Washington DC — Today, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced the award of 33 grants totaling $17 million to boost participation of low-income students in advanced placement courses and tests.

The grant is being provided to states, school districts, and national education nonprofits to help increase advanced placement access rates for economically disadvantaged students.

"We are committed to continuing to expand access to advanced placement programs that will provide more disadvantaged high school students the opportunity to take challenging courses so that they will enter college or the global marketplace ready to excel," Secretary Spellings said.

Under the department's Advanced Placement Incentive Program, grants can be used for teacher training, curriculum development, books, supplies and other activities directly related to expanding participation in AP courses and tests for low-income students.

Since 1955, the College Board's Advanced Placement program has enabled secondary students to participate in college-level courses in high school and earn credit or placement toward their college programs.

Through the years, high schools that feature programs like Advanced Placement have been found to help raise the academic standards of high achieving students by encouraging more of them to pursue and master advanced coursework. These learning opportunities prepare students for college by providing them with rigorous academic experiences that are formally recognized by the colleges themselves.

According to the College Board, last spring, 1.2 million students took more than 2 million AP Exams.

Traditionally, 11th- and 12th-graders take an AP exam after completing the corresponding AP course. However, participation in an exam is open to any student regardless of course participation or grade level.

In the U.S., more than 90 percent of colleges and universities have a policy of granting incoming students credit, placement, or both, for qualifying AP test scores.

Federal financial support for Advanced Placement began in 1998 with a program to help offset the cost of AP exams for economically disadvantaged students. Today, the Advanced Placement Test Fee program supplements student test fees in 43 states.

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 added the Advanced Placement Incentive Program to help expand and implement new AP programs around the country.

AL—Birmingham, City of Birmingham Board of Education, $921,082
AZ—Prescott, Yavapai County Education Service Agency, $207,393
CA—Richmond, West Contra Costa Unified School District, $292,621
CA—San Diego, AVID Center, $764,878
CA—San Diego, San Diego City Schools, $707,066
DC—Washington, Friendship Public Charter School, $249,360
DE—Dover, Delaware Department of Education, $871,595
FL—Fort Myers, School District of Lee County, $310,905
FL—Naples, Collier County Public Schools, $773,906
IL—Chicago, Chicago Public Schools, District #299, $954,745
LA—Baton Rouge, Louisiana Department of Education, $346,097
LA—Monroe, Ouachita Parish School System, $493,512
LA—Lake Charles, Calcasieu Parish School System, $186,418
ME—Augusta, Maine Department of Education*, $150,000
MO—St. Louis, Board of Education of the City of St. Louis, $975,163
MT—Ronan, Ronan School District #30, $613,701
NC—Greensboro, Guilford County Schools, $283,317
NC—Raleigh, North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction, $549,297
NJ—East Orange, East Orange School District, $770,757
NJ—Passaic, Passaic Public Schools, $609,825
NY—Dunkirk, Dunkirk City School District, $311,285
NY—New York, International Baccalaureate North America*, $460,200
NY—Niagara Falls, Niagara Falls City School District, $411,841
NY—Syracuse, Syracuse City School District, $150,000
OR—Salem, Oregon Department of Education, $461,622
SC—Charleston, Charleston County School District, $313,195
SC—Lancaster, Lancaster County School District, $639,188
TN—Memphis, Memphis City Schools, $638,875
TN—Nashville, Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, $630,883
TX—Donna, IDEA Academy, Inc., $383,700
TX—Kenedy, Kenedy Independent School District, $607,587
TX—Lewisville, Eagle Academies of Texas, $713,654
WA—Vancouver, Evergreen School District #114 Area 1 Schools, $317,098

###

Top

Back to September 2006