Louisiana is falling behind in college readiness

According to a recent study by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), Louisiana ranks next to last in the South and nationally (ahead of only Mississippi) when it comes to public high school seniors earning early college credit through the Advanced Placement (AP) program.  Incorporated into high school curriculums, AP courses culminate with an end-of-course assessment that provides an opportunity for college credit to high school students who earn a 3 or higher on the exam.

The new SREB study shows that while more than a quarter of all seniors nationwide in the graduating class of 2009 took at least one AP exam while in high school, just 10 percent of Louisiana seniors took an AP exam. Only 4 percent of Louisiana seniors passed at least one AP exam, compared to 16 percent both regionally and nationally. Equity is also an issue with black students significantly underrepresented in AP courses across the South and especially in Louisiana. However, Louisiana has shown impressive growth in overall AP participation and passage rates, with both rates more than doubling since 2004 (from 4 percent and 2 percent, respectively).

The AP program is nationally recognized as key to introducing high school students to rigorous, college-preparatory courses. The Cowen Institute shares this belief, and since 2009 we have offered an AP training and incentive program called AdvanceNOLA in several public high schools in New Orleans. This year, more than 350 students are enrolled in 20 AP courses at five partner high schools across the city. A recent Times-Picayune article highlights the AdvanceNOLA program at O. Perry Walker High School; one AP teacher says, “The courses are rigorous and challenging and it provides an opportunity for our students to think independently and critically.” However, only a handful public high schools outside of the AdvanceNOLA program currently offer AP courses. (The number of AP exams taken and percentage passed for all public high schools in New Orleans is available in Appendix VI of our recent report on high schools.)

As the SREB study and our report on public high schools in New Orleans both illustrate, New Orleans and Louisiana have a long way to go to ensuring our students are adequately prepared for college.  The SREB study concludes with how states can increase student success in AP courses:

Policy-makers should continue to monitor the participation and success rates of all groups of students in the AP program, set targets for increasing these rates, and establish programs to increase access and success in these college-preparatory courses — including offering courses through statewide virtual (or online) schools, professional development for teachers and supplementing exam fees for students.

Louisiana, which included an expansion AP classes in its failed bid for Race to the Top funds, should be mindful of SREB’s new study and continue to seek opportunities to increase AP participation in our public high schools.