PATCH: AP Scores on the Rise for Black, Hispanic Students in East County

...Of the 180 Blake seniors who identified as African-American in 2011, 68 of them took at least one AP exam. Over half of that group, 39 students, scored a 3 or better. That’s a jump from 2010, when 55 black students took an AP exam and 29 scored a 3 or better.

Hispanic seniors at Blake followed a similar trend: Although the number of Hispanic seniors who took an AP exam fell in 2011 from 37 to 33, the number of those who scored a 3 or better increased from 22 in 2010 to 24 in 2011. 

Berry said that what makes a black or Hispanic student attempt and succeed in an Advanced Placement course may be no different than students of other ethnicities. However, there is, for some students, less knowledge of the program.

“Some students will take AP because their older brother or their parents took Advanced Placement classes and understand what that’s about,” he said. “There has to be some frame of reference to go on. I think it’s an education about the benefits of taking an AP course.” 

At Blake, all students are encouraged to take rigorous courses to develop the skills needed to do well in Advanced Placement. Berry calls the process “scaffolding,” and said that teachers work together at different grade levels to prepare kids for AP.

“For instance, if I’m teaching AP U.S. History, the teachers are working collaboratively on the skills needed in ninth grade, 10th grade in order to be successful in that class in 11th and 12th grade,” he explained.

At Springbrook, fewer black students attempted an AP exam last year—69 students in 2011 compared to 86 students in 2010—however the number of test-takers who received a score of 3 or higher dropped by only three—from 38 in 2010 to 35 in 2011. That means the percentage of black students who are succeeding at AP exams increased, even though participation decreased.

For Hispanic students at Springbrook, participation doubled, from 20 students who attempted an exam in 2010 to 40 students in 2011. The number of Hispanic students who scored a 3 or higher also doubled, from 13 students in 2010 to 26 in 2011.

Paint Branch High increased participation for both black and Hispanic students by a relatively small number—six more black students and seven more Hispanic students took AP exams in 2011 compared to 2010. Performance for black students decreased slightly in 2011 and doubled for Hispanic students, from only nine Hispanic students scoring a 3 or higher in 2010 to 18 in 2011.

“I am very proud of how MCPS students are performing on AP exams and the role they have played in making Maryland a national leader in AP,” said Superintendent Joshua P. Starr. “I am also extremely pleased to see significant improvement in AP participation and performance by our African-American and Hispanic students.”  

The overall percentage of graduates within the Northeast Consortium who attempted AP exams fell slightly last year, resulting in a drop of between two and four percentage points, depending on the school... 

http://colesville.patch.com/articles/ap-scores-on-the-rise-for-black-latino-students-in-east-county