SREB States Make Progress on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate ‘Passing’ Rates; More Work Needed

A new SREB report, Progress in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate in SREB States, shows that the 16 SREB states have caught up with the rest of the nation in the percentage of students who take at least one AP exam. In 2000, an average of 16 percent of graduating high school seniors among all 50 states had taken at least one AP exam - and SREB states also averaged 16 percent that same year. In 2005, reflecting the latest data available, SREB states had raised the average percentage of students who take at least one AP exam to 24 percent - one point higher than the average percentage among all states in 2005. SREB states also raised the average percentage of students who scored 3 or higher, or “passing,” on at least one AP exam from 9 percent in 2000 to 13 percent in 2005, but they continued to trail slightly the average percentage of students who “passed” at least one AP exam in all 50 states. The average among all 50 states was 14 percent.

SREB's Challenge to Lead Goals for Education, adopted by the 16 member states in 2002, call for all high school students to complete high school and to have solid academic preparation for college and careers. Under the goals, SREB endorses AP and IB programs as a way to provide all high school students with a challenging, engaging curriculum. The goals call for all SREB states to have enrollment and passing rates in AP and IB programs that exceed national averages. School leaders and state policy-makers also must ensure that teachers are well-prepared to lead AP and IB classes, that the courses are rigorous, and that students find the support they need to complete such demanding courses.

Arkansas provides SREB states with some promising strategies that may help other states dramatically boost the numbers of students enrolled in AP and IB courses, the new report shows. Even before the Arkansas Legislature began to require that all schools expand their AP course offerings, high schools in the state took action in anticipation of the new requirements. From 2004 to 2005, the state more than doubled the number of students who took AP exams, from 6,100 to 13,267. Participation among black students in AP programs - an underrepresented group in all SREB states - more than tripled from 2004 to 2005. Numbers are expected to climb even more, now that Arkansas high schools now must begin to meet state requirements for the number of AP classes each school must offer. (See the complete version of the report at www.sreb.org.)

Some SREB states are among the national leaders in IB enrollment, the report shows. About half the nation's IB students are from SREB states. Florida had more than one-fifth of the nation's IB students and Virginia more than 10 percent of the nation's IB students in 2005. SREB states still trailed the national passing rate on IB exams in 2005, although Delaware, Florida, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia had higher average passing rates than the nation.

The new SREB report recommends several steps for state policy-makers to improve AP and IB course-taking:

Policy experts are available to speak with journalists about the report on AP and IB trends. Please contact SREB Communications.