In 2016, the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) released an analysis of school policies regarding Advanced Placement (AP) credit. Despite being one of the few ways students could seek to graduate in fewer than four years, PPI discovered that the vast majority of the nation's top schools restricted students from applying AP coursework toward degree…

Every year, millions of students take Advanced Placement (AP) exams hoping to score enough points to earn college credit and save on their tuition bill. But are they getting a real college education? The College Board says that AP classes and exams make the AP program more accessible and represent a step forward for educational justice. But the…

Prior learning refers to knowledge, skills, or competencies acquired through formal and informal education outside a traditional academic environment. This can include a student acquiring knowledge or skills through employee-sponsored training or military training, earning an industry certification, or taking national standardized exams. In the…

During the 2022-23 academic year, thousands of Utah students participated in the Utah System of Higher Education's credit for prior learning program, earning college credit and saving money on tuition. Prior learning is the knowledge, competencies, and skills acquired through formal and informal education outside a traditional academic…

Test-optional and test-blind admissions policies accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic would appear to imperil College Board's SAT college-entrance exam, the rival ACT, and their respective parent organizations. This state of affairs follows years of complaints that the exams favor the affluent. And, in fact, both of the notoriously secretive…

This report presents information about the Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs, including information about courses, examinations, and examination fees. The report also discusses the Texas AP Incentive Program, Texas policy related to uses of AP and IB examination results, and data sources and methodological…

This report provides outcomes for Austin Independent School District (AISD) graduates from the Class of 2018 who were ever classified as English learners (ELs) in terms of advanced coursework, college readiness assessments, and postsecondary enrollment.

Employers in today's global economy value a range of postsecondary credentials--industry-valued credentials, postsecondary certificates, associate degrees, bachelor's degrees and advanced degrees-- because they can each signify whether an applicant has the skills employers need. While debates in the past have dwelled on college vs. career, today's…

This report presents Advanced Placement (AP) examination participation and performance results in Texas and the United States for the 2018-19 school year. The results are for public and nonpublic schools combined and are presented by race/ethnicity and gender. [For "Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Examination Results in…

Early colleges are intended to serve students from populations typically underrepresented in college and to prepare those students with the academic skills and dispositions to succeed in college. Another important attribute of early colleges is that they help students earn college credit during their high school years. Many such early colleges are…

With more than 3 million participants per year, the Advanced Placement (AP) program is one of the most popular programs in the United States for exposing high-achieving high school students to advanced academic content. Sponsored by the College Board, the AP program provides a framework in which high school teachers can teach introductory…

Advanced coursework is one strategy education leaders and policymakers have used to improve academic performance and college readiness (Iatarola et al., 2011). Programs such as Advanced Placement (AP) and dual enrollment provide students opportunities to earn college credit while in high school. Proponents of advanced coursework argue that…

This article discusses an online graduate education course at George Mason University in the United States. The course, part of a certificate program for International Baccalaureate (IB) educators, focuses on infusing human rights instruction in PK-12 classrooms and provides teachers with additional methods and strategies to teach various…

Four New Jersey school districts worked together to increase student achievement by applying a number of strategies focused on getting traditionally underrepresented students to take more AP courses. The districts are members of the New Jersey Network of Superintendents (NJNS), comprising 15 superintendents who work together to develop systemwide…

This Study Snapshot highlights key findings where the Rhode Island Department of Education, the Rhode Island Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner, and state legislators sought evidence of the effects of state-funded programs for students to earn college credit during high school. Using data on the 2013/14 statewide grade 9 cohort, this…