School leaders know exposure to advanced coursework increases graduation and college-going rates. Students who take AP® courses and exams have better college outcomes than their peers, even if they don’t earn a score that qualifies them for college credit or advanced placement. Research shows that expanding access to more students creates more opportunities.
“AP helped me succeed in my college courses by preparing me with efficient study habits, writing skills, and time management skills. I felt confident and prepared when entering college, and it’s all because of AP!”—Briana, AP alum
By providing more students with more exposure to advanced coursework, educators can advance student achievement in their entire school. Explore strategies in these Spotlights on Success that schools, districts, and states across the country have used to build, expand, and strengthen their AP programs. From creating policies that promote student engagement to providing additional support to AP students beyond the classroom, check out what educators have shared that’s been most effective for their schools.
“As a school with a diverse population, many of whom are first generation, AP courses have opened doors for students to postsecondary opportunities that they never would have dreamed were possible.”—Dawn Moss, AP teacher, GA
As a school leader, you can build college-readiness skills by starting, growing, or enhancing your AP program. As you plan for the next academic year, utilize these resources and ideas.
- Build Your AP Program—Check out these ideas for course groupings, sequencing, and pathways such as project-based AP courses, career connections to AP, popular AP courses by grade, STEM learning, AP course pairings, and recommended courses for underclassmen.
- Broaden Access to AP with AP Potential (TM)—AP Potential is a free, online tool that allows schools to generate rosters of students who are likely to score a 3 or higher on a given AP Exam based on their performance on the PSAT/NMSQT®, PSAT™ 8/9, PSAT™ 10, or SAT®. And, with enhancements made in early December, you’ll be able to better understand areas of opportunity for your AP program at the school level and identify more students who are ready for AP. Ensure you have the right number of sections and course offerings planned for next school year. Use this powerful tool to ensure every student likely to succeed in an AP course takes AP.
- New: AP Precalculus—Available for schools to offer for the 2023–24 academic year, AP Precalculus is designed to prepare more students for the math they’ll encounter in college. The course has a unique mission: to make the benefits of AP coursework broadly accessible, particularly to those students who’ve never been in an AP course. It’s designed for students who’ve completed Geometry and Algebra 2, or for students who’ve completed Integrated Math 3. Students who’ve taken these courses at any level have covered the content necessary for AP Precalculus.
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