Nevada students improve Advanced Placement exam proficiency
Submitted by editor on Thu, 10/25/2018 - 7:34am
CARSON CITY — More Nevada students who took the Advanced Placement Exam in 2018 showed they are college ready.
“Research shows that students who pass the AP Exam with a 3 or higher not only demonstrate that they are ready for freshman college classes, but that they are also more likely to graduate college in four years,” said Steve Canavero, Ph.D., Superintendent of Public Instruction.“Students earning college credit can save what they would otherwise have to pay for another year of college. Additionally, more than $600,000 was invested by the state through the College and Career Readiness Grant to be used by the Districts and Charter Schools to support at-risk and underserved student groups with access to AP programs in high schools and to provide additional training for AP teachers.”
In Nevada, 20,505 public school students took an AP Exam in 2018. The number of public school students who scored a 3 or higher on an AP Exam increased form 10,579 in 2017 to 10,922 in 2018, a 3.24 percent increase. Scores of 3 or higher qualify students for college credit, placement, or both.
The College Board, which administers both the AP Exams and SAT college entrance exams, announced Thursday that 20 percent of students in Nevada’s class of 2018 took the new SAT at least once during high school. Nationally, 2.1 million students from the class of 2018 took the new SAT at least once.
In Nevada, 62 percent of students from the class of 2018 who took the new SAT met the college readiness benchmarks, showing they are likely ready to take and succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing college courses. Students must meet both the Evidence-Reading and Writing and the Math section benchmarks.
In the 2017-18 school year, 22,981 students in Nevada completed the SAT or a PSAT-related assessment. In Nevada, 18,116 students took the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 10 test takers who met both of their respective grade-level section benchmarks, indicating they’re on track for college and career readiness:
— 10th graders: 67 percent met the Evidence-Reading and Writing benchmark, and 41 percent met the Math section benchmark.
— 11th graders: 81 percent met the Evidence-Reading and Writing benchmark, and 53 percent met the Math section benchmark.
The College Board gives students free career and educational planning tools, and the assessments connect to opportunities like fee waivers and over $230 million in scholarships while identifying students who show potential to succeed in an Advanced Placement course. The College Board and Khan Academy have teamed up to provide free, personalized Official SAT Practice to make it easier than ever to prepare.
