Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses continue to receive national recognition for their rigorous curricula, and many colleges and universities award credit to students who score well on end-of-course exams in AP classes. Research suggests that students are better prepared for college if they take these courses and the related exams, even if they do not score high enough on the exam to earn college credit. In Southern Regional Educational Board (SREB) states, the average percentage of graduating seniors who took at least one AP exam increased at a faster rate than in the nation from 2000 to 2006. All SREB states increased their participation rates during this time, and all states increased or maintained their participation rates from 2005 to 2006. The average percentage of students taking AP exams in SREB states rose 10 percent since 2000 and 2 percent since 2005. The report recommends that policymakers continue to monitor the participation and performance rates of all groups of students in AP programs, set targets for increasing these rates, and support student efforts to take AP courses and exams. To ensure that all students, especially those in underrepresented groups, have opportunities to succeed in a rigorous, college-preparatory high school curriculum, the following strategies are recommended: (1) Make AP and/or IB courses available to every student in every school; (2) Offer every student access to more advanced courses through a state virtual school, at no cost to the student; (3) Pay student testing fees, especially for low-income families; (4) Provide funding to train teachers who are eligible to teach AP courses; (5) Give incentives for schools to expand AP and IB offerings; and (6) Award bonuses to teachers and schools whose students perform well on these exams. (Contains 3 tables.)