On Monday, students and teachers across Savannah logged onto their College Board account to find out the results of their Advanced Placement (AP) tests.

The stakes can be high for teachers, as well as students, and many describe the test taking experience as highly stressful. During the school year, AP teachers often spend their weekends grading FRQs (free-response questions), DBQs (document-based questions), and MCQs (multiple-choice questions) from practice exams.

Preliminary data released by SCCPSS shows that the number of students taking the exams have increased, and so has the percentage of students passing with a score of three or higher.

The number of SCCPSS students taking AP classes increased from 1,229 in 2023 to 1,295 in 2024, marking an increase of 66 students. The total number of AP exams taken rose from 2,021 in 2023 to 2,138 in 2024. The percentage of exams scoring a 3 or higher increased from 51% in 2023 to 65% in 2024, a gain of 14%.

All SCCPSS high schools offer AP class options. Out of the 40 different course options offered by the College Board, SCCPSS offers 34.

Dr. Denise Watts, Superintendent of the Savannah-Chatham County School System, says, “Advanced Placement test scores are important, but not the most significant aspect of going down this college-readiness pathway. It is really about the experience it offers to students. Regardless of the score, students who engage in Advanced Placement courses have experiences that support their development beyond the academic benefits of a test score. They learn time management and strong study skills. Students build self-confidence and a sense of efficacy that they are for college level work. Students also deepen problem solving skills and creativity. Finally, students have the opportunity to save time and money once they enter into college when they take Advanced Placement Courses.”

Watts continues, “It is very difficult to measure these things on a standardized test, but they are important enduring qualities for college, work, and life in general. Research is clear that whether the student passes the test or not, they have better educational outcomes from the experience that the course offers.”

Of the educators Watts says, “I am appreciative of teachers that are offering this ‘experience’ to students. These teachers are a critical part of ensuring students have the choice-filled life that we aspire to for students in SCCPSS.”

SCCPSS received a state grant specifically for teachers to attend AP Summer Institute (APSI) training. APSI classes are a week of intense training for high school instructors who are teaching AP classes. The fees that the College Board charges for teachers to take the APSI courses range from $700 to $1,400 per teacher.

Mr. Derrick Dozier-Muhammad, principal of Sol C. Johnson High School says, “the students asked for us to offer the course last year when Gov. DeSantis was in the news for changing the curriculum and zeroing in on this course. They banned this course from being taught in the state of Florida, that’s what got the students excited, and some students from the student council asked if we could teach the class the following year, … I wasn’t going to turn that down when I got students asking to take an AP course.”

“Then I had to find a teacher, I had to hire a teacher because I didn’t have anybody in the building that could do it—so I ended up hiring a teacher and sending them to (APSI) training,” explains Dozier-Muhammad.

“There were definitely some discussions in the class, a lot of information that they had never heard before, so they enjoyed it. There were also a lot of projects, presentations, and the students had a chance to do their research. It wasn’t a boring course,” Dozier-Muhammad said.

“I was so excited that they came to me and requested the course,” says Dozier-Muhammad. “They were in an uproar about what was going on in Florida. You know how students are, they came in their version of asking, ‘they can’t do that, they can’t tell us what we can learn. Why don’t we offer this course? Can we offer this course?,’ So I said, ‘yes, let’s do it.’”
Dozier-Muhammad had 18 students take the AP course this year, and it will be offered again this coming school year.

In addition to AP classes, the College Board, a not-for-profit organization, also administers the SAT and PSAT exams. In 2023, the College Board reported administering more than 5 million AP exams. It costs schools $98 for a student to take an AP exam. SCPPSS pays the testing fees for all students sitting for AP exams.

Despite being a nonprofit, the College Board is a billion dollar industry with income streams that include, but are not limited to, APSI classes for teachers, and AP, SAT, PSAT exams for students.

Of the 16 College Board executives listed on ProPublica, two make annual salaries and benefits in excess of two million dollars; the other 14 listed range from $400,000 to $650,000. The salaries for these 16 College Board executives total approximately $12 million annually.

The College Board has received criticism for the amount of profits it keeps. Based on IRS filings, over nine of the past 10 years the College Board’s profits have ranged from 4% to 13%. Which means that after all expenses (salaries, exam materials, scoring, etc.) the College Board keeps between four to 13 of every 100 dollars it takes in.

2024 AP exams were administered in schools over two weeks in May: May 6–10 and May 13–17.

This week the College Board released the 2024 AP Score Distributions. When compared to the 2023 numbers, 14 courses saw increased pass rate scores (3 or higher), 14 decreased scores, and 10 remained the same.

This article appears in Connect Savannah I July 2024.

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