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"To improve educational opportunities for all students, we must incorporate access to AP® courses for all students, including those that are in underserved groups."
William E. McHenry, Ph.D.
Assistant Commissioner for Academic Affairs
Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning
Financial Resources for Schools, Teachers, and Students
Partnerships
Sponsored Events
Publications
Electronic Discussion Groups
A Commitment by the College Board
Recent studies by the U.S. Department of Education and the College Board, titled Answers in the Tool Box and College Persistence, Graduation, and Remediation respectively, indicate that students who take rigorous and high-quality coursework -- precisely the kind offered through Advanced Placement courses and exams -- are more likely to complete a bachelor's degree in four years or less. By expanding access to and increasing equity in AP, the College Board strives to give traditionally underserved and low-income students the opportunity to obtain the skills needed to succeed in college.
The Advanced Placement Program's Access and Equity Initiatives were created to support the College Board's mission to connect all students to college success and opportunity. Through financial resources, partnerships, sponsored events, publications, electronic discussion groups, and the Internet, the Access and Equity Initiatives reach out to groups that are not traditionally represented in the AP community.
Access to AP
The Advanced Placement Program developed the following policy statement to assist schools in developing an open enrollment policy that reflects the College Board's commitment to expanding access to AP for all students:
The College Board and the Advanced Placement Program encourage teachers, AP Coordinators, and school administrators to make equitable access a guiding principle for their AP programs. The College Board is committed to the principle that all students deserve an opportunity to participate in rigorous and academically challenging courses and programs. All students who are willing to accept the challenge of a rigorous academic curriculum should be given consideration for admission to AP courses. The Board encourages the elimination of barriers that restrict access to AP courses for students from ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in the AP Program. Schools should make every effort to ensure that their AP classes reflect the diversity of their student population.
 AP Equity Policy Statement (.pdf/137KB)
Financial Resources for Schools, Teachers, and Students
College Board AP Fellows
The College Board AP Fellows program is a competitive grant program that provides scholarships for secondary school teachers planning to teach AP courses in schools that serve minority and/or low-income students who have been traditionally underrepresented in AP courses. Teachers are awarded an $1,000 scholarship to assist with the cost of attending an AP Summer Institute. To qualify, a school must have 50 percent or more underrepresented minority students and/or 50 percent or more students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. The summer institutes provide an excellent opportunity for teachers to gain command of a specific AP subject and to receive up-to-date information on the latest curriculum changes. Approximately 250 awards are distributed each year.
AP Annual Conference Fellows
The AP Annual Conference Fellows program is a non-competitive, invitation-only grant award program. Grants are awarded to teachers and administrators upon completion of one of the College Board's Equity Initiative conferences: National AP Equity Colloquium, an annual event surrounding issues of educational equity in the AP Program; the Small School Summit; and the Native American Education Taskforce. Grant funding covers attendance at the College Board's annual AP Annual Conference, a comprehensive professional development event for all members of the AP community. Approximately 50 awards are distributed each year.
AP Start-Up Grant
Approximately 40 percent of secondary schools in the U.S. do not offer AP courses. In addition, many more schools are offering AP and experiencing little success. This grant program was born out of a need to assist those schools that wish to start AP programs or strengthen their current programs. Grant recipients may choose up to three AP courses to start. Grant funding covers the cost of professional development, classroom supplies and resources, and the assistance of a consultant to guide them through the first academic year. The maximum award is $30,000 per school.
Fee Reduction
The College Board provides a $22 fee reduction per exam for qualified students with acute financial need. Schools normally forgo their $8 rebate in these instances. More than 40 states also use federal and/or state funds to supplement the College Board fee reduction, reducing the cost of the exam by amounts varying from $10 to $49.
APIP -- Federal and State Exam Fee Program Funding
In recognition of AP's contribution to raising academic standards, federal and state governments, public school districts, and private foundations are working together to broaden access to AP opportunities. Through these groups' efforts, more students can take AP Exams, more teachers can participate in high-quality professional development, and more schools can offer AP Courses.
State and Federal Support
Partnerships
The AP Program is exploring partnerships with several national and regional organizations that share our mission to expand access to high-quality education for all students. To date, we have established multi-year partnerships with the National Indian Education Association (NIEA) and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU). We are currently negotiating partnership agreements with the National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE), the NAACP, and several other organizations. Through our collaborative efforts we hope to increase access to rigorous coursework for all students, particularly those who have been historically underrepresented.
HBCU/H.S.I. Initiative
In a recent national survey of AP teachers, the College Board learned that approximately 5 percent of AP teachers are of color. In an effort to diversify our AP teaching population, we have partnered with Hispanic Serving Institutes and Historically Black Colleges and Universities to offer professional development to teachers. These institutions of higher education continue to lead the country in preparing professionals of color. Through an integrated set of joint activities we hope to prepare and inspire teachers of color to join the ranks of other AP professionals.
Sponsored Events
National AP Equity Colloquium
The National AP Equity Colloquium was created to recruit and retain AP teachers of color in the AP professional community (test developers, graders, and consultants). The two-day gathering is a conference style discussion of issues relevant to teachers of color, as well as an open discussion of equity issues in the AP Program. As a result of the successes in these initial gatherings, we have further focused the conference on issues of equity and access for all members of the AP community. Results of our efforts thus far include a cohort of consultants to assist schools in expanding access to AP, increased number of AP readers of color, and an electronic discussion group concerning issues of equity and access in AP.
National AP Equity Colloquium
Small Schools Summit
The College Board hosts an annual Small Schools Summit to discuss issues relevant to small and rural schools promoting access to rigorous coursework. The Summit is used to promote and direct national policies that enable small and rural schools to access the resources necessary to sustain rigorous academic curricula for all students.
Publications
The AP Program has created and disseminated materials to further our goal of expanding access to AP. These publications include the AP Tools for Schools Resource Kit, the Achieving Equity and Starting an AP Program sections of AP Central, and several brochures and flyers targeted to different audiences with specially crafted messages to clearly and consistently promote open access among all constituents.
The AP Tools for Schools Resource Kit contains a six-minute video, a customizable PowerPoint presentation for parents, The Value of AP Courses and Exams brochure, and other materials to help schools inform parents and students about the benefits of taking AP courses. The resource kit is available in both English and Spanish.
The Value of the AP Program: A Presentation for Parents
The Value of AP Courses and Exams (.pdf/641KB)
The Value of AP Courses and Exams -- in Spanish (.pdf/637KB)
The Starting an AP Program section of AP Central was developed to provide information and links for new AP teachers and Coordinators as they implement AP programs in their schools or as they expand access to existing programs.
Starting an AP Program
Get With the Program is an English/Spanish brochure targeted at students and their families. Over 300,000 copies have been distributed since 2001 through schools, churches, civic organizations, and youth groups. It is a valuable communication tool to help students of all ages understand the benefits of AP.
Get With The Program
Get With The Program (In Spanish)
Opening Classroom Doors highlights strategies used by schools all over the country to expand access to AP and draw a more diverse group of students into challenging classes. The publication is targeted to administrators and teachers who want to learn about schools in situations similar to their own and look for best practices for expanding access to AP.
Opening Classroom Doors (.pdf/2MB)
Building Strong AP Programs at Small Rural Schools addresses the unique challenges small rural schools face as they implement and grow AP programs. Structured according to a challenge/solution format, this book includes best practices for raising academic expectations, building instructional support, recruiting students, and overcoming funding challenges; along with specific examples of how small rural schools have put these practices into action.
Building Strong AP Programs at Small Rural Schools (.pdf/6.51MB)
To order the AP Tools for Schools Resource Kit, Get With The Program, Opening Classroom Doors, or Building Strong AP Programs at Small Rural Schools please send an email to apequity@collegeboard.org.
Electronic Discussion Groups
The AP electronic discussion groups (EDGs) were created to provide a moderated forum for the exchange of ideas, insights, and practices among AP teachers, coordinators, administrators, and college faculty. The AP Equity and Access EDG and the AP Small Schools EDG provide forums for discussing issues faced while trying to implement, expand, and/or strengthen AP Programs. Unlike most other Advanced Placement Program EDGs, the AP Equity and Access and the AP Small Schools EDGs cut across all subject areas, presenting members with an opportunity to engage in discussions that benefits from the perspectives of teachers in numerous disciplines.
Register for the AP Equity and Access EDG
Register for the AP Small Schools EDG
The AP Program is committed to increasing access to AP courses and exams through the Access and Equity Initiatives, thereby leveling the playing field for traditionally underrepresented students. Indeed, as the number of schools participating in the AP program and the number of students taking AP courses and exams continues to rise, the participation rate of traditionally underrepresented students has exceeded the overall increase in student participation.
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