Advanced Placement (AP) courses can be an opportunity for high school students to access a more rigorous curriculum, and, if they score high enough on the exam, receive college credit.
An Illinois law which will take effect in the 2016-17 school year requires public universities and community colleges to award credit to students who scored a 3, 4 or 5 on the AP exam.
The Tribune reviewed five years of AP exam results, which were obtained from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) through a public records request. The data tell us these things about AP exams taken between 2011 and 2015:
- The number of students who took AP exams at a high school.
- The number of exams taken by students at a high school. This will typically be greater than the number of students taking exams because students will take multiple AP classes and exams.
- The number of exams that scored a 3, 4 or 5, that is, enough to receive college credit for the AP course.
- The passing rate, which is the percentage of exams taken that scored a 3, 4 or 5.
The story of the value that students are getting from the AP courses depends on which of these numbers you pay attention to: exams taken; exams scoring a 3, 4 or 5; or the passing rate.
You can search for a school below to see how that school’s AP test takers scored or keep scrolling to find out more about the stories these numbers tell.
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In 2011, a little more than 70,000 Illinois students took AP exams. In 2015, the number of students taking exams was more than 95,000, a 36 percent increase. More than 70 percent of schools with data for all years saw an increase in the number of students taking tests from 2011 to 2015. Lane Tech, Oswego East and Aldai E. Stevenson all saw significant increases in the number of students taking AP exams. Amundsen, Northside College Prep. and Kelvyn Park saw a decrease in the number of test takers.
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From 2011 to 2015 there was a 43 percent increase in the number of exams taken. There was a 39 percent increase in the number of exams that scored a 3, 4 or 5. Around 70 percent of schools with data for each year had an increase in the number of exams taken. About 78 percent of schools with data for each year had an increase in the number of passing scores.
“, “id”: “exams-taken-aggregate”, “chart_type”: “exams”}, {“chart_title”: “AP exams taken and exams receiving a 3, 4 or 5 at Whitney M. Young Magnet”, “school_ai_code”: 141383, “chatter”: “
Schools in affluent suburbs or high-performing selective enrollment schools in Chicago, such as Whitney Young , follow the state trend and have seen both an increase in the number of tests taken and the number of tests with passing scores.
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Morton West, whose students are largely low-income, has encouraged its students to take AP courses and exams and, along with Morton East have one of the greatest increases in test takers, and tests taken in the state. AP participation has grown at a higher rate than the state average and has seen a dramatic increase in the number of exams taken since 2011. The number of passing scores also has increased, from 232 in 2011 to 363 in 2015.
“, “chart_type”: “exams”, “id”: “exams-taken-js-morton-west”}, {“school_ai_code”: 141383, “title”: “3. Test takers from some schools are more successful than others”, “chart_title”: “Percent of AP exams scoring a 3, 4 or 5 at Whitney M. Young Magnet”, “chatter”: “
The two schools considered so far have more exams taken and more passing scores, just like all of Illinois. The story diverges, however, when looking at the percentage of passing scores out of all exams. Slightly less than half of all schools with data for each year had an increase in the passing rate from 2011 to 2015.
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Whitney Young has seen its passing rate increase since 2011, as has Jones College Prep. and Payton College Prep.. The state’s passing rate has been mostly flat over the five years of data.
“, “id”: “passing-rate-young”, “chart_type”: “passing-rate”}, {“chart_title”: “Percent of AP exams scoring a 3, 4 or 5 at J. Sterling Morton West”, “school_ai_code”: 140303, “chatter”: “
Morton West, has seen a decline in the percentage of exams with passing scores since 2011. Even though the number of exams with passing scores has increased, that number hasn’t kept up with the number of exams that students are taking. This high school has consistently had a passing rate lower than the state as a whole. Fewer than half of the exams result in a passing score. The school is in good company though, as only about 40 percent of Illinois schools with data for 2015 had a majority of exams result in scores of at least 3.
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Still, like the state, the passing rate at Morton West, over the last couple of years, has been stable. As the number of exams taken rose to its highest level since 2011, the decrease in passing rate was small.
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Other schools that have seen an increase in exams taken and passing scores, but with a decreasing passing rate include Pritzker College Prep, William H. Taft and Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep. Like Morton West, Lindblom Math & Science Academy and Curie Metropolitan have passing rates below the state average. However, both those schools have seen an increase in the passing rate from 2011 to 2015.
\\n
Amundsen has seen participation in AP exams drop dramatically. The number of passing scores also has decreased. But since the number of tests taken has had a more significant decrease, the passing rate has gone up. Still, with only about 16 percent of exams receiving a score of at least 3, the passing rate is well below the state average.
\\n
If trends continue, when the new law takes effect during the 2016-17 school year, more college credit would be granted to students who took AP courses and exams. However, some schools, even as students reap greater benefits from the program, have a ways to go before most of the students who take the exams receive scores of at least 3. Students at these schools may still benefit from the greater rigor of AP courses, even if they don’t receive college credit for their work at high school.
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