Not all get credit where it's due Percentage of students taking AP tests varies by school. Sunday, April 27, 2008 • By LYNN OLANOFF and COLIN MCEVOY• The Express-Times It looks like a major typo. Out of 182 Hackettstown High School students who took Advanced Placement courses last year, one took the AP test that grants college credits for a passing grade. There's no statistical error on Hackettstown's New School Report Card. Few Hackettstown students take AP tests, Superintendent Robert Gratz said. There are several reasons, he said, not the least of which is the $84 exam fee is unaffordable for some. Pen Argyl and Wilson Area high schools avoid that problem by picking up at least half of the tests' costs. None of their students skip the AP tests as a result. "It encourages our kids to take it," Pen Argyl guidance counselor Eric Sampson said. "We did not want the reason they didn't take the class to be because they don't have the money to take the exam." College for credit Another common reason Hackettstown students don't take the AP tests is because they prefer to take college courses through Centenary or Warren County Community colleges where there's a greater guarantee they'll get credit, Gratz said. To get college credit for an AP class, students have to score at least a three out of five on the test. Many elite colleges require a score of at least four for credit. Gratz said he used to be concerned about how few Hackettstown students took AP tests until he realized how many take college-level courses. There are more than 200 students enrolled in the Centenary and WCCC programs. "As long as we have that dual credit opportunity, I don't think we need to require the test," Gratz said. Like the differing situations at Pen Argyl and Hackettstown high schools, the number of students taking AP courses and tests throughout the area varies. Easton Area and Warren Hills Regional high schools both offer robust AP programs and have the large majority of students in AP classes take the tests. Smaller high schools such as Pen Argyl, Bangor Area, Belvidere and North Warren Regional offer only a handful of AP courses. But most have high test rates and are working to expand offerings. Freedom and Liberty high schools also have fairly low AP test rates. At Freedom, 128 out of 263 students in AP courses this year are taking the corresponding test. Liberty has 47 out of its 362 AP students taking the test. Reason to succeed Tamara Gray, Freedom's assistant principal for curriculum and instruction, said there are several reasons students take AP courses other than college credits. Some take it simply for the challenge or to put on their college resumes, she said. Others take the classes early on in high school so they can take other college classes during their junior and senior years. "It's a different story for every student," Gray said. There's no typical scenario where many students take AP courses and tests, according to Jennifer Topiel, a spokeswoman with the College Board, which owns the Advanced Placement program. Urban districts used to be underrepresented more than a decade ago but are no longer, she said. Some small schools offer fewer AP courses because they don't have enough students to fill more, Topiel said. About 66 percent of high schools nationwide offer AP courses. New Jersey and Pennsylvania's rates are higher, at 79 and 77 percent, respectively. On average, a school offers nine AP courses; College Board offers 37 courses. Easton's AP offerings are far above average -- the high school has 22 courses -- and in turn has one of the strongest program enrollments in the area. This year, 427 are taking AP courses and 380 of them are signed up to take the tests. Lisette Orlena, the school's AP coordinator, said Easton does not offer any reimbursement for the exam costs but thinks most students take it anyway due to the importance teachers and students attribute to the AP classes. "Those who have taken the exam have done very, very well, and I think that sets the premise for us continuing to be strong with our program here," Orlena said. Warren Hills offers the most AP courses in Warren County with 13. The school also has the county's highest AP enrollment. Six years ago, the school started encouraging students in AP courses to take the tests, said Stephanie Bell, the school's assistant AP coordinator. Last year, out of the 285 students in the classes, all but four took the tests. "Before we began this initiative, probably half to 60 percent of the students took the test. Now we have almost 100 percent," Bell said. This year, Warren Hills also has several students studying on their own to take AP tests in subjects the school doesn't offer. Erik Olson, a Washington Township senior, is studying to take an advanced computer science test on his own. Olson plans to finish high school with college credits for 11 AP courses, more than one year's worth at most colleges. "I'm not sure if I want to skip a semester but it will definitely allow me to dual major and maybe a minor, too," he said. Striving for more By contrast, Belvidere resident Dan Orsini said he wishes his local high school gave students such opportunities. Belvidere offers three AP courses, one more than it had last year. "I'm certainly an advocate of the maximum number of AP classes as well as other accelerated programs," said Orsini, a former school board member. "I think more could be done with the curriculum at the top end to make that happen." North Warren and Pen Argyl high schools have limited AP offerings but have made efforts in recent years to expand them. Last year, Pen Argyl went from two AP courses to four and is considering adding a fifth. North Warren has expanded from four classes last year to an expected eight for next year. "We've been realizing we don't have many," Principal Ken Greene said. "As our population has grown, we realize we can offer more." Reporter Lynn Olanoff can be reached at 908-475-8044 or by e-mail at lolanoff@express-times.com. Reporter Colin McEvoy can be reached at 610-258-7171 or by e-mail at cmcevoy@express-times.com.