With more high school students taking Advanced Placement exams than a decade ago, high schools are becoming hubs for higher education.

In an annual report published on Feb. 11, College Board, the company that runs AP classes and exams, released the number of students taking AP class in each state. In New York, 38 percent of 2013 public high school graduates took an AP exam during high school, up from 31 percent in 2003.

More than 1 million members of the public high school class of 2013 took AP exams nationwide, up from more than 514,000 in 2003, according to a Feb. 11 Associated Press article.

In order to receive college credit for AP classes, students must obtain a certain score on the exam that is given at the end of the school year. At Syracuse University, students must earn a minimum score of three on many AP exams, which are scored from one to five, to receive college credit. SU currently accepts credit for 39 AP tests.

More and more U.S. curriculums are being shaped to prepare students for life beyond high school. The increases in AP class enrollment show that this emphasis is working, said Barry Copeland, principal at West Genesee High School.

“This is in line with the general increase in the New York State Education Department’s emphasis on students being even more college and career ready upon graduating from high school,” Copeland said in an email. “Public education continues to prepare students well for both during and after their high school experience.”

Copeland said that teachers and administrative personnel emphasize that students attempt at least one college level course, whether it be AP, SU Project Advance, or other courses, prior to graduating.

Though AP classes involve an accelerated curriculum, some SU students feel that the classes may not be as challenging as they seem.

Sarah Valenzuela, a sophomore political science and broadcast and digital journalism major, believes more students are taking AP classes and passing the tests because they’re easier than they were in the past.

Valenzuela, who is from New York state, said she noticed little difference between her AP U.S. history exam’s essay questions and the essay questions on the U.S. history Regents, which were part of the state’s standardized testing.

“The essay questions were the same on both tests so I wrote the same essay for both,” Valenzuela said.  “If you study the right way, the test is very easy.”

Kristin Cordon, a junior graphic design and information technology major, said that she had a smooth experience taking an AP class, and the course was easier than she thought it would be.

Cordon said that students might take the classes to get arts and sciences prerequisites out of the way before going to college. However, Cordon said AP classes don’t provide the experience of a college class.

“I took an AP class for the college credit, but the experience I had in high school doesn’t even compare to the experience I’ve had with classes here at Syracuse,” Cordon said.

Valenzuela said her AP class experience was exceptional as her class was a tight group, something students may not experience at a college campus.

“My class was like a family and everything that we did had a purpose so it wasn’t as demanding as some might think,” she said.

Published on February 20, 2014 at 12:34 am

Contact Justin: jmatting@syr.edu | @jmattingly306