Written by: TFVstaff • October 31, 2019• In Our Schools

M-DCPS Continues to Increase AP Exam Passing Rates, Enrollment

The College Board has released the final examination results for the May 2019 Advanced Placement (AP) exams for Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS). Students in M-DCPS demonstrated an overall passing rate of 57 percent, an increase of 2 percent from 2018. These results summarize the performance of the students who participated in AP courses during the 2018-2019 school year and who took the corresponding AP exam.

“The vast diversity of Miami-Dade County Public Schools students is a source of pride for all of us,” said Schools Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho. “We have a longstanding commitment to providing all students – regardless of their background – with access to our system’s most rigorous academic courses. Not only do we continue to increase Advanced Placement (AP) participation rates among our students, but the results of the 2019 AP exams once again shine a light on our winning formula for 21^st century teaching and learning. At M-DCPS, we never rest in the pursuit of accelerating excellence.”

The AP program provides students the opportunity to complete college-level studies in 38 courses in subject areas such as the arts, social sciences, languages, science, literature, mathematics, and computer science. Students are recommended for college credits if they receive a score of 3 or higher on a 5-point scale on the corresponding AP exam. More than 3,770 universities and colleges worldwide grant college credit or advanced placement to students who have performed satisfactorily on the exams. The amount of credit awarded is determined by the individual policies of colleges and universities.

During the past 10 years, M-DCPS has seen a dramatic increase in the participation and performance of students in AP courses. Highlights of M-DCPS AP results include:

The total number of AP course offerings in M-DCPS high schools has increased by 47 percent from 838 in 2008 to 1,229 in 2019. Additionally, the number of students enrolled in AP courses increased by 82 percent from 17,049 students enrolled in at least one AP course in 2008 to 31,092 in 2019.
The total number of AP exams taken increased by 68 percent from 30,434 in 2008 to 51,022 in 2019.
While increasing participation, the performance of M-DCPS students on AP exams has also increased. In 2008, 40 percent of students scored a 3 or higher on the AP exam, and in 2019, 57 percent of students scored a 3 or higher, an increase of 17 percentage points.
The total number of qualifying scores (of all tests taken) increased by 139 percent from 12,118 in 2008 to 28,953 in 2019.
Among the Hispanic subgroup, the percent of students scoring a 3 or higher has increased by 17 percentage points, from 41 percent in 2008 to 58 percent in 2019.
Among the African-American subgroup, the percent of students scoring a 3 or higher has almost doubled from 18 percent in 2008 to 34 percent in 2019.
Hispanic and African-American students improved 17 and 16 points, respectively, from 2008 to 2019, while their white counterparts had an eight-point improvement. This level of improvement illustrates the remarkable decrease in the achievement gap for M-DCPS students.

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