Florida’s SAT and AP Results Highlight Stunning Progress (FL)
September 14, 2010
Governor Charlie Crist and Commissioner of Education Dr. Eric J. Smith today proudly announced Florida’s 2009-10 public school SAT and Advanced Placement (AP) results. While more Florida students than ever are taking the college readiness exams, Florida students also improved scores, indicating the excellent preparation Florida schools are providing for a postsecondary education to more students. Since 2005, Florida has experienced a 73.4-percent increase in the number of AP test-takers, compared to a 40.1-percent increase nationwide. The five-year trend also shows a 54.7-percent increase among Florida students scoring a 3, 4 or 5 on AP exams, compared to a 36.9 percent increase nationwide.
“Florida’s concentrated focus on greater academic achievement has continued to open doors of opportunity for our young people,” Governor Crist said. “I commend our teachers for their dedication and commitment to our students and applaud Florida students for being eager to accept the additional challenges of Advanced Placement classes.”
According to information released today by the College Board, nearly 10 percent more Florida students took the SAT this year, almost five times the national increase, and experienced a one-point increase in the mean scores across all SAT subsections. Florida also increased the percentage of AP test-takers, as well as students scoring a 3, 4 or 5 on the AP exams, by almost 20 percent and 15 percent, respectively, compared to 9.5 percent and 8.3 percent nationwide. Colleges and universities may award college credit for AP exams completed with a score of three or higher.
“Florida’s teachers and school leaders have answered the call for increased student college and career readiness with a resounding voice challenging our students to reach higher and unleash their true potential,” said Commissioner Smith. “B ecause of their efforts, more of our children will graduate from school prepared for the next stage of their life, more will succeed in their careers and more will experience the happiness and prosperity that only a quality educational experience can provide.”
Minority student participation and performance on the SAT boasted some of the most impressive progress. According to the College Board, Florida saw a 10.4-percent increase in African-American public school SAT test-takers, compared to a 7.1-percent national increase. Florida’s African-American SAT test-takers also continue to outscore their national counterparts in all three subject areas (eight points higher in reading, five in mathematics and three in writing). Additionally, Florida Hispanic public school SAT test-takers increased 15.9 percentage points, compared to a 7.7-percent national increase. These students also continue to significantly outscore their national peers (28 points higher in reading, 16 in mathematics and 19 in writing).
Florida’s minority students also demonstrated significant participation and performance increases on AP exams, according to preliminary results released. Florida’s African-American and Hispanic AP test-takers increased 22.3 percent and 23.4 percent, respectively, compared to the national increase of 13.9 percent for African-American test-takers and 15.3 percent for Hispanic test-takers. Florida’s minority student AP performance also overshadowed the performance of their national counterparts, with a 14.3-percent increase in AP-exam scores of three or higher for African-American Florida test-takers, and a 18.1-percent increase for Hispanic Florida test-takers.
“AP courses provide increased educational opportunities for our students and act as doorways to a more rewarding and engaging learning experience,” added Commissioner Smith. “The progress we are seeing in these results is extremely encouraging and should serve as a reminder that expectations must always be raised and that every student is capable of excelling.”
In December of 2008 the Florida State Board of Education formally adopted Florida’s Next Generation PreK-20 Education Strategic Plan. A primary focus of the plan is to improve the college and career readiness of all students to better enable them for success in the 21st century. Through this statewide focus, Florida’s public schools have begun to successfully transform the cultures of their learning environments to challenge the minds of students and increase the educational options available to them.