Montgomery County High School Black Students Pass 1000 AP Exams

Daniel de Vise:

Black students in Montgomery County high schools passed 1,062 Advanced Placement tests this year, making the school system the first, along with the New York City public schools, to cross the thousand-test threshold.

Superintendent Jerry D. Weast announced the results yesterday at a news conference. He challenged education leaders to engage in a "friendly competition" to increase AP participation among black students, who remain underrepresented in the college preparatory program.

In the District, the number of AP exams taken by black students rose by nearly 50 percent, though the number of passing scores rose only slightly, the school district reported.

Black students in Prince George's County took 740 more tests than they did last year, a 34 percent increase, and about 100 more exams received passing marks. AP performance among black students in Fairfax County was essentially unchanged.

Montgomery, Fairfax and most other D.C. area school systems have posted tremendous gains in AP testing in this decade, part of a vast expansion nationwide in college-level course work in high schools. Although most school systems remain focused on overall AP results, some districts have publicly campaigned to raise the performance of black students.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at December 4, 2007 8:40 AM
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