Number of AP Exams Taken Continues to Rise in FCPS

Students in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) are taking more Advanced Placement (AP) examinations, according to data just released by FCPS Superintendent Daniel A. Domenech. In addition, Asian, Hispanic, and White students’ participation reached an all-time high in 2003.

The total number of AP exams taken by all students rose to 20,689, up from 20,236 in 2002 (see Attachment 1). Along with the rise in the number of tests taken is an increase in scores of three or above to 13,278 in 2003, up from 13,089 in 2002 (see Attachment 1).

“Fairfax County has been recognized in Newsweek magazine as having the most challenging high schools in the country,” said Domenech. “All of our eligible high schools were designated as the most demanding public schools in the nation, based on the Washington Post Challenge Index, and more students than ever are taking the challenge and succeeding. I am very pleased to see our highest participation ever–and our best results ever.”

The total number of students taking AP exams was 10,169 in 2003, compared to 10,313 in 2002 (see Attachment 2). The drop in the number of students taking AP exams from 2002 to 2003 is attributed to the opening of International Baccalaureate (IB) programs at Annandale and Lee High Schools during the 2001-02 school year. In 2001-02, 258 Annandale High students took AP tests and 76 took IB tests; in 2002-03, 114 Annandale High students took AP tests and 238 took IB tests. Similarly, in 2001-02, 160 Lee High students took AP tests and 88 took IB tests; in 2002-03, 20 Lee High students took AP tests and 255 took IB tests. A limited number of students take IB tests during the first year of the program because many IB courses are part of a two-year sequence, and exams are given at the end of the second year.

Overall participation of minority students in the AP exams has increased significantly in Fairfax County. The number of students scoring a three or above was at a historical high for Asian students (see Attachment 1). The number of tests taken by Asian students rose from 4,187 in 2002 to 4,491 in 2003, and their average score remained constant, going from 2.95 to 2.96. Scores for Hispanic students dipped slightly from 3.11 to 3.02, while the number of tests taken rose from 1,012 to 1,071. Black students took 726 tests in 2003, down from the historical high of 780 in 2002, with an increase in average test scores from 2.39 in 2002 to 2.42 in 2003.

Some of the biggest gains by students scoring three or above were made in the three Physics exams, increasing by 16 percent in Physics C, Electric and Magnetic; by 13 percent in Physics B; and by 8 percent in Physics C, Mechanics. Other subject areas that showed large gains in the number of students scoring three or above were German Language (19 percent) and Environmental Science (18 percent), which also evidenced the largest increase in participation of any test, increasing by more than 100 percent from 404 exams in 2002 to 902 exams in 2003. (see Attachment 4).

The number of 12th grade students taking the exams increased from 4,683 in 2002 to 4,843 in 2003. Twelfth graders also continued to constitute the largest percentage of test takers, making up 47.6 percent of the tested population (see Attachment 2).

Of the students who indicated their ethnicity, the number of Asian students increased from 1,939 to 1,975; the number of Hispanic students increased from 598 to 622; the number of White students remained relatively stable at 6,428 in 2003 compared to 6,456 in 2002; and the number of Black students decreased from 434 to 404 (see Attachment 3).

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Note: For more information, contact Ray Diroll, coordinator, FCPS Office of Student Testing, at 703-208-7780.

Attachment 1