9486 in the collection  

Number of AP tests taken by CPS students doubles from '04

Ohanian Comment: Notce
they don't say how many kids passed the
exam. The mantra these days, courtesy the
Washington Post's Jay Mathews and other
Standardistos, is that it doesn't matter how
many pass; it only matters how many kids sat
through the course.

No mention of what kids could have been
doing to enrich their lives rather than slog
away at a course that is a mile wide and half
an inch deep. I think it's bad enough for any
student to sit through these courses, but
especially bad for students who don't
understand them. What is the benefit is being
made to feel inadequate all year?

By ROSALIND ROSSI

The number of rigorous Advanced Placement tests
-- exams that can translate into college credit
-- have increased 108 percent in Chicago public
schools in the last five years, far outpacing
state and national growth rates, data to be
released today indicates.

The percent of CPS kids passing AP exams also
is on an upswing, with nearly a third of all
tests earning a 3 or better -- the score
usually needed for college credit.

Chicago Schools CEO Arne Duncan hailed the
"phenomenal'' jump in AP tests, but said past
numbers also represent the "historical
heartbreak'' of low expectations. Previously,
he said, educators were underestimating kids,
and keeping them out of AP classes unless they
were among the academically elite.

New data indicates CPS kids took 17,523 AP
exams in 2008, up from 8,433 in 2004, or a 108
percent hike. That compares to a 45 percent
increase in statewide AP tests and a 44 percent
rise nationally over the same period, AP
officials said.

Duncan is expected to announce the AP results
today, along with Chicago's average scores on
the 36-point ACT college admission test. The
CPS ACT average inched upward, from 17.5 last
year to 17.6 this year, but has yet to hit the
18 often considered the bare minimum needed for
college admission.

Chicago's huge jump in AP tests is part of a
national movement to make AP accessible to more
students. However, Trevor Packer, vice
president of the College Board, which oversees
AP tests, called the CPS gains especially
"impressive'' and "a real triumph.''

Duncan said AP courses can be a huge confidence
booster for students who want to become the
first in their family to go to college. They
provide college-level rigor, but with extra
hand-holding and support from high school
teachers.

At Kelly High, which has seen a large AP jump,
junior Jesus Anaya, 16, agreed.

"They will prepare you for college. You'll know
what's ahead and you'll do better,'' Jesus
said. "I think everybody should take AP
classes.''


— Rosalind Rossi
Chicago Sun-Times
2008-09-10


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