Increasing number of Indiana students pass Advanced Placement tests

The number of Indiana high school students passing Advanced Placement exams increased in the 2010-11 school year, according to data released by the Indiana Department of Education earlier this month.

Overall, 61 percent of high schools’ AP exam pass rates increased. Since 2008, the number of high school graduates passing AP exams has increased more than 40 percent, and the number of students taking AP exams increased more than 60 percent, according to the Indiana Department of Education.

Students who receive a score of 3, 4 or 5 out of 5 on AP exams receive college credit in Indiana. Indiana ranks second in the nation for its increase in graduates passing AP tests.

The school with the most success on AP tests was Signature School in Evansville, where 90 percent of graduates passed the exams.

“We provide the expectations and the support on a state level, but it also comes down to the local level and teachers doing a good job in the classroom and the administrators providing that support for AP classes,” said Joseph Cortes-Gurule, press secretary for the Indiana Department of Education.

The number of Bloomington High School South students taking AP exams has doubled in the last five years.

Almost 70 percent of students taking exams received a passing score three years ago. That number has dropped as more students have started to take more rigorous course work, said Joe Doyle, one of the school’s assistant principals.

The high school offers 10 AP exams, Doyle said. The school also offers dual-credit courses, which count for both college and high school credit.

“We have a college-going culture here,” Doyle said. “Students are encouraged to think about college, and they are surrounded by peers attending IU, so they realize that college is attainable.”

Sean Faalzada, an IU freshman studying finance and marketing, said that when he attended Bloomington High School North, teachers and staff members encouraged students to take AP tests.

“I also remember that the course curriculum was more focused on ‘teaching for the test’ rather than making sure the material was well-taught,” he said in an email.

Faalzada did not receive college credit for AP classes but many of his friends did, he said.

“In my opinion, the school did too much to prepare for the tests and not enough to help the students develop the skills necessary to succeed in real life,” he said.

Doyle said the faculty agree that there are a variety of reasons students should have access to AP course work.

“We reassured our teachers that a drop in the percentage of students who pass each AP exam is less important than having more students have access to the curriculum,” he said.