Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Examination Results in Texas, 2000.

The participation and performance of 11th- and 12th-grade Texas public school district students on the College Entrance Examination Board's Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Organisation's programs during the 1999-2000 school year were studied. Results show the largest 1-year gains to date in the number of Texas Advanced Placement (AP) examinees, examinations taken, and examinations earning scores in the 3-5 range. The number of students participating in the International Baccalaureate (IB) examination was also higher in 2000 than in previous years. Participation rates for African Americans and Hispanics in both programs continued to climb, but still lagged behind those for Whites and Asian Americans, and the rate for females continued rising faster than the rate for males. Performance as measured by the number of AP examinations scoring in the 3-5 range and the number of IB examinations scoring in the 4-7 range was higher in 2000 than in previous years, consistent with the trend of steady increases since 1995 for AP and 1996 for IB. Performance as measured by the percentage of AP examinations scoring in the high range, however, continued a moderate but steady decline, likely due in part to the rapid increase in the number of AP examinees. Asian American and White students continued to outscore African American and Hispanics on AP and IB examinations. Comparisons of AP results to those from other states and the nation were also drawn for all Texas public and nonpublic school students. The dramatic increase in state funding for the Texas AP/IB Incentive Program in the 2000-2001 biennium, as well s the funding available through federal and local incentive programs, helped provide many necessary supports for substantially increasing the numbers of Texas high school students taking the AP and IB courses and examinations during the year. Appendixes contain summary tables, results by district, and results by district analysis categories. (Contains 30 tables, 6 figures, and 65 references.) (SLD)