More Minnesota students are taking Advanced Placement courses and earning higher scores on exams that enable them to gain college credit while in high school.
The Minnesota Department of Education and Minnesota Office of Higher Education this week announced a 17 percent increase in the number of Minnesota students who took AP tests during the 2006-07 school year.
Of students taking AP exams, the state reported a 13 percent jump in the number who score a "3" or higher on the test. Many colleges require students to earn at least a 3 out of a possible 5 on the exam to qualify for college credit.
Statewide, 22,929 Minnesota high school students took AP tests during the 2006-07 school year. The number marks a 16.9 percent increase from the previous year.
Lynne Kovash, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning for the Moorhead School District, said trends at Moorhead High mirror those of the state as a whole.
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Approximately 253 students enrolled in AP courses at Moorhead High in 2007, Kovash said. About 70 percent to 73 percent of students who take AP exams score a 3 or higher.
Kovash said that in 2001-02 there were 178 students enrolled in AP courses. Enrollment numbers climbed to 162, 148, 163 and 221 in following school years.
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton High School Principal Thomas Gravel said numbers vary for enrollment in AP courses at D-G-F. An AP art class may draw 10 students, while a literature class brings in up to 25 students.
He said about 50 percent of students enrolled in the literature class score a 3 or better on the AP exam.
Statistics for North Dakota AP course participation during the 2006-07 school year weren't immediately available Wednesday.
However, in 2006, 1,022 North Dakota public school students participated in AP courses, according to data from the College Board, a 6 percent increase in numbers from 2005 to 2006.
Of the 1,489 AP exams North Dakota students took in 2006, 1,053 students scored 3 or higher on the test.
At least one North Dakota school district is working to bolster the number of students enrolling in rigorous AP courses.
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West Fargo High School Principal Gary Clark said the district adopted a "weighted grading" system this year to encourage students to enroll in harder courses.
"We'd like to see more kids enrolled in AP courses, and we want to increase the (AP) course offerings available," Clark said.
More students take AP tests
- 22,929 Minnesota high school students took AP tests during the 2006-07 school year, a 16.9 percent increase from the year before.
- North Dakota students took 1,489 AP tests in 2006, a 6 percent increase from the year before.
- Many colleges require a score of 3 or higher to qualify for college credit.
- Minnesota reported a 13 percent increase in the number of students who scored a 3 or higher in the 2006-07 school year, compared to the previous year.
- About 70 percent of North Dakota students scored a 3 or higher in 2006.
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Readers can reach Forum reporter Melinda Rogers at (701) 241-5524
