The Potential of Advanced Placement to Improve College Outcomes and Narrow Racial/Ethnic and Socioeconomic Disparities

Abstract

The U.S. economy requires a highly educated workforce, yet too few black, Latino, and low-income students attend, persist, and graduate from college. The present study examines the college outcomes of participants in a model Advanced Placement® (AP) intervention to shed light on its effectiveness and determine whether improving AP participation and performance is a promising strategy for closing persistent racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in college outcomes. Findings suggest the college outcomes of program participants are better than those of similar students statewide while also highlighting variation within and across subgroups. At the same time, they confirm that AP participation and performance predict college outcomes and suggest that improving AP participation and performance among low-income white, black, and Latino students could be a useful strategy for closing persistent racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in college outcomes.

Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate Completion Rates by Student Gender, Ethnicity/Race, and Economic Status: A Multiyear, Statewide Investigation

“…Also compared were the results of their initial database, which was described above, to the results for the Massachusetts's students who graduated in the 2010-2011 school year. College outcomes for students who participated in the Advanced Placement STEM & English program were better than the college outcomes for all students in the State of Massachusetts (Phillips & Lane, 2021). Regarding Black, Hispanic, and students who were economically disadvantaged, students who had participated in the Advanced Placement STEM & English program were 18.37 to 29.56 percentage points higher in rates of college matriculation, persistence, and graduation than the Massachusetts students with similar racial and economic factors (Phillips & Lane, 2021).…”

“…In another study, Phillips and Lane (2021) investigated college outcomes for 11,190 students who had participated in an Advanced Placement exam and graduated from a high school, between the 2008-2009 and 2012-2013 school years. Asian, White, and students who were not economically disadvantaged had better college matriculation and persistence rates than Black, Hispanic, and students who were economically disadvantaged (Phillips & Lane, 2021). Also compared were the results of their initial database, which was described above, to the results for the Massachusetts's students who graduated in the 2010-2011 school year.…”

Improving Student Access to and Teacher Training for Advanced Placement

“…Jackson (2012) indicates that this result is more likely due to the comprehensive implementation of all NMSI program components at targeted high schools, rather than any individual component, which included aggressive recruitment to AP MSE courses, teacher PD, teacher and student supports, and incentive awards. Phillips and Lane (2021) found that participants in a similar program in Massachusetts had better college outcomes than similar non-participants, and that participation and success in the program were significantly associated with positive college outcomes. Fischer et al (2020) investigated school, teacher, teaching practice, and PD "levers" that may improve student performance on AP science exams.…”

“…Its focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) areas addresses a perceived shortfall in achievement by American students, who lag behind students from many industrialized nations (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2013), though some believe this shortfall is misleading (e.g., Carnoy & Rothstein, 2013). Attention to AP math, science and English (MSE) courses is supported by research showing positive impacts of AP qualifying scores on college outcomes, particularly for underrepresented minority students (Phillips & Lane, 2021). The funded proposal enabled AP-TIP IN to implement NMSI's college-readiness program in Indiana from 2012 through 2017, including a holistic implementation of key interventions:…”

“…Its focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) areas addresses a perceived shortfall in achievement by American students, who lag behind students from many industrialized nations (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2013), though some believe this shortfall is misleading (e.g., Carnoy & Rothstein, 2013). Attention to AP math, science and English (MSE) courses is supported by research showing positive impacts of AP qualifying scores on college outcomes, particularly for underrepresented minority students (Phillips & Lane, 2021). The funded proposal enabled AP-TIP IN to implement NMSI's college-readiness program in Indiana from 2012 through 2017, including a holistic implementation of key interventions: a recruitment strategy for schools and for students: Recruiting schools with greater proportions of underrepresented minority students or economically disadvantaged students (as established by participation in the federal free and reduced-price lunch program) at rates equal to or greater than the state average; Setting enrollment goals using AP potential data (set to a threshold 20% below the College Board standard) to identify larger pools of students for AP MSE courses; Identify and remove systemic or policy barriers that may limit AP MSE course participation in order to meet enrollment goals; teacher supports Teachers participated in 50 hours of professional development annually, with a focus on reaching learners who may never have participated in this level of advanced coursework; Teachers were provided and participated in 16 hours of instructional coaching and mentoring support annually, to engage learners in rigorous coursework; student support Students were provided up to 15 additional contact hours of instructional time during the course of an academic year in Student Study Sessions hosted outside the classroom day (Saturdays or evenings); financial awards for student and teacher success Students earned awards for earning qualifying scores (3, 4, or 5) on their AP MSE exams; Teachers earned awards for encouraging >90% of their students to take their AP exams and reaching exam score goals. …”