Georgia is 12th in the nation in the percentage of seniors scoring a three or higher – a passing score – on Advanced Placement exams, according to The College Board’s AP Report. Georgia ranked 13th in the nation last year.

This report measures progress of the class of 2012. When results are broken out by subgroup, Georgia’s black students rank second in the nation (behind Washington) in the percentage of seniors scoring a three or higher on AP exams. Georgia’s 10-year increase (10.1 percent) in the percentage of seniors scoring a three or higher on AP exams also shows improvement, ranking ninth in the nation.

Only five other states in the country had a greater percentage of AP exam takers last year. The percentage of Georgia seniors who took an AP exam was 41.1 percent, compared to 32.4 percent for the nation.

“Georgia’s students continue to outperform most of their peers throughout the country on Advanced Placement exams,” said state School Superintendent Dr. John Barge. “These results show that Georgia’s students can compete against any students in the nation. Just as SAT results get everyone’s attention, I think the performance of our students on Advanced Placement exams deserves the same attention.”

Gov. Nathan Deal added, “The continued high scores of all Georgia students on AP exams are certainly cause for celebration. Advanced Placement courses help students develop college-level academic skills, and passing scores on those exams help students earn college credit for the knowledge they’ve gained.”

The state of Georgia has undertaken many efforts to increase participation in AP programs and success on AP exams.

From 2003 to 2010, the Georgia Legislature approved funds to pay for students to take at least one AP exam per year. For those seven years, economically-disadvantaged students had all of their AP exams paid for each year. Budget cuts reduced that support to only one AP exam for economically-disadvantaged students beginning in May 2011 and that support remains in place.

The Georgia Department of Education has organized the distribution of AP Teacher Training Grants. Since 2006, Georgia Department of Education has funded approximately $1.59 million in grant awards to train 2,264 new AP teachers. It is anticipated that in 2013 an additional 200 AP teachers will be trained.