NMPED News:
SANTA FE — New Mexico high school students this year gained more than 10 points on average in Advanced Placement tests for computer science and achieved a 72 percent pass rate for in-depth calculus.
Overall, scores increased on 15 AP tests, including eight science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) tests: Calculus BC, Chemistry, Computer Science A, Computer Science Principles, Macroeconomics, Physics Mechanics, Physics 2 and Statistics.
“While the number of students participating in AP testing dropped due to the pandemic, we are encouraged to see across-the-board improvement in these important STEM courses,” Public Education Secretary (Designate) Kurt Steinhaus said. “We’re also pleased to see more girls and more bilingual learners taking AP tests in STEM subjects. Now our goal is to get more students into AP courses whether at their own schools or online.”
The New Mexico Public Education Department reported that 7,959 students in grades 8 through 12 took a total of 12,708 exams this year — with test-takers for all 38 AP subjects for the first time in many years. That total is down 14 percent from 14,791 AP tests taken in 2020 and down 25.6 percent from a record 17,082 tests taken in 2017.
Of the 12,708 exams taken by New Mexico students last spring, 35.5 percent resulted in grades of 3 (qualified), 4 (well qualified) or 5 (extremely well qualified). That is down slightly from 2020, when New Mexico students took 14,791 tests and 43.2 percent received grades of 3, 4 or 5. It is the lowest passing percentage since 2017, when 35.4% got grades of 3, 4 or 5.
“Clearly, remote learning and other disruptions last year affected students taking AP courses and exams just as they affected other students,” Steinhaus said. “We expect a quick return to higher and higher pass rates as we return to a new normal this year.”
Despite the lower number of overall test-takers, almost 20 percent more students (238) took the in-depth calculus test (which College Board calls Calculus BC), and the pass rate increased to 72.3 percent compared to the pre-pandemic average of 61.2 percent in 2019. The 2020 score average was 70.1 percent.
In addition to the eight STEM subjects, student pass rates (a score of 3 or above) improved in these courses: Art Studio: Drawing, Chemistry, Chinese, German, Music Theory, Capstone: Research, Capstone: Seminar.
AP tests for the 2020-2021 school year were taken worldwide between May 3 and June 11, depending on the exam. Traditionally, AP exams are conducted in person with only one primary testing window. In 2021, College Board provided three windows and permitted virtual exams to allow for flexibility amid the global pandemic.
Depending on their test scores, students who take AP courses in high school can get college credit before ever setting foot on a campus or can skip introductory college courses when they get there, leading to earlier graduation. Additionally, having AP courses on a high school transcript tells college recruiters that a student is motivated academically.
The New Mexico Higher Education Department has a guaranteed credit policy for scores of 3 or higher, so students know exactly which college class they’ll earn anywhere in New Mexico. Additionally, the College Board website has a search tool that allows students to look up the acceptance policy at any school of their choosing.
Not all schools offer AP courses. However, the Public Education Department will cover the tuition cost for students enrolled in online AP courses not offered on their own campuses. The department also offers professional development at no cost for public school teachers who wish to offer AP courses.
Students are sometimes steered toward AP courses by score reports from the PSAT/NMSQT test administered in the fall. Those reports identify courses in which students have AP potential. Schools are urged to use that data to determine which AP courses they should offer.
Research consistently shows that AP students are better prepared for college, more likely to enroll, more likely to stay in college, and more likely to do well in their classes and graduate in four years than students who don’t take AP.