A passing grade is 3 or better on a scale of 1 to 5. A student who scores a 5 would be expected to get an A in an introductory-level college course in that subject. Students who receive a 3 would be expected to earn between a C and a B-minus. Some colleges give credit in those cases, saving students tuition costs.
Montgomery County performed exceptionally well, with 61 percent of its graduating class taking an AP exam and 46 percent of the class passing.
In Baltimore County, 19.4 percent of last year's class passed - up 10 percentage points in the past decade. Superintendent Joe A. Hairston said the consistent upward trend is part of "an ongoing process." He added, "When you think in terms of the scope and scale of our school system and our population, we're very pleased with the performance of our young people at this point."
While Baltimore City and Baltimore County participation rates are not as high as those in some of Maryland's wealthy suburban counties, they compare favorably to districts in the rest of the nation, said Trevor Packer, head of the AP program for the College Board, which writes and scores the test. In the city, participation has increased rapidly in recent years as more AP classes are offered, but passing rates have not risen as much.
Baltimore County has set a goal of offering at least 12 AP classes in each high school. Franklin High School in Reisterstown has regularly added advanced courses to its offerings, looking at them as "the way to go for all of our students," said Kathleen H. Schmidt, the principal.
This year, Franklin has a new human geography class designed for 10th-graders, and an environmental science course is planned for the fall. The AP psychology class is so popular, it's the only course that the instructor teaches, Schmidt said.
"It's opened up opportunities for kids. It's certainly an emblem of pride, I think, for the school and for the staff," Schmidt said of the AP courses. "It's not an exclusive club any longer. . . . It's extremely important for the kids who can achieve, and their achievements are beyond the school."
Nearly 220 students took about 420 tests last year, Schmidt said, compared with 60 taking about 90 exams a decade ago. The school saw 100 percent pass rates in several subjects, including physics, economics and chemistry, Schmidt said.
