Michael Kirst / commentary
June 27, 2012

Michael Kirst (rectangle)

Michael Kirst

There is some expert news in California student accomplishment trends. High performers, as measured past passage of the Avant-garde Placement exam, are increasing, and rank very high in interstate comparisons.

AP is college level work in high schoolhouse, and indicates that students attention California's most selective colleges are better prepared than e'er. This positive tendency is obscured past national studies, like the National Cess of Educational Progress (NAEP), that exercise non focus on the highest achieving students when making interstate and racial/ethnic comparisons. In California, Hispanic growth in both taking and passing the AP test is particularly impressive.

According to the the Eighth Annual AP Study to the Nation , 23.4 percent of California'south 2022 public schoolhouse graduates were successful on ane or more than AP exams – 7th highest in the nation. Overall, xix states' graduates exceeded the national boilerplate past scoring iii or higher, out of 5, on one or more exams during their high schoolhouse careers. Maryland was number ane, with 27.9 percent. The U.S. boilerplate is xviii.1 percent. This high national ranking for California does not receive the public attending that it deserves in a bounding main of negative reports on land instruction.

California ranked second to New United mexican states on the College Lath Hispanic Index for Equity and Excellence on AP. This adding combines pct of successful AP exam takers in the graduating form with the percent of Hispanics in the graduating course. Nearly 27 pct of California students take the AP Spanish exam, and almost fourscore percent of those score 3 or higher. This compares favorably to Texas, where just 17 percentage of the students take the AP Castilian exam and lx percent score three or higher.

In California, 136,787 students, from the graduating class of 2011, took an AP test during their high school career.  From that number, 90,409, or 66 percent, achieved at least one AP test score of iii or higher– scores that are predictive of enhanced college success, co-ordinate to the College Board, the non-for-profit membership system that administers the AP Program. In 2010, the well-nigh electric current information available, California'due south 12th course student population numbered 405,087.

In California, the AP performance gap between Hispanic and African American graduates compared with Asian and white graduates continues to exist. For example, 61 per centum of Hispanic graduates and 39 percentage of African American graduates score 3 or higher on AP exams, compared with 71 percent of Asian graduates  and 74 per centum of white graduates. All of these scores represent an increase in AP performance over the previous five years, only if California is truly going to close the AP disinterestedness gap, educators and students alike will demand to continue to find means to increase AP  participation and improve performance on these exams.

Source: College Board California State Integrated Summary Report for Public Schools, 2010-11
Source: College Lath California Land Integrated Summary Report for Public Schools, 2010-11

California'due south Hispanic students are the fastest growing population and the largest individual group taking AP exams in public schools and the second largest group including public and individual schools. Their  AP participation and functioning rates testify a 5-yr increment in the number of Hispanic students taking AP exams, from 57,700 (2006-07 school twelvemonth) to 85,638 (2010-11 school year) – a 47 percent increment.  The number of Hispanic students receiving an AP score of three or higher – 29,664 (2006-07 school year) to 43,650 (2010-11 school yr) – also represents a 47 pct increase.

The 5-year AP data trends for California's Hispanic public and private school students shows the same pattern of increases in participation, from 62,135 (2006-07) to 91,452 (2010-xi), for a 47 percent increase. The AP operation trend over the same period shows increases from 32,720 to 47,515, an increment of 45 percent.

Nationally, students who find success on AP exams lessen their chances of being required to take remedial college courses and increase their chances of graduating from college on time. These remedial courses cost taxpayers an estimated $i billion each year. Educators in California and throughout our nation must continue to target the divide betwixt high school graduation standards and the skills needed for all students to exist successful in college. Finally, we must examine and address disinterestedness and admission issues that hinder academic excellence for all California students.

Michael Kirst is a Professor Emeritus of Pedagogy at Stanford Academy, where he has been on the faculty since 1969, and president of the California State Board of Education. He thanks Don Mitchell of the Higher Board and Russ Rumberger of the University of California Office of the President for information help and advice on this commodity.

Sources for this article:

The 8th Almanac AP Report to the Nation California Country Supplement, Feb 8, 2012. The Higher Board.

California State Integrated Summary Report, 2010-11. The College Board.

California Department of Education Statewide Graduation Rates, 2009-2010.

"Preparing Students for Success in College," Policy Matters (2005), American Clan of State Colleges and Universities.

Chrys Dougherty, Lynn Mellor, and Shuling Jian, "The Relationship Between Avant-garde Placement and College Graduation" (2005), National Center for Educational Accountability.

The College Completion Calendar 2022 Progress Report (New York: The Higher Board, 2011).

To go more reports similar this one, click hither to sign upwards for EdSource's no-cost daily email on latest developments in education.