High school students welcome college-level work

Published 10:57 pm Monday, February 9, 2009

More students across the state are taking college-level Advanced Placement courses and national exams than ever before, and Snohomish County mirrors that trend.

Kamiak High School, for instance, witnessed a surge in enrollment in AP classes with the number of students taking at least one class doubling from 523 in 2002 to 1,070 in 2008.

Katelyn Lawrenz, a junior at the Mukilteo campus, takes AP courses in English, U.S. history, American government and biology, along with honors classes in precalculus and chemistry as well as debate. The co- captain of Kamiak’s debate team has set lofty goals of getting into colleges such as Princeton, Stanford and Georgetown, and figures her AP classes will prepare her for the rigor of college as well as improve her chances at admission.

“Yes, it’s hard,” she said. “It’s the delayed gratification. We all lose tons of sleep, but in the end it will be very worth it and get us to where we need to go.”

One-quarter of Washington’s class of 2008 took at least one AP exam during high school, matching the national average. Overall, 16,294 of last spring’s seniors took at least one AP exam during high school compared with 14,764 in 2007 and 9,722 in 2003, according to a new report.

The AP program, run by the New York-based College Board, can earn students college credit if scores on the optional tests are high enough.

The percentage of Washington seniors scoring a 3 or better, which in most cases qualifies for college credit, increased to 15.5 percent last year from 10.5 in 2003. The 5 percent jump tied with Oregon for the fifth-sharpest increase across the country.

“It’s a significant achievement that students are increasing their college-ready scores as the number of students taking AP exams is also rising,” said Randy Dorn, the state superintendent of public instruction.

Kamiak junior Sunita Chepuri is taking three AP classes and said she’s glad her school offers motivated students so many opportunities.

“I just think it’s important to know as much as you can,” she said.

The classes might look good on a transcript, but junior Dylan Pickus has another reason why he is taking four AP courses — the students around him.

“I like to be around other people who like to be challenged,” he said.

At Darrington High School in the foothills of the Cascades, nearly half of the 30 seniors have taken or are taking an AP course. Unlike many urban schools with more teachers and resources, Darrington High is offering just three AP courses this year: calculus, physics and American literature. Every other year, the school also offers AP chemistry, principal Dave Holmer said.

At Darrington, the number of students taking AP courses depends largely on the size of the senior class. Last year, 39 of the 52 seniors took an AP class, Holmer said.

In the Everett School District, Cascade and Henry M. Jackson high schools have seen a steady climb in the percentage of students taking at least one AP exam. At Cascade, the numbers jumped to 12.5 percent in 2008 from 7.2 percent in 2005, while AP enrollment at Everett High School dropped slightly.

Advanced Placement courses are just one option for college-level classes in high school. Many students are choosing other classes to expose students to college-level work.

“It’s not just AP that’s available for kids,” said Mary Waggoner, an Everett School District spokeswoman.

For instance, more than 250 Cascade High School students took Running Start classes at local community colleges last year, more than double the year before. Everett High School had nearly 200 students enroll in Running Start, more than triple the number from the past, according to district statistics.

The number of students attempting AP tests in the Monroe School District had doubled since 2004. Last year, 48 students took an AP test and 33 passed. Four years earlier, just 22 students tried a test, with 17 passing, spokeswoman Rosemary O’Neil said.

In the Edmonds School District, 547 students took at least one AP test in 2005. Last year, 799 students attempted 1,120 tests.

“Teachers and counselors are sharing as much information as they can with students about ways they can best prepare themselves for life after college,” said Jennifer Piplic, an Edmonds School District spokeswoman. “And AP is one of those opportunities.”

Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com.