THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE COLLEGE BOARD AP EXAM REGISTRATION PROCESS AND AFRICAN- AMERICAN STUDENTS’ MATHEMATICS AP EXAM PARTICIPATION RATES

College Board implemented a new Advanced Placement Registration Process (APRP) for the 2019-2020 school year. In this study, I argued that the change in the APRP would affect African American student\u27s motivation to participate in mathematics AP exams more disproportionately than other racial groups due to earlier registration and mandatory fees if students change their minds. This quantitative study was grounded in Self-Determination Theory to examine if the APRP affects African American students\u27 feeling of autonomy, competency in their mathematics AP course, and overall intrinsic motivation to register for a mathematics AP exam. The data collected from the survey were analyzed using a one-way ANOVA test, which identified that students who registered for an AP mathematics exam had a stronger sense of vii competence versus students that did not register for the exam. The findings from this study suggest that while the College Board may be continuing to try to increase AP access to African American students, there needs to be a review of their new AP Registration Process and how it could disincentivize African American students to register for an AP mathematics exam