The number of Mississippi students taking AP exams and the number of exams with a qualifying score have both nearly doubled since 2013, with exam takers increasing from 5,056 to 9,369 and the number of exams with scores of 3 or higher rising from 2,437 to 4,440.
The Mississippi Department of Education implemented an AP Initiative in 2015-16 to increase statewide participation in AP courses. The effort includes raising awareness about AP benefits, increasing access to AP opportunities and providing AP-focused professional development for teachers, principals and counselors. Participation in AP and other accelerated courses is a factor in accountability grades.
The AP Initiative also includes a focus on subgroup performance and equity in AP access.
AP ACHIEVEMENTS
- In 2016-17, Mississippi saw GROWTH IN ALL THREE MAJOR CATEGORIES of AP participation in performance, with a 14.2 percent increase in participation, a 13 percent increase in the number of exams taken and a 19.8 percent increase in students achieving qualifying scores
- AP exam participation increased 30.3 percent for African-American students and a total of 39.4 PERCENT FOR ALL MINORITY STUDENTS.
- AP SCHOLAR AWARDS NEARLY DOUBLED since 2015, jumping from 585 to 1,042. AP scholar awards are given to students who earn qualifying scores on multiple AP exams.
- 31.1 percent of students used a U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FEE SUBSIDY to pay for their AP exam.
Learn more about rising student achievement in Mississippi in the 2016-17 Superintendent’s Annual Report.