From the ECS State Policy Database: High School--Advanced Placement - This policy database—updated weekly—is made possible by your state's fiscal support of the Education Commission of the States....

Advanced Placement Database - This database provides 50-state information on the following: (1) states that require all high schools to offer AP courses; (2) states that provide financial incentives for AP courses; (3) states that provide accountability incentives for AP courses; (4) state programs and funding for teacher training; (5) subsidies for testing fees; (6) states that provide scholarship incentives for achieving certain scores; (7) collaboration on AP between K-12 and higher education systems; (8) state support for encouraging access to AP; and (9) states that require students to take the AP exam to receive course credit. This database will be updated as new policies are enacted or amended. (Jennifer Dounay, Education Commission of the States, August 2006)...

Advanced Placement MS Word PDF - The Advanced Placement (AP) program has seen exponential growth in recent years. This ECS Policy Brief examines some of the reasons for this expansion, including the benefits students gain by taking AP courses and exams, the AP audit process, the pre-AP program and perhaps most importantly, the essential components of a comprehensive state AP policy and how these components take shape in Arkansas policy – the state furthest along in addressing each element of the comprehensive policy. (Jennifer Dounay, Education Commission of the States, February 2006)...

Raising Rigor, Getting Results: Lessons Learned from AP Expansion - An effort by the National Governors Association to expand Advanced Placement programs in six states resulted in a 65% increase in student enrollment in those courses and an even bigger increase among minority students. The states each received $500,000 to target one urban and one rural district. Two years later, in 2007-08, the number of minority students in AP classes had jumped 106%. This report presents the lessons learned. (David Wakelyn, National Governors Association, August 2009)...

Student Participation in Acceleration Programs Has Increased; Legislature Has Taken Steps to Reduce Program Costs - In 2007, a larger percentage of graduates participated in at least one acceleration course. Most of this growth resulted from a large increase in the number of students taking advanced placement courses. However, the percentage of these students qualifying for college credit has decreased slightly. Acceleration courses are relatively expensive to provide at high schools and the state’s costs of generating college credit hours through these programs exceeds the cost of providing comparable courses at postsecondary institutions. Consistent with prior OPPAGA recommendations, the 2008 Florida legislature took steps to address this issue and control program costs by reducing the rate of incentive funding for accelerated programs....