State students improve in Advanced Placement exams

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South Carolina students improved in Advanced Placement course results in 2019 and outperformed the national average in eight of the top 10 most-tested subjects, according to the S.C. Department of Education.

The state’s class of 2019 improved in all three major areas of AP participation and performance, according to a news release. The annual College Board AP program results report found that 34.6%, or 15,330, of S.C. public high school 2019 graduates took at least one AP exam, up from 34.4% the year before.

Graduates scoring 3 or higher on at least one AP exam increased from 19.9% in 2018 to 20.3% for the class of 2019. An AP exam score of 3 indicates a candidate who is qualified to take college-level courses and gives at student the opportunity to earn college credit for the course.

The state’s 2019 seniors took 49,445 AP exams during their high school careers, 1,760 more than the class of 2018. Of those students, 58.8% scored 3 or higher on the exams, compared to 56.7% the previous year.

State students outperformed the national average in percentage of exams with scores of three or higher on eight of the top 10 most popular AP subjects. Those subjects were: world history (S.C. 60%; U.S. 54%); U.S. history (55% to 50%); U.S. government and politics (64% to 54%); human geography (52% to 51%); English literature and composition (52% to 47%); English language and composition (58% to 55%); calculus AB (58% to 57%); and biology (66% to 62%).

“Our state policies, funding and support have made us a national leader in Advanced Placement, and I know that by continuing to be innovative we will expand on our success,” S.C. Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman said in the release.