AP courses taken have doubled, credits up
Following the state trend, St. Charles Parish students taking Advanced Placement courses for higher education more than doubled this year along with more of them having earned college credits.
“The school district encourages students to challenge themselves by taking these college level classes while in high school,” said Rachel Allemand, assistant superintendent of curriculum, instruction and assessment. “To support student success, the school district funds the cost of the AP exams for students and professional development for AP teachers.”
For the parish school system, students taking the AP exam doubled from 310 in 2012-13 to 641 in 2014-15.These college level classes in subjects such as English, math, science, social studies and the arts are taught at high schools. Students who earn scores of 3, 4 or 5 on AP exams given each May are eligible to earn college credits at most colleges and universities.
Of the 641 students who completed 1,039 AP exams, 35.7 percent of them earned a score of 3 or higher on one or more AP exams, Allemand said.
From 2012-13 to 2014-15, there has been a 73.4 percent increase in students earning a score of 3 or higher on one or more AP courses (from 132 in 2012-13 to 229 in 2014-15).Allemand said, through the school system’s AP Scholar Awards, the College Board also recognizes students with exceptional performance in AP classes.
These awards are based on all exams taken this year and previous years. In 2015, 49 parish students earned AP Scholar Awards by earning scores of 3 or higher on three or more AP exams.
By earning an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP exams taken and scoring 3 or higher on four or more exams, seven students earned the AP Scholar with Honor Award, she said. Three students earned the AP Scholar with Distinction Award for earning an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken and earning scores of 3 or higher on five or more exams.
Statewide numbers also showed improvement.
Louisiana high school students earned nearly 1,300 more qualifying scores on AP exams this year, increasing the total from 6,410 in 2014 to 7,703 this year or showing a 20 percent increase, according to the Louisiana Department of Education.
This total increased by 89 percent since 2012.The improvement is significant in a state that has historically ranked lowest in the nation in number of students taking the AP courses and passing them. By 2012, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) and local school systems acknowledged the problem and began changing school policies to promote AP credits, college-bound scores on ACT and the number of freshmen entering college.
Credits earned by students who score a qualifying score of 3, 4, or 5 on the AP exams are transferable to nearly any college in the nation and all colleges in Louisiana.
While the number of course enrollments grew 19 percent, from 28,009 in 2014 to 33,231 in 2015, the percentage of test takers earning a 3 or higher also increased, from 30 percent in 2014 to 32 percent in 2015.
“The momentum in our high schools is undeniable,” said State Superintendent John White. “More students are taking challenging courses. More students are passing challenging tests.
More students are going to college. This means life opportunity for thousands of young people and a more prosperous future for our great state.”
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