By Patricia Levesque, Executive Director
Today, the College Board released its 2018 AP Cohort Data Report, which details Advanced Placement course participation and completion by state.
Florida’s results are positive, with both student participation and completion on the rise. But why are the results important to you?
- Research shows that students who take AP exams – even if they don’t earn college credit – are more likely to graduate college on-time.
- If your child does earn college credit while in high school, you are potentially saving hundreds of dollars in future college expenses. In fact, Florida families saved an estimated $133 million in future college education based upon last year’s results.
- Students who earn a bachelor’s degrees earn nearly a million dollars more on average over their lifetime than a high school graduate. On average, students who obtain an associate’s degree earn $400,000 more over their lifetime than a high school graduate.
For all these reasons, it is important that Florida policymakers continue to support student-centered policies that make the system work for the kids.
Here are a few highlights from the report:
- Florida moves up one spot to the third best state in the nation in the percentage of graduates scoring a 3 or above on their exams, which provides students an opportunity to earn college credit.
- Nearly 56 percent of Florida’s 2018 high school graduates participated in AP courses.
- Florida public and private high school students completed more than 209,000 AP exams in 2018, earning passing scores of 3 or higher.
While we celebrate Florida’s success, we cannot remain complacent. Achievement gaps between student groups still persist and there is more to be done to promote equity in our schools.
One of the first things our legislative leaders can do is to fully fund the Assistance for Low Performing Schools program, which hasn’t had a substantive increase in support in four years.
I hope you will join me in calling on our state leaders to continue working to ensure the success of each and every student, so that your child continues to benefit.
