 111
American Indian 5 8 4 11 16 17
Asian 147 159 197 207 261 304
Hispanic 42 40 43 41 71 91
White 2,802 2,878 3,320 3,662 4,201 4,326
Other 53 65 84 101 105 122
No Response 24 47 45 51 74 80
TOTAL 3,072 3,239 3,761 4,168 4,834 5,051
The College Board's Advanced Placement Program enables students to pursue college-level studies while still in high school. Based on their performance on rigorous AP exams, students can earn credit, advanced placement or both for college.
In 1987, the Kentucky Board of Education established the Commonwealth Diploma Program to encourage Kentucky's high school students to take demanding and rigorous courses that would prepare them for college. Criteria for the diploma include successful completion of at least four AP courses (English, science or mathematics, foreign language and one additional AP course) and completion of at least three AP exams.
Senate Bill 74, passed by the Kentucky General Assembly in 2002, required the development of a core AP curriculum and the expansion of access to AP courses through the Kentucky Virtual High School. Currently, 34 AP courses are offered in Kentucky, including art history, biology, chemistry, English literature, United States history, physics and statistics.
Schools and districts determine prerequisite requirements for student eligibility. Common criteria include grades, teacher recommendations and PSAT and other test scores. Many schools utilize an application process. The College Board encourages, but does not require, a non-exclusive admittance policy.
The College Board also released data on SAT and PSAT/NMSQT scores. Kentucky public high school students who took the SAT I in 2005 made slight gains in both the verbal and mathematics portions of the test.
In 2004, Kentucky public high school students who took the SAT I scored an average of 555 on the verbal portion and 558 on the mathematics portion. In 2005, the averages are 558 for verbal and 560 for mathematics.
A very small percentage of Kentucky public school students take the SAT I -- only 8 percent of graduating seniors participated in the test in 2005. Due to the varying degrees of participation among states, the College Board cautions against making comparisons based on mean scores.
The mean scores of Kentucky public high school sophomores and juniors who took the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) showed slight increases in reading, mathematics and writing. The PSAT/NMSQT is scored on a scale of 0 to 80.
YEAR GRADE NUMBER OF MEAN MEAN MEAN
LEVEL PSAT/NMSQT CRITICAL MATH WRITING
TEST-TAKERS READING
2003 Sophomore 9,521 42.0 43.2 43.6
2004 Sophomore 9,159 41.1 41.8 44.6
2005 Sophomore 9,625 41.9 42.9 45.4
2003 Junior 9,981 48.5 49.1 48.9
2004 Junior 9,704 47.1 47.5 49.9
2005 Junior 9,613 48.2 49.2 50.8
The SAT is a three-hour test that measures verbal and mathematical reasoning skills students have developed over time and skills they need to be successful academically. Many colleges and universities use the SAT as one indicator of a student's readiness to do college-level work. SAT scores are compared with the scores of other applicants and the accepted scores at an institution and can be used as a basis for awarding merit-based financial aid. Kentucky colleges and universities typically use the ACT as an admission requirement, which is reflected in the small percentage of students who take the SAT.
The SAT is scored on a scale of 200-800 (for math and verbal) and is typically taken by high school juniors and seniors. The test is administered several times a year. The class of 2006 will be the first to take the revamped SAT, which will include a new section on writing.
The PSAT/NMSQT is co-sponsored by the College Board and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. It's a standardized test that provides firsthand practice for the SAT Reasoning Test. The PSAT/NMSQT measures critical reading skills, mathematics problem-solving skills and writing skills.
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NOTE: The College Board does not provide the Kentucky Department of Education with district-or school-level data on SAT, AP or PSAT/NMSQT. Please contact local school officials for more information on their students' achievements.