High schoolers break college credit record

A record number of South Carolina high school students earned college credit by passing an Advanced Placement exam this year, according to results released Tuesday by the College Board.

An all-time high 15,362 students scored well enough to earn college credit, which is a 3 percent increase from last year. The number of exams taken also rose from 26,117 to 26,872, according to the state's results.

State Education Superintendent Jim Rex said the dramatic increase in the number of students taking and doing well on the exams was good news, and he was especially pleased with the strong gains made by black students. The number of AP exams taken by black students in the last five years has jumped 46 percent to 2,258, and students in that group earning college credit on the exams have increased 25 percent to 620.

The results show that students will respond positively when more Advanced Placement courses are offered to them, Rex said.

Nationally, nearly 1.6 million students took 2.7 million exams, and 1.5 million students earned college credit. The students taking the tests as well as the number of tests taken both increased 8 percent while those earning credit rose 5 percent.

Students must score a three or higher on a five-point scale to receive college credit on exams such as biology, English literature, calculus and U.S. history. The state has paid for Advanced Placement instructional materials, students' test fees and offered specialized training for teachers since 1984. Every student in an AP course is required to take the test.

The College Board only released state and national Advanced Placement scores; local district and school scores will be made public later this fall.

Reach Diette Courrégé at 937-5546 or dcourrege@postandcourier.com.