ATLANTA — The 16 member states of the Southern Regional Education Board continue to lead the nation in expanding student access and participation in academically rigorous Advanced Placement programs.
A new SREB policy brief, SREB States Lead the Nation in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Programs, shows the 16 SREB states on average have surpassed the rest of the nation in the percentage of students who take at least one AP exam. In 2005, SREB states raised the average percentage of students who take at least one AP exam to 24 percent — a point higher than the average percentage among all states.
Most SREB states increased the percentage of graduating seniors scoring a 3 or higher, a score considered "passing" by many colleges, on at least one AP exam, and more than half of the 16 member states have kept pace with or exceeded the national rate of increase since 2000.
SREB's Challenge to Lead Goals for Education, adopted in 2002, call for all high school students to complete high school and to have solid academic preparation for college and careers. 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 should ensure that teachers are well-prepared to lead AP and IB classes and those students find the support they need to complete such demanding courses.
Some examples of progress in SREB states:
The report shows that Florida’s landmark legislation from 2004 helped spur dramatic gains in AP programs for black and Hispanic students in 2006. From 2005 to 2006, Florida had the greatest increase in the number of black public school AP examinees in the nation and the second-greatest increase in the number of Hispanic public school AP examinees. Since 2000, the number of black public school students in Florida who took AP exams has increased 181 percent, and Hispanic students increased by 192 percent.
For the second straight year, Arkansas posted the nation’s largest gain in student AP participation. This progress stems from 2004 legislation that required all the state’s high schools to offer AP courses. Other SREB states are considering similar legislation as a way to strengthen their AP and IP programs.
Black students remain substantially underrepresented in AP testing in all SREB states — a situation states must continue to address so that more students can access such courses.
IB programs continue to spread rapidly in SREB states and across the nation, the report shows. In 2006, 462 U.S. high schools offered the IB curriculum, and 44 percent were in SREB states. SREB states had nearly half the nation’s 40,646 students enrolled in IB programs in 2006, a 7 percent regional increase from 2005.
The new SREB report suggests several steps for the continued development of AP and IP programs in the region, including improved access to courses through virtual or online schools and increased state funding to train teachers and provide instructional materials for these courses.
Policy experts are available to speak with journalists about the report on AP and IB trends. Please contact SREB Communications.
SREB, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization based in Atlanta, Georgia, advises state education leaders on ways to improve education. SREB was created in 1948 by Southern governors and legislatures to help leaders in education and government work cooperatively to advance education and improve the social and economic life of the region. SREB has 16 member states: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. Each is represented by its governor and four gubernatorial appointees.
