More Delaware high school students are taking and passing Advanced Placement exams, according to recent findings from the College Board.
The number of First State students taking AP exams has doubled since 2004. And scores have improved as well.
AP exams are graded on a scale of one to five, with five being the highest. The number of First State students who received a three, which can qualify them to earn college credit, also doubled over the past ten years.
The College Board also reported 18 percent of the graduating class of 2014 passed at least one AP test with a score of 3 or better, up from 10-point-6 percent a decade earlier.
Most notable were recent gains in AP Biology -where the number of students who passed that exam increased by 22% in the last three years. Scores also improved in World History, Literature and AB Calculus.
Gov. Markell’s administration attributes some of the improvement to college readiness initiatives rolled out in 2010 when the state won Race to the Top Grant money. He announced that the state’s “Getting to Zero” initiative, meant to ensure all college ready students apply and enroll in university, has been a success.
