ATLANTA — More than one-fifth of Georgia’s public high school graduates earned passing scores on at least one Advanced Placement examination, putting the state in 15th place nationally, according to new data out this week.
The AP program allows students to take college-equivalent courses while still in high school. Each course is assessed by an examination graded on a 1 to 5 scale. Students who score 3 or higher on the exams are typically eligible for college credit for the course.
Last year, 21.2% of Georgia students who took the tests scored a 3 or higher, putting Georgia just below the national average of 21.6%.
Georgia students and their families could save around $91 million on college costs because the scores allow students to get college credits for courses taken in high school, according to the College Board, which administers the program.
“What an accomplishment for these hardworking students and their teachers and families,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “As a state, we will continue to pursue excellence and strive to open doors to opportunity for every student who enters our public schools.”
Even if students earn scores too low to qualify for college credit (typically a score of 1 or 2), there are benefits to taking the AP courses and exams, the College Board says. Those who initially earn lower scores often go on to take other AP exams and earn higher scores. And even those students who earn a score of 2 on the exam perform as well or better than others in introductory college courses.
Students can choose to take AP courses in a wide variety of topics, from Latin to music theory to advanced physics.
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