A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

FOR RELEASE
July 21, 1999

Contact:
Melinda Kitchell Malico
(202) 401-1008

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT GRANTS TO PAY ADVANCED PLACEMENT TEST
FEES FOR LOW-INCOME STUDENTS

Thousands of low-income students will have access to advanced placement (AP) tests under a second year of AP state grants, announced today by the U.S. Department of Education. Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia applied for the AP Incentive Program grants and will share in more than $2.8 million to encourage low-income students to prepare for and take AP tests.

"Research clearly shows that students who take challenging coursework early excel in college and later on in life," said U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley. "These grants can help encourage students to take harder classes and then measure what they have learned as they prepare to move forward into college."

In order to be eligible for the grants, states were asked to describe:

Factors that affect the amount states receive for the incentive grants include the number of eligible low-income students and the intensity of outreach efforts, particularly in urban areas.

Riley has urged schools to offer, and students to enroll in, more challenging coursework based on rigorous academic standards. Enrolling in AP courses gives many students a chance to take college-level work while in high school.

Most colleges and universities award college credit to students who pass advanced placement tests -- saving tuition costs and allowing such students to be accepted more readily by the college of their choice.

Some states also applied for and received additional discretionary funds to increase enrollment of low-income students in advanced placement courses through better outreach -- and expand the availability of advanced placement courses in schools serving high-poverty areas. A competition for $1 million in new discretionary awards is now underway to fund additional state efforts in those areas. Applications for the additional funds are due by August 16, 1999, and grants will be announced in late summer.

The AP fee payment grants to states are authorized by the Higher Education Amendments of 1992, Title XV, Part G. Grant funds per state were made on the basis of Census Bureau counts of poor children ages 5-17 used under the Title I program for disadvantaged children.

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NOTE TO EDITORS: Following is a list of states and Fiscal Year 1999 advanced placement fee payment award amounts. A list of state contacts is available by calling the contact listed above.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT INCENTIVE PROGRAM AWARDS

GRANTEE GRANT AWARD
* California Department of Education - Secondary Education $300,000
Colorado Department of Education Office of the Commissioner 19,000
Connecticut Department of Education 17,300
Delaware Department of Education 3,500
District of Columbia Public Schools 67,900
* Florida Department of Education-Office of the Commissioner 85,000
* Georgia State Department of Education 399,000
Hawaii State Department of Education 13,680
Illinois State Board of Education 167,730
Indiana Department of Education - Office of the Superintendent 32,000
Iowa Department of Education 13,500
Kentucky Department of Education - Professional Development 50,000
Louisiana Department of Education 32,300
Maine Department of Education 7,500
Maryland State Department of Education 22,700
Massachusetts Department of Education 32,730
Michigan Department of Education 75,000
Mississippi State Department of Education 36,450
Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 37,000
* Montana Office of Public Instruction 10,000
New Mexico State Department of - Public Education/Office of Superintendent 21,000
New York State Education Department - Summer Institute Office 300,000
North Carolina Department of - Public Instruction 84,700
* Oklahoma State Department of Education 84,300
Oregon Department of Education - Office of the Deputy Superintendent 16,230
Pennsylvania Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 300,000
Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 6,080
South Dakota Department of Elementary and Cultural Affairs 7,500
Tennessee Department of Education - Curriculum & Instruction Division 42,000
Texas Education Agency 300,000
Utah State Office of Education 27,700
Virginia Department of Education - Office of Instructional Services 51,682
Washington State Office of Public Instruction - Office of the Superintendent 27,700
West Virginia Department of Education 23,700

* Includes funds directly related to increasing (1) the enrollment of low-income individuals in advanced placement courses; (2) the participation of low-income individuals in advanced placement tests; and (3) the availability of advanced courses in schools serving high-poverty areas.

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