Press Releases


September 7, 2001

  


Fairfax County Public Schools Sees Continuing Progress for Minorities on Advanced Placement Exams

 Participation by minority students in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) on the Advanced Placement (AP) exams continues to expand, and minority students are achieving better scores than they did in 2000, according to results of the May 2001 examinations. The school system now requires all students who take AP classes to take the exams and pays for the exams as a way to encourage and boost student achievement.

The total number of FCPS students taking the AP examinations rose slightly from 8,547 in 2000 to 8,716 students in 2001 (table 2). The data show that not only did the number of minority students taking the exams increase, but the number of individual exams that minority students took also increased, and, for the most part, minority students scored higher than last year. For example, 400 Black students took 664 AP exams in 2000. In 2001, 381 Black students took 673 AP exams. Average test scores for Black students rose from 2.40 in 2000 to 2.47 in 2001. The percent of Black students scoring at or above 3 has also continued to rise from 41 percent in 1999 to 43 percent in 2000 to 45 percent in 2001 (table 1).

The number of Hispanic students taking the exams continued to rise from 500 in 2000 to 503 in 2001. However the number of tests they took declined slightly from 860 in 2000 to 825 in 2001 (tables 3 and 1). The mean score decreased slightly from 3.15 in 2000 to 3.11 in 2001, but it was still well above the national average score of 2.97 for students from all ethnic groups. Overall, the number of minority students who took at least one AP exam rose from 2,463 in 2000 to 2,505 in 2001 (table 3).

"These results continue an encouraging trend," said Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Daniel Domenech. "We are seeing a rise in the number of minority students taking the exams and in the number of exams they are taking. Most impressively, minority students are, in many cases, also scoring higher. We hope to maintain this trend and to continue our focus on increasing the achievement of all our students."

The total number of AP exams taken by all students in Fairfax County Public Schools was 17,351, up from 17,000 in 2000. The average test score remained constant at 3.0 (table 1). The average score nationwide is 2.97.

Overall data show that test scores of 3.0 or above decreased from 63 percent in 2000 to 62 percent in 2001. This compares to 62 percent nationwide.

The Advanced Placement (AP) examinations of the College Entrance Examination Board measure college-level achievement of students from more than 13,000 schools across the nation. These examinations are not required but are taken voluntarily by students applying, in advance, for college credits. Examinations are offered in English, history, sciences, psychology, mathematics, foreign languages, computer science, music, and art. On each examination, students must demonstrate mastery of a full year's objectives during a three-hour national examination. In all subjects except art, examinations contain both multiple-choice questions and free-response questions that require essay writing and problem solving.

May 1999 was the first time the Fairfax County School Board required that students taking AP courses also take the exams.

After leading the pack for at least 14 years, United States History (2,420 tests) has been replaced by Government and Politics: United States (2,759 tests) as the most frequently taken test in FCPS (table 4). The number of tests taken in art, music, and foreign language continued to decline from 2,259 in 1999 to 1,876 in 2001 which mirrors the increasing emphasis on the core areas of English language, math, history, and science. English Language and Composition had the largest percentage change in tests taken, going from 481 in 2000 to 690 in 2001--a 43 percent increase.

Average scores were based on the following grade scale: five equals extremely well qualified, four equals well qualified, three equals qualified, two equals possibly qualified, and one equals no recommendation.

The examinations are administered in the county's high schools each May under the direction of the Educational Testing Service (ETS) in Princeton, New Jersey.

TABLE 1
FCPS Results for All Advanced Placement (AP) Examinations
Mean Score and Number of Tests Taken and
Percent and Number at or Above 3
1999 Through 2001

Mean Score (MS) and Number (N) of Tests Taken
Percent (%) and Number (N) at or Above 3
1999
2000
2001
1999
2000
2001
MS
N
MS
N
MS
N
%
N
%
N
%
N

Asian
2.77
3,127
2.81
3,387
2.88
3,488
55
1,731
56
1,906
58
2,034

Black
2.35
638
2.40
664
2.47
673
41
263
43
288
45
300

Hispanic
3.20
802
3.15
860
3.11
825
68
545
64
554
63
519

White
3.07
10,482
3.08
10,741
3.08
11,022
65
6,798
66
7,063
65
7,162

Other
2.81
808
3.00
900
2.86
867
56
455
63
571
57
497

Not Stated
3.14
1,129
2.96
448
3.08
476
64
724
60
270
66
313

Females
2.92
9,208
2.94
9,061
2.93
9,301
60
5,537
57
5,127
60
5,587

Males
3.06
7,778
3.06
7,939
3.09
8,050
64
4,979
70
5,525
65
5,238

Total
2.98
16,986
3.00
17,000
3.00
17,351
62
10,516
63
10,652
62
10,825

 

TABLE 2
FCPS Advanced Placement (AP) Examinations
Number and Percent of Students
Tested by Grade Level
1999 Through 2001

 Grade Level
 Number by Grade Level
Percent by Grade Level  
 1999
 2000
 2001
 1999
 2000
 2001
 9 and 10

 964

 465

620 

 10.9

 5.4

 7.1
 11

 3,275

 3,246

 3,100

 37

 38

 35.6
 12

 4,438

 4,648

 4,800

 50.1

 54.4

 55.1
 Other

 185

 188

 196

 2.1

 2.2

 2.2
 All Students

 8,862

 8,547

 8,716
 -
 -
 -

 

TABLE 3
FCPS Advanced Placement (AP) Examinations
Number and Percent of Students
Tested by Ethnicity*
1999 Through 2001

 Ethnicity
 Number of Students Tested
 Percent of Students Tested
 1999
 2000
 2001
 1999
 2000
 2001

Asian

 1,512

1,563

 1,621

 18.4

18.8 

 19.1

Black

 389

 400

 381

 4.7

 4.8

 4.5

Hispanic

 490

 500

 503

 6

 6

 5.9

White

 5,427

 5,435

 5,505

 65.9

 65.4

 65.0

Other

 419

 409

 462

 5.1

 4.9

 5.5

Total

 8,237

 8,307

 8,472

 100

 100

 100
*Numbers and percentages represent only those students who took the test and indicated their ethnicity.

 

 

TABLE 4
FCPS Advanced Placement (AP) Examinations by Subject
Mean Scores, Percent at or Above 3,
and Number of Tests Taken
1999 Through 2001

 Tests
 Mean Score
 Percent at or Above 3
 Number of Tests Taken
 1999
 2000
 2001
 1999
 2000
 2001
 1999
 2000
 2001

English Language and Composition
3.12
2.91
2.89
68
61
59
437
481
690

 English Literature and Composition
3.24
 3.16
 2.98
 76
73
 64
 1,850
 2,043
 2,022

 Math, Calculus AB
2.37
 2.63
 2.60
 43
51
 51
 1,708
 1,676
 1,656

 Math, Calculus BC
3.24
 3.14
 3.44
 67
 62
 73
 954
 1,028
 919

 United States History
 2.91
 2.98
 3.00
 57
 61
 61
 2,477
 2,530
 2,420

 European History
 2.72
 2.67
 2.75
 59
 55
 57
 775
 303
 394

 Gov't. and Politics: United States
 3.25
 3.04
 3.03
 72
 66
 66
 2,266
 2,442
 2,759

 Gov't. and Politics: Comparative
 3.20
 3.30
 3.00
 71
 75
 71
 508
 413
 306

 Economics, Micro
 *
  *
 3.80
 *
 *
 87
 *
 *
 54

 Economics, Macro
 *
 3.29
 3.83
 *
 71
 81
 *
 28
 52

 Biology
 3.00
3.04 
 2.96
 58
 61
 57
 922
 953
 879

 Chemistry
 3.06
3.15
 3.01
 59
 67
 61
 494
 484
 473

 Physics B
 2.89
 1.91
 2.45
 69
 30
 46
 35
 129
 135

 Physics C, Mechanics
 2.94
 2.89
 2.96
 60
 56
 62
 342
 412
 384

 Physics C, Electric and Magnetic
 2.70
 3.02
 2.87
 47
 58
 55
 255
 261
 251

 Psychology
 3.25
 3.42
 3.42
 67
 72
 71
 578
 664
 797

 Computer Science A
 2.30
 2.57
 2.58
 44
 60
 51
 115
 79
 96

 Computer Science AB
 3.27
 3.17
 3.47
 70
 65
 76
 614
 601
 557

 French Language
 2.95
 2.72
 2.75
 60
 58
 57
 321
 275
 260

 French Literature
  *
 4.29
 3.52
 *
 88
 72
 *
 41
 25

 German Language
 2.83
 2.60
 2.70
 58
 45
 48
 154
 118
 116

 Latin, Vergil
 1.53
 1.73
 2.58
 12
 23
 52
 85
 93
 33

 Latin Literature
 1.68
 1.68
 2.02
 21
 26
 30
 77
 31
 92

 Spanish Language
 3.46
 3.63
 3.88
 76
 82
 85
 705
 674
 571

Spanish Literature
3.19
3.44
3.56
73
80
85
138
122
93

Art: History
2.28
2.29
2.54
43
40
50
464
303
382

Art: Studio Drawing
2.96
2.61
3.03
67
55
59
49
38
29

Art: Studio General
2.71
2.88
2.63
51
54
42
80
65
78

Music Theory
3.06
3.17
3.13
67
70
71
186
139
197

Statistics
2.70
2.54
2.64
49
48
50
342
553
628

Total All Exams
2.98
3.00
3.00
62
63
62
16,986
17,000
17,351
*Summary data are not reported for groups fewer than 25.

###




Last update: September 7, 2001
Curator: Therese Payne -- Therese.Payne@fcps.edu