Thousands of students from low-income backgrounds will have access to Advanced Placement (AP) tests under grants to states announced today by U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige. Eighteen states, the District of Columbia and Guam applied for the AP Incentive Program grants and will share in $6.5 million to encourage students from low-income backgrounds to prepare for and take AP tests.

"College entrance exams reveal that young people who take challenging classes, such as Advanced Placement courses, perform better than their peers regardless of their family or financial background," Paige said. "Taking the harder classes is one of the keys to academic success. These grants can help encourage students to challenge themselves and help our schools to close the achievement gap between students from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers."

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

• the fees the state will pay with award funds and how many students are expected to benefit;

• how low-income students will be identified and deemed eligible;

• how the availability of test fee payments will be promoted through high school teachers and counselors; and,

• how the effectiveness of the program will be measured within each state.

In addition to the benefits AP courses offer by strengthening high school achievement, 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.

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, contacts and grant amounts.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT INCENTIVE PROGRAM AWARDS

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