Results

IDENTIFIERS *Wake County Public School System NC The Advanced Placement (AP) Program allows high school students to learn subjects at a college level of difficulty. Students may receive college credit if they earn a high enough score on the AP examination typically taken at the end of an AP course. This report describes the participation and achievement of AP students in the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS), North Carolina. All WCPSS high schools offer AP courses, and overall, 17 % of Wake County high school students took AP examinations in 1999. Thirty-one AP courses were offered, with five common courses offered in every school: U.S. History, Biology, English Language and Composition, English Literature and Composition, and Calculus AB. In comparison to other regions, Wake County excelled on the average score and the percent of scores of 3 or more (77.8%) for the examinations overall and most of the 31 examinations given. More female students took the AP examinations, but males (82%) were more likely to score a 3 or higher than females (75%). Black and Hispanic students were underrepresented among AP examination takers, but Hispanic students who did take the examination showed the highest percentage of scores of 3 or more. Examination score trends over 3 years are discussed, and some questions are raised about the consequences for the school district of encouraging more students to take AP courses and examinations. An attachment contains brief descriptions of the AP courses. (SLD) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document