By Sara Ballenger
This spring, students at both Los Altos and Mountain View high schools took Advanced Placement exams, hoping efforts in up to 22 different subjects in Advanced Placement (AP) classes pay off.
The Advanced Placement program, sponsored by the College Board, consists of 31 different courses and completion exams for high school students, but using college-level coursework.
If a student scores between a 3 and 5 on an exam, they can qualify for college credit or accelerated placement at the start of their college career. According to the College Board, a score of 4 or 5 on an AP exam is like earning an A in a college course, a 3 is like earning a B, and scores of 2 or 1 show that the school’s AP courses are “available to an appropriate range of students.”
Students in the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District have been taking the AP placement exams for the last 20 years.
According to the district, this year, at Los Altos High School, 286 students took 443 exams in 22 subject areas. Of those exams, 332, or 75 percent, received a score of 3 or better. Los Altos had five more exams this year than last, that earned a score of 3 or higher.
At Mountain View High School, 363 students took 560 exams in 14 different subject areas. Of those exams, 390, or 70 percent, received a score of 3 or better. Mountain View had 40 more exams this year than last that earned a score of 3 or better.
“I think the trend is very healthy. We still have above average scores in terms of comparison to the percentage of students who score 3 or higher as opposed to nationwide,” said Brigitte Sarraf, associate superintendent of educational services at the district. “Our district has always been considered to be strong in our AP program — the breadth and quality of the program — and that continues.”
Some of the difference in score come from more students taking AP classes at Mountain View High than at Los Altos High.
Both high schools have different policies when it comes to enrolling in AP classes.
At Los Altos High, students need to have an A or an A- in a college preparatory course, or a B or B- in another AP class. Mountain View has an open enrollment policy for its AP classes. The high school’s controversial move to AP open enrollment three years ago seems not to have had a negative effect on students’ performance on the test, said Principal Pat Hyland.
“When we first moved to open access there were quite a few folks who said ‘You just wait, this will bring down your school.’ I must admit their doomsday statements rattled me at first, but we plowed ahead,” Hyland said. “Three years later, I am thrilled we keep seeing a positive trend.”
One trend that affects both schools, however, is a decline in the number of students taking multiple exams. The cost per exam is $80. There was a noticeable decline in the number of exams taken by Los Altos High students in the 2002-03 school year.
“Speculation is that many universities no longer accept a score of 3 as acceptable,” Sarraf said.
Los Altos High School student Rob Cameron, who took an AP test on European history last spring, said that a lot of students don’t have the time it takes to concentrate on getting a good score on the test.
“I have heard a lot of colleges are not accepting lower scores, most schools now only accept (a score of) 5 for credits,” Cameron said. “It takes a lot of effort. About six months to prepare if you want a good score.” Cameron, who scored a 4 on his exam, said he wasn’t discouraged by the new trend at universities to stop taking AP courses or the exams.
“I am still going to try for a 5,” Cameron added.
