Success in Advanced Placement Courses. Research Brief

What factors affect student success in AP courses? The College Board's Advanced Placement Program (AP) is widely recognized as the premier program for advanced placement and credit by examination. Originally established in 1955 as an opportunity for a few elite groups of students to take on college level work, the AP program has expanded to include more than 700,000 students, more than one million exams administered yearly, in more than 13,000 schools. Research indicates that students completing AP courses were better prepared to take on college course work and were able to earn college credit when successful on the AP exams. In addition, teachers participating in AP professional development have been credited with greater content and pedagogical knowledge. Finally, Advanced Placement programs are credited with improving the overall curricula of the school by creating a need for more rigorous prerequisite courses. However, in spite of the many benefits of Advanced Placement programs, problems exist. This paper presents several key issues that were identified as concerns about teaching AP courses and offers recommendations for improving success in AP courses. (Contains 5 online resources.)