The number of public school students taking and passing Advanced Placement exams jumped by double-digit percentages over last year, a step forward in college readiness in Hawaii.

Across the state, 6,599 public high school students took at least one AP exam in May, an 11 percent increase over last year. Meanwhile, the number of students who earned passing scores of 3, 4 or 5 rose by 15 percent to 4,178.

Advanced Placement courses are college-level classes in subjects ranging from English literature to computer science, and biology to world history. Teachers and administrators have been encouraging students to tackle AP courses to help set them on the path to higher education.

“What’s exciting is that when more courses are offered, more students take those courses, and at the same time, even more impressively, a greater percentage of students are passing these tests,” said Stephen Schatz, executive director of Hawaii P-20 Partnerships for Education. “As we increase rigor we are actually finding that there’s untapped potential out there.”

AP advantage

By demonstrating their achievement on AP exams, students can earn college credit or skip the equivalent course in college, known as “advanced placement.” A score of 3 indicates a student is “qualified” for college work in the subject, a 4 means “very qualified” and a 5 means “extremely well qualified,” according to the College Board, which administers the AP program.

Superintendent Christina Kishimoto welcomed this year’s strides, following years of steady increases in the numbers of exams taken and passing scores.

“The year-over-year growth the department has shown on AP exams since 2007 is promising, and demonstrates that our students are developing a better understanding of the advantages that the AP program provides to prepare for college,” she said.

“My vision is to have all students take at least one AP level course or Early College course as part of their high school curriculum,” she added. “Congratulations to our students and their families, teachers and school leaders on these fantastic results.”

Shift in culture

Early College is another way for high school students to sample college courses and discover that they can handle them. The “dual-credit” program allows students to enroll in community college classes while still in high school, earning credit for high school and college at the same time.

Like AP course enrollment, interest in Early College has grown dramatically, with funding from foundations helping cover college tuition costs for some needy high school students.

“When you think of all these things happening at the same time, to me it signals a shift in culture in our high schools and a really impressive movement toward higher expectations across the board,” Schatz said.

His organization, Hawaii P-20 Partnerships for Education, works with public schools and the University of Hawaii to strengthen the education pipeline from early childhood through college.

“In many of our high schools, the Advanced Placement programs are open enrollment,” Schatz said. “It’s really cool to see our schools having the default expectation be one of rigor. It goes back to the idea that wherever we set the bar, it seems our kids are ready to reach that bar.”

Many students take more than one AP course in a year. Altogether, public school students in Hawaii took 9,903 exams this year, a 10 percent increase over last year. The passing rate rose to 42 percent, up from 38 percent in 2013, when 7,355 exams were taken.

Pass rates typically fall when a broader population takes such tests, rather than a smaller group of college-bound high achievers.

In September 2011 the Department of Education launched an Advanced Placement Incentive Program, expanding AP course offerings, test preparation and participation in high schools. Federal funds help subsidize test fees for low-income students.

The Advanced Placement program offers more than three dozen courses. The exams include multiple-choice sections as well as free-response questions.

More information on AP exams in Hawaii’s public schools is available online at 808ne.ws/APGB5M.