Columbia, S.C. – Today, State Superintendent of Education Molly M. Spearman made the following statement regarding increases in AP scores and the number of South Carolina public school students taking AP, SAT, and PSAT/NMSQT exams.
“It is encouraging to know that our Advanced Placement scores and participation continue to increase,” said Spearman. “We are on the right track to make sure that every S.C. student is college- and career-ready,” concluded Spearman. Learn more about the state’s Profile of the 21st Century Graduate, which was created by South Carolinians, to ensure our students are prepared for community college, university, the military, or workforce upon graduation.
AP exam scores of three indicate a candidate who is qualified to take college-level courses. Scores of four indicate someone who is well-qualified and a five indicates someone who is extremely well-qualified. Many community colleges and universities grant credit and advanced placements for exam scores of three, four, or five.
In 2014-15, there were 15,524 public school students in the state who scored three or higher on an AP exam, compared to just 14,604 in 2013-14. The number of students scoring three or higher increased 6.5 percent, well above the national increase of 4.9 percent. The number of females scoring a three or higher was 9.9 percent, above the national increase of 5.6 percent. Every ethnic subgroup saw gains in their scores as well.
South Carolina public school students scored above the national average in nine of the top 10 AP courses:
English Language and Composition
U.S. History
English Literature and Composition
Calculus AB
Psychology
Biology
U.S. Government and Politics
Statistics
European History
AP Highlights
Score Increases for South Carolina
Score of 3 Score of 4 Score of 5
2014-15 11,475 8,111 4,506
2013-14 10,637 7,591 4,385
The number of public school students in South Carolina who took AP exams in 2014-15 was a record 26,657, representing an increase of 4.6 percent over 2013-14. The state saw an increase in the number of students taking AP exams in every ethnic subgroup. The percentage of African American students taking the test increased 4.5 percent, well above the national increase of just 3.6 percent. The percentage of Hispanic students taking AP exams increased dramatically 11.3 percent, above the national increase of 8.2 percent. The total number of exams taken by public school students in the state reached an all-time high of 42,093, well above the 40,015 taken in 2013-14. This represents a 5.2 percent increase in just one year.
The following districts were named to the 5th AP District Honor Roll for the 2013-14 school year, for achieving increases in access to AP courses for a larger number of students while maintaining or improving the rate at which their AP students earned scores of three or higher on an AP exam:
Anderson School District Three
Berkeley County School District
Clover School District
Georgetown School District
Spartanburg County School District 3
Spartanburg County School District 6*
* District has achieved this honor for multiple years
SAT Highlights
The number of graduating public school seniors who took the test in 2014-15 was 22,986, a 1.9 percent increase from the 22,565 students who took it in 2013-14. The number of African American students who took the test increased 4.9 percent, well above the national average of 3.5 percent. The state saw increases in all ethnic subgroups in the number of students taking the test.
The mean writing score increased by three points to 462 and the mean critical reading score remained the same at 483. The mean mathematics score declined four points to 483.
PSAT/NMSQT Highlights
The total number of public school students taking the PSAT/NMSQT was 59,149.
The number of underrepresented minority students taking the test increased from 26.9 percent in 2013-14 to 30.8 percent last year. The number of sophomores taking the PSAT/NMSQT increased significantly from 21,904 in 2013-14 to 37,493 in 2014-15, an increase of 58 percent. The participation of African American and Hispanic sophomore students taking the test in South Carolina doubled from 2013-14 to 2014-15. All ethnic subgroups saw substantial increases in the number of students taking the test from 2013-14 to 2014-15.
The link for this data is here.
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