Advanced Placement test scores continue to rise in Connecticut, as does the number of students taking them.
According to figures announced by the state Department of Education, 5 percent more students took AP exams in the 2017-2018 school year than the year before. Students of color did particularly well, with double-digit gains in both the number of students taking AP exams and the number of them that scored a 3, 4, or 5 on the exams.
The numbers did not take into account how many students enrolled in an AP class did not take the AP exam. Low-performing students are sometimes discouraged from taking the test, and that could inflate overall averages.
Department of Education Commissioner Dianna Wentzell said the numbers reflect efforts by the state to increase access to challenging college-level material like AP for underrepresented student populations.
"Delivering on our promise to prepare all of our students to succeed in college and careers means setting higher expectations for what they should know and be able to do,” said Wentzell. “We commend our students and our educators for rising to that challenge."
This year 19,000 Connecticut students were sent letters by the Department of Education for having potential to succeed in AP courses, based on their 2017 PSAT scores.
For the last five years, the state Department of Education has paid the AP exam fee for low-income students in Connecticut.