4/14/2019 Advanced Placement

Inequality
Narrowing the Education Gap

Cameron Tickerhoof
ENGLISH 138T SECTION 8
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Abstract
The Advanced Placement program is an amazing opportunity for secondary education. Students

experience a considerable amount of benefits with the program, such as receiving college credit

early, developing high level skills, and saving money. However, this program is not available

for the entire student population, and many students struggle to afford it. These factors create a

gap in the education system between various student types. This gap can be narrowed by making

changes at the state government level, in high school administrations, and in student households.

With various changes, education can be equal for every student.

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American Education
Secondary and higher education are extremely important for many Americans and their

professional pursuits. The United States has the advantage of offering many different

educational paths and resources while also requiring secondary education for all children.

Including both elementary and secondary school, 56.6 million children attended school in fall

2018 which is a considerable increase from the 50.6 million attendees in fall 2017.i As for

undergraduate studies, 16.9 million students were enrolled in fall 2016.ii Because of the strong

emphasis upon education, especially postsecondary, various high school programs like Advanced

Placement(AP) give students the ability to get a head start on higher education. However, these

opportunities go unused by much of the student population because of high course and testing

fees, students’ lack of awareness, and limited course availability nationwide.

Advanced Placement Courses

Advanced Placement courses are offered to high school students and are the equivalent to

undergraduate level courses. Students generally enroll in their first AP courses during the junior

year of high school. CollegeBoard, the creator of the AP program and the SAT, offers 38

different AP courses, giving students a variety of subjects to choose from with no formal limit on

the number a student can take.iii A student can then go on to take the one of the course’s

respective exams, administered in May, to be scored on a scale from one, meaning the student

should not receive credit, through five, indicating an extremely qualified student.iv The exam

can be passed with a score of three or higher. However, it is not a prerequisite to take the AP

course before taking the exam.

AP exam scores can be sent colleges in the hopes to acquire college credit. Many colleges vary

on the score needed to receive this credit, but a three could possibly grant a student credit. This
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early college credit can give students many advantages in their postsecondary education

applications and careers.

AP Advantages

There are many incentives for students to take these advanced courses throughout secondary

education. Firstly, the courses can offer a more rigorous challenge for high school students that

may not be present in regular classes.v Higher expectations are placed upon a student, and it

helps develop college-level academic skills at an earlier educational stage.vi Developing such

skills early will make the transition from high school to college less jarring in comparison to the

transition without. Students can also figure out the best approach for higher-level courses and

learn how to properly apply themselves in each topic. In turn, an AP background causes a higher

chance to receive a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree or higher from a postsecondary institute. vii

Figure 1. Four-year college graduation rates for those that had taken AP
courses vs. those that had not
1 Source: Mattern, Krista D., et al. Are AP Students More Likely to Graduate from College
on Time? CollegeBoard, 2013, pp. 13.
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AP courses also result in a more impressive college application. High schools may have an

additional weighting for AP classes which can boost a transcript’s grade point average (GPA).viii

Many college admission counselors prefer to see strong grades within challenging classes

because it indicates a student’s ability to perform at a higher level. AP courses can increase the

likelihood of acceptance by making a student’s application stand out among the thousands of

others received by colleges each year. These courses play a role in scholarship decisions as well,

as colleges are more likely to award AP students with merit-based scholarships.ix

The more significant benefits appear once a student receives admittance into college. As

previously mentioned, AP exam scores can be converted into college credit at the discretion of

each university. The early college credit gives students a head start on their major-specific

classes and will put them ahead of other students in their educational careers. This is a two-sided

benefit because students can either graduate early, or in the event they switch majors, they will

have a more seamless and cost-effective switch between majors. Switching majors is very

common in college; 50-70% of college students will switch majors at least once and about 50%

of freshman are undecided.x AP credits make this transition less challenging because of the head

start. But if a student stays on a single major track, he or she can graduate earlier than the

normal four years resulting in a much cheaper education. It costs $94 to take an AP exam, but

for the 2017-2018 year, the average tuition for a four-year in-state public institute and a four-year

private institute were $9,970 and $35,260, respectively.xi By having enough credit for a college

semester, students can save thousands of dollars on education.

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Figure 2. The Advantages of AP Courses Generated by Author

The College Board offers a plethora of opportunities through the AP program that can boost a

student’s college application, enhance college performance, and decrease educational spending.

Thousands utilize the AP program every year, but many are not aware of the benefits. Alongside

poor awareness, some high schools do not offer AP courses. These factors create inequality

within our current educational system.

Education Inequality
Although AP courses give students many advantages, they are not evenly dispersed throughout

the entire educational system. The difference in opportunities for AP courses creates a huge gap

between a transcript with and without them. For example, a student with AP courses will appear

to have taken more rigorous classes, will often have his or her GPA boosted beyond a 4.0, and

will have developed college-level skills. A student without advanced classes will appear to have

a simpler transcript with a 4.0 GPA cap and will not have had the chance to develop early skills.
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A college admissions committee would quickly choose the first student’s application at face

value, and the second student could be swept under AP students. Although AP is not the only

factor in college admissions, it can make a huge difference in the application process. xii The

deprived student may have opted to not take on the laborious workload, but in many cases, the

student did not have the program, was not able to afford AP courses and exams, or was unaware

of the copious benefits.

Course Availability

Although AP offers students many benefits, the program is not available in every high school

curriculum. In fall 2018, 15.1 million students were enrolled in grades 9 through 12, slightly

higher than the year before.xiii However, only 2.7 million students were set to take 4.9 million

AP exams in May 2017.xiv AP courses are generally taken during grades 11 and 12, but the

disparity still illustrates how these courses are not available everywhere. Rural areas suffer the

most whereas urban and suburban areas are much more likely to offer AP courses. As of 2015,

73 percent of rural seniors had access to at least one AP subject, but access for urban and

suburban seniors was at 92 and 95 percent, respectively.xv The issue is very obvious as a student

that happens to be raised in a rural area may have his or her educational pursuits held back.

The other key factor with AP availability is that not every school offers every AP subject and the

subjects offered can vary across different school systems. The aforementioned data regarding

rural, urban, and suburban schools uses schools with at least one AP course in the curriculum,xvi

so a rural school that offers only one such course is put on the same level as a suburban school

that offers 15 or more such courses. This ties into each state’s standards for AP availability; only

eight states require high schools to offer AP, usually at least one in four main studies: English,
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math, science, and social studies.xvii With that being said, schools could still poorly represent the

AP program by having only 4 of the 38 subjects.

The disparity between offered AP courses throughout schools creates an uneven system that is

can also form gaps between students of same high school. For example, a high school that is

required to have a one AP science could have solely AP Biology on the curriculum. Those

students planning to be in a biology-related major would benefit from the addition, but students

in chemistry- or physics-related majors would be disadvantaged compared to their fellow biology

classmates. The slight differences between high schools and students also branch into the fees

surrounding the AP program.

Course and Testing Fees

The $94 required to take an AP exam is only one of the several program costs. Students may

have to pay for books, course materials, or high school fees. The average AP textbook price is

approximately $150, and prices can be well over $200.xviii Attempting to take several APs in a

single school year could easily cost a student upwards of $1000 while many students struggle to

afford a single AP course. As for course materials, different subjects may require additional

supplements, such as graphing calculators for calculus or recording devices for music theory,

both of which cost at least $100.xix High schools can have these resources for student use, but

additional fees could be added at the discretion of each high school. Although in the long run

AP courses can save thousands in college tuition, students may not have the funds early on to

access potential savings.

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The gap between low-income and mid- to high-

income students indicates how the payments may

be too expensive for some. Specifically in

Connecticut, one in four students from a mid- to

high-income family will take the at least one AP

exam, but the same can be said for only one in ten

students from a low-income family.xx This

translates to 24 percent of AP exam-takers being

low-income while making up 36 percent of the high

school population.xxi With high course fees,

underprivileged children will struggle to compete

Figure 3. Connecticut's low-income AP
with more fortunate students and will further fall students vs. not low-income AP students

behind at the educational level. In some cases,
missing out on the possibility of AP courses and
reduced fees can be avoided by making every high
3. Source: Thomas, Jacqueline Rabe. “Access
to AP Courses Often Elusive for Low-
Income Students.” The CT Mirror, 15
Dec. 2018,
ctmirror.org/2018/05/14/advanced-
placement-debate-open-closed-gate/.

school student aware of the opportunities.

Student Awareness

Poor student awareness throughout schools leads to students overlooking AP courses and

possible benefits. It is possible for a student to progress through high school, only to find out

how much money and time could have been saved by taking just a few AP courses. The same

can also be said for low-income students unaware of exam fee reductions. Smaller high schools

exacerbate this risk by being unaware of the benefits themselves or by under supplying their
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students with the proper information. Students need to understand their future needs, potential

fee reductions, and overall availability of AP exams.

As a child or teenager, it can often be difficult to imagine the future and decide the best way to

approach it presently. 69.7 percent of 2016 high school graduates were enrolled in a

postsecondary institute, but only 58 percent of those enrolled will receive their degree within six

years.xxii The additional years can be avoided with the head start potential provided by AP

courses. However, some colleges do not accept every AP subject or will only give credit if the

student gets a score of four or five, not just a three.xxiii Students should try to challenge

themselves with additional AP courses but should not spend extra money if it is not necessary.

Understanding the strength of AP alongside different college’s standards will give students the

best chance to succeed.

There is the possibility of receiving fee reductions and additional financial aid when taking on an

AP course. In some cases, low-income students can receive up to a $32 reduction on each exam,

but the amount varies from state-to-state.xxiv The extra help can make the difference when

deciding whether or not to enroll in AP. Although this is a positive opportunity, the fee may still

be too high for some families or could lead to a major decision between two separate AP

subjects. Additionally, schools receive a $9 rebate for each exam, but some schools will charge

more than the usual $94 and, in turn, receive a higher rebate.xxv Higher AP costs widen the gap

between low- and high-income students. Outside of what a high school offers, there is another

costly and relatively unknown approach for students to receive AP credits: online courses

Online AP courses imitate regular courses to prepare students for a specific exam. The course

will cover the same material and require the same workload, but the student and instructor will

communicate through computer. Online variants have several pros. For instance, students will
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have the opportunity to take AP subjects not offered by their respective high school and will be

able to learn semi-independently.xxvi This can be utilized by students to gain additional AP

credits, and it broadens the subject opportunities. Although this may be a great program for

some, online AP courses can be extremely expensive, up to $1000, and the AP exam must be

taken in-person at a participating school.xxvii Again, this can be too expensive for many families,

and rural students or those lacking proper travel commodities will be further disadvantaged.

Also, the same students may be completely misinformed about the AP online program and how it

operates.

These glaring differences across the student population create educational inequality. By closing

the gap between different high schools, every student will be given equal opportunities. There

are various steps to be taken as a society to even the educational platform nationwide.

Making Education Equal

Creating change for AP availability and awareness must happen within state governments, high

school administrations, and student households.

State governments must require each public high school to offer various AP courses fitting the

most demanded subjects. Today, 42 states do not require their constituent high schools to offer

AP courses.xxviii Many high schools will forego having AP courses to cut back on costs and, in

turn, lead to having thousands of disadvantaged students. By forcing schools to offer AP, every

student will be given similar opportunities. Increasing opportunities will inevitably result in

increased educational spending to equally supply AP courses and exams.

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With the current system, schools receive funding based off local property tax. This means that

poorer districts will receive less money, and the state government will have to supply money to

the district to reach the minimum funds per student. Higher income areas will receive more than

the minimum funds per student resulting in additional funds.xxix This can be leveled out by

dispersing the entire educational funding sum across every single district after the taxes have

been compiled
Funding per student

Districts ranked least-to-most in property-wealth

Figure 4. Figure demonstrating the advantage high-income districts have over low-income
4. Source: “How Do School Funding Formulas Work?” Urban, 29 Nov. 2017,
apps.urban.org/features/funding-formulas/.
High school administration also plays a role in equaling education. High schools must

implement enough AP classes to accommodate every student wishing to enroll. With additional

funding, schools can more easily introduce the program as well as help cover the exam fees and

course materials. Disadvantaged students will be able to reach the same heights as higher

income students.
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In terms of awareness, high schools must be more informative about the AP program, what

courses are offered, possible local connections, and the online availability. If students learn

more about the benefits, it will become more likely for them to enroll in the program. This is

especially true when considering all the possible subjects available, and the wide interest variety.

Local high schools should also work together to offer more subjects to the student population. It

may be easier for one school to accommodate AP physics and the other AP biology. In working

together, both school’s students can be given the chance to take the course missing from their

respective curriculum through an online connection similar to online AP courses.

The missing AP subjects can be filled by encouraging students to consider the online approach.

This option could also be provided while in school. For example, a student could choose to take

an online AP Spanish course during a class period at school in place of the regular Spanish class.

This opportunity could increase AP participation as well. Professing every option for students is

the key responsibility for each high school.

Student households need to be held accountable, as well. Understanding AP’s pros and cons

and investigating every option is something every student should do with his or her family.

Families can be informed through the high school, college websites and applications,

CollegeBoard, and personal research. Some postsecondary institutes will not accept AP credits,

and students should make note of their potential institute’s guidelines. Each household should

understand the fees surrounding AP and possible reductions it qualifies for, as well. This can

help give students a better understanding of the program if high schools fail to do so.
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Figure 5. How to create equal education for everyone. Generated by Author

By taking these approaches, students will be prepared and knowledgeable about AP, but most

importantly, education will begin to become equal between every student. American children

deserve a proper education, and no one should be given priority over another. By taking these

steps, America can bring its educational system closer to equality.

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Endnotes
i
“The NCES Fast Facts Tool Provides Quick Answers to Many Education Questions (National
Center for Education Statistics).” National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Home Page, a
Part of the U.S. Department of Education, nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=372.

“Undergraduate Enrollment.” The Condition of Education - Postsecondary Education -

ii

Postsecondary Students - Undergraduate Enrollment - Indicator May (2018), May 2018,

nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cha.asp.

Edwards, Halle. “Complete List of AP Courses and Tests.” Complete List of AP Courses and
iii

Tests, 11 Nov. 2018, blog.prepscholar.com/list-of-ap-exams.

iv
Sanders, April. “What Grade Do You Have to Get to Pass the AP Exam?” Education, 29 Sept.
2016, education.seattlepi.com/grade-pass-ap-exam-3070.html.
v
“AP Classes: To Take or Not to Take?” AP Classes: To Take or Not to Take?,
www.studypoint.com/ed/ap-classes/.
vi
Shaffer, Suzanne. “The Benefits of Advanced Placement (AP) Classes.” TeenLife Media, 5
Mar. 2014, www.teenlife.com/blogs/benefits-ap-classes.
vii
Mattern, Krista D., et al. Are AP Students More Likely to Graduate from College on Time?
CollegeBoard, 2013, pp. 13.
viii
“Top 5 Benefits of Taking AP Classes.” The Princeton Review,
www.princetonreview.com/college-advice/ap-classes.
ix
Shaffer, Suzanne. “The Benefits of Advanced Placement (AP) Classes.”
x
“How Many College Students Change Their Major?” Reference, IAC Publishing,
www.reference.com/education/many-college-students-change-major-e73c1e71ac0c0ed3.
xi
“Average Cost of College Statistics 2017.” Student Loan Hero, studentloanhero.com/average-
cost-of-college-statistics/.
xii
Grove, Allen. “6 Reasons You Should Take AP Classes.” ThoughtCo, 27 Nov. 2017,
www.thoughtco.com/why-ap-classes-matter-786960.

“The NCES Fast Facts Tool Provides Quick Answers to Many Education Questions (National
xiii

Center for Education Statistics).”

xiv
“2.7 Million Students Expected to Take Nearly 5 Million AP Exams in May.” The College
Board, 16 May 2017, www.collegeboard.org/releases/2017/students-take-ap-exams-in-
may.
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xv
Mann, Sharmila, et al. Advanced Placement Access and Success: How Do Rural Schools Stack
up? Education Commission of the States, 2017, pp. 1–12
xvi
IBID
xvii
Advanced Placement: All High Schools/Districts Required to Offer AP, 2016,
ecs.force.com/mbdata/MBQuestRT?Rep=AP0116.
xviii
Dileva, Catelyn. “AP Textbook Prices Are Too Costly.” La Vista, 18 Sept. 2015,
www.lavistamchs.com/?p=20637.
xix
“Consider the Costs | AP Central – The College Board.” AP Central, 27 June 2018,
apcentral.collegeboard.org/about-ap/start-grow-ap/start-ap/how-your-school-can-offer-
ap/consider-costs.
xx
Thomas, Jacqueline Rabe. “Access to AP Courses Often Elusive for Low-Income Students.”
The CT Mirror, 15 Dec. 2018, ctmirror.org/2018/05/14/advanced-placement-debate-open-
closed-gate/.
xxi
IBID
xxii
Thompson, Van. “What Percentage of High School Students Attend College After
Graduation?” The Classroom | Empowering Students in Their College Journey, 10 Jan.
2019, www.theclassroom.com/percentage-high-school-students-attend-college-after-
graduation-1423.html.
xxiii
Bailey, Nancy. “Why Not Ditch Advanced Placement (AP) Classes?” Nancy Bailey's
Education Website, 6 Mar. 2017, nancyebailey.com/2017/03/05/why-not-ditch-advanced-
placement-ap-classes/.
xxiv
“Fees and Fee Reductions.” AP Exam Fees and Reductions,
apstudent.collegeboard.org/takingtheexam/exam-fees.
xxv
“Hartland High School.” Hartland High School - AP Courses and Exams,
www.hartlandhighschool.us/Counseling/Standardized-Testing/AP-Courses-and-
Exams/index.html.
xxvi
McCammon, Ellen. “Should You Take Online AP Courses? 12 Pros and Cons.” Should You
Take Online AP Courses? 12 Pros and Cons, 10 Feb. 2016, blog.prepscholar.com/online-
ap-courses.
xxvii
IBID
xxviii
Advanced Placement: All High Schools/Districts Required to Offer AP.
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xxix
“How Do School Funding Formulas Work?” Urban, 29 Nov. 2017,
apps.urban.org/features/funding-formulas/.