As a proud Chattanooga native and alumnus of three Hamilton County public schools, I strongly support increasing student success in college-level courses. Among the most prestigious college-level courses for high-school students are those offered by the Advanced Placement program, which allows students to earn college credit based on their performance on end-of-course exams.
Data provided by Hamilton County Schools through an Open Records Request shows that the number of AP classes students can access varies significantly across the county. Additionally, many students who enroll in AP classes do not pass the corresponding exam, meaning they don’t demonstrate mastery of course content or earn college credit. Expanding the AP program in Hamilton County without giving students the academic foundation necessary to succeed in it would solve the problem of unequal access. Still, it would do little to address Hamilton County’s low exam passage rates.
The number and type of AP courses available vary significantly between schools. Students often have access to other college-level courses, such as Dual Enrollment and State Dual Credit courses, but those offerings also vary between schools. For instance, the STEM School of Chattanooga offered 37 DE courses last year, while Brainerd offered nine.
The disparities in course offerings can hurt students. Equally bright students at different schools will experience unequal preparation for college, even if each takes the most rigorous courses available. Moreover, a student’s school can strongly influence their chances of admission to top colleges since colleges often assess the rigor of a student’s high school curriculum in making admissions decisions.
During the 2022-2023 school year, there were 2,151 individual AP course enrollments in Hamilton County Schools, and students collectively passed 794 ± 14 exams. In other words, just over a third of AP enrollments produced a passing AP exam score.
Unfortunately, researchers generally find that the effects of enrolling in an AP class without subsequently passing the exam are limited. The College Board maintains that participation in AP classes offers some benefits to those who fail a course’s AP exam, but recent independent studies have found contradictory results.
Furthermore, a 2010 AP research compendium concluded that whereas earning good grades in AP courses can improve a student’s chances of college admission, there is little additional benefit to those who don’t pass the corresponding exam, saying “AP appears to offer an advantage only to students who perform well on the AP exam.” These findings mean that most AP enrollments in Hamilton County confer little benefit to the average participant beyond increased college admission chances.
Policymakers might consider making AP classes more accessible to academically prepared students to address some of the inequalities in Hamilton County. Indeed, increasing the availability of AP classes benefits students with a strong academic background, which could help to address some of the inequities in Hamilton County. However, expanding AP courses without giving more students the foundation necessary to succeed in them does nothing to address the county’s low AP exam passage rates.
In addition, offering more AP classes or increasing the number of students enrolled in existing ones also comes with several risks. Increasing the number of AP classes in a school can divert the best educators away from low- or middle-achieving students. A school typically charges its most effective and experienced educators with teaching advanced classes (e.g., AP, DE, Honors, etc.), meaning those educators have less time to instruct middle- and low-achieving students. Accordingly, schools that expand AP offerings without enough quality educators could make learning more difficult for many students. Implementing a new AP class if only a few students are qualified or interested can increase the student-to-teacher ratio of non-AP classes, which can also hurt middle- and low-achieving students.
To mitigate these risks, schools might consider leveraging the Tennessee AP Access for All program, which allows students to access most AP courses online. Schools could also increase access to Dual Enrollment courses, which are generally less rigorous but have consistently high passage rates in Hamilton County Schools, instead of AP courses.
The district might also continue to improve the quality and effectiveness of pre-secondary schools so that students have the academic foundation necessary to succeed in AP classes and beyond. The Times Free Press suggested a similar approach in 2018, saying “[s]tudents have to be prepared for higher level courses as juniors and seniors in the classes they are taking as freshmen and sophomores.” Ample evidence suggests that preparation should begin even earlier. Early childhood education, for instance, has been proven to play a significant role in determining a student’s level of future academic achievement. Therefore, preparing students for advanced coursework involves effective teaching and intervention at all grade levels.
Hamilton County Schools have expanded the AP program since the 2017-2018 school year, enrolling more students and offering more classes. Despite this growth, Hamilton County’s implementation of AP classes faces several challenges. Disparities in access to AP courses persist between schools, and most students who enroll in an AP class do not pass the corresponding exam and do not receive college credit. There are short-term strategies to help address these issues; however, the most effective way to increase student success in AP courses is to ensure students have the foundation necessary to excel in them.
Gabriel Armstrong