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Education Statistics Quarterly
Vol 1, Issue 4, Topic: Education Statistics Quarterly - Elementary and Secondary Education
Students Who Took Advanced Placement (AP) Examinations
 
 
This article was originally published as an Indicator of the Month, taken from The Condition of Education: 1999. The universe data are from the College Board's National Summary Reports on the Advanced Placement program; the sample survey data are from the October Current Population Survey (CPS), conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau.
 

The Advanced Placement (AP) program is associated with a demanding academic curriculum and illustrates the desire of high schools to offer college-level courses to high school students. By participating in the AP program, high school students may acquire college credit for their knowledge of college-level subjects. The number of students per 1,000 12th-graders who participated in AP examinations each year shows the level of importance that students, schools, and colleges place on the AP program and how that importance has changed over time.
  • Between 1984 and 1997, the number of students who took AP examinations increased dramatically, rising from 50 to 131 students per 1,000 12th-graders (table 1a and figure 1a). The number of examinees increased for both sexes and all racial/ethnic groups during this period.
  • In 1984, equal proportions of male and female students took AP examinations (table 1a). Between 1984 and 1997, the number of females who took the examinations rose at a faster rate than did the number of males who took the examinations. In 1997, 145 females compared with 117 males per 1,000 12th-graders took AP examinations.
  • In 1997, whites were more likely than blacks or Hispanics to take AP examinations in all subject areas, with the exception of foreign languages (table 1b). Hispanics were at least three times as likely to take a foreign language AP examination as whites.
Table 1a.-Number of U.S. students who took AP examinations (per 1,000 12th-graders), by sex and race/ethnicity: 1984-97
Table 1a.-Number of U.S. students who took AP examinations (per 1,000 12th-graders), by sex and race/ethnicity: 1984-97

Table 1b.-Number of AP examinations taken in the United States and the number of examinations with scores of 3 or higher (per 1,000 12th-graders), by subject area, sex, and race/ethnicity: 1997
Table 1b.-Number of AP examinations taken in the United States and the number of examinations with scores of 3 or higher (per 1,000 12th-graders), by subject area, sex, and race/ethnicity: 1997

1Included in the total but not shown separately are students from other racial/ethnic groups.

2The number of examinations taken by males and females includes a small number of examinations taken by 9th-graders, 10th-graders, college students, and others (9 percent of all students who took AP examinations in 1997).

NOTE: Includes all participation by 11th- and 12th-graders. Included in this analysis are students who participated in the United States only. Students scoring 3 or higher on an AP examination usually receive college credit. Since, on average, AP candidates take more than one examination, there is not a 1:1 ratio between candidates and examinations.

SOURCE: The College Board, Advanced Placement Program, National Summary Reports (Copyright (c) 1984-97 by the College Entrance Examination Board. All rights reserved); and U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey (CPS), October 1984-97.

Figure 1a.-Number of U.S. students who took AP examinations: 1984-97

Figure 1a.-Number of U.S. students who took AP examinations: 1984-97

Figure 1b.-Number of AP examinations taken in the United States: 1997

Figure 1b.-Number of AP examinations taken in the United States: 1997

Figure 1c.-Number of examinations with scores of 3 or higher in the United States: 1997

Figure 1c.-Number of examinations with scores of 3 or higher in the United States: 1997

*The number of examinations taken by males and females includes a small number of examinations taken by 9th-graders, 10th-graders, college students, and others (9 percent of all students who took AP examinations in 1997).

NOTE: Includes all participation by 11th- and 12th-graders. Included in this analysis are students who participated in the United States only. Students scoring 3 or higher on an AP examination usually receive college credit. Since, on average, AP candidates take more than one examination, there is not a 1:1 ratio between candidates and examinations.

SOURCE: The College Board, Advanced Placement Program, National Summary Reports (Copyright (c) 1984-97 by the College Entrance Examination Board. All rights reserved); and U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey (CPS), October 1984-97.

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Data sources: The College Board, Advanced Placement Program, National Summary Reports, 1984-97; and U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), October 1984-97.

For technical information, see

National Center for Education Statistics. (1999). The Condition of Education: 1999 (NCES 1999-022).

For complete supplemental and standard error tables, see either
For questions about content, contact John Wirt (john.wirt@ed.gov).

To obtain this Indicator of the Month (NCES 2000-001), call the toll-free ED Pubs number (877-433-7827) or visit the NCES Web Site (http://nces.ed.gov).

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