Hats Off to Washington AP Students!

As a past AP student, I know how tough AP classes can be (and occasionally still have nightmares about Mrs. Gould’s AP US History). But I also know how entirely worth it they are in terms of getting ahead and being prepared for college, which is why I was happy to see that the number of high school students taking AP exams has increased 74 percent in the last five years.

And—more importantly—according to a national report released yesterday, more Washington high school students also earned a good enough score to earn college credit for their high school work: 24,776 Washington students earned a score of three or higher, which is considered passing on the test. That’s up almost 15 percent from last year!

"Increasing participation and rising scores are measurable testaments to the great teaching and learning going on here in Washington," state Supt. Terry Bergeson told the Seattle P-I. "They tell us that if we raise expectations, students will rise to meet those expectations."

It’s also good to hear that state officials are using $1.3 million in grants to lower the cost of each test from $84 to $5 for low-income students and hope to increase participation in rural and minority students.

Hats off to the committed AP teachers working to ensure students are prepared for future college work and to the students studying hard!