COLUMBUS, Ohio – More Ohio high school students are taking and passing advanced placement tests than in previous years and Ohio shows more growth than the nation as a whole.
The national College Board report for 2012-2013 showed the number of Ohio students earning “3” or higher on a 5-point scale grew by 9.2 percent compared with 6.1 percent nationally, Dr. Richard Ross, the state superintendent of public instruction, said Thursday. Sixty-six percent of Ohio’s public school students scored “3” or better compared with 57 percent nationally, he said.
“These Advanced Placement results are really a tribute to educators and students who are working hard both teaching and taking the most challenging classes we can offer. Ohio students have been given the opportunity to take rigorous courses and these numbers show that they are up to the challenge,” Ross said.
The annual exams are given to high school students completing college-level study. Ohio students scoring “3” or higher are guaranteed college credit at Ohio’s public colleges and universities.
The double-digit growth in the number of exams taken and passed by the state’s African-American and Hispanic students also outstripped the nation as a whole, Ross said.
The number of Hispanic students earning a “3” or higher grew by 19.9 percent compared with 13.3 percent nationally. The number of African-American students grew by 17.2 percent compared with 11.1 percent nationally.