Update: December 14, 4:11 p.m.
Read more: Local, State, Education, Advanced Placement, Department of Education
The S.C. Dept. of Education released new data Monday showing a record number of students received college credit for taking Advanced Placement tests in 2009.
/ File Photo
COLUMBIA -- The S.C. Dept. of Education released new data Monday that shows a record number of students received college credit for taking Advanced Placement tests in 2009.
An all-time high of 14,970 students scored well enough to earn college credit, which is an 11.4 percent increase over 2008. The number of students taking AP exams grew by 10.7 percent to 26,453 -- also an all-time high.
The percentage of students scoring well enough to earn college credit increased by once percentage point to 57 percent.
The number of African-American students taking the tests during the last five years in S.C. public schools has grown 43 percent, according to the Dept. of Education. The number of African-American students scoring well enough to earn credit during that time period has increased 45 percent.
School choice advocate Randy Page of South Carolinians for Responsible Government said the improvement data is good news, but it is important to note the number of students who drop out of public schools prior to high school.
"it is always great to hear about student achievement," said Page. "But these numbers hide the fact that 50 percent of rural students and 60 percent of low-income students are dropping out of high school in South Carolina never even having the opportunity to take AP or other advanced courses."
The top five AP exams taken by S.C. students in 2009 were U.S. History, English Literature and Composition, English Language and Composition, Calculus AB and Statistics, according to the Dept. of Education.
