AP ACCESS GRANT TO HELP LOW INCOME STUDENTS

Minnesota has received a three-year $4.5 million grant from the United States Department of Education to increase Advance Placement (AP) participation for low income students. The Minnesota Department of Education collaborated with leaders from Minneapolis and Saint Paul Public Schools on the Advanced Placement Access Initiative Program grant.


Minneapolis and St. Paul each identified 13 high-poverty high schools (more than 40 percent of their students eligible for free and reduced price lunch) and 15 high-poverty feeder schools that will qualify for AP Access grant services. Currently at these schools, less than one percent of the low-income students enrolled in the high-need high schools passed an AP test in 2006-07 - 74 of 10,683 students enrolled at that time.


One goal of the AP Access grant is to increase AP participation, testing and test passing rates of low-income students in English, math, science and critical languages by 10-16 percent annually at the targeted sites. To achieve this goal, the school districts will expand the use of best practices that include Quality Management, an Online Resource System, improving the AP access professional culture, applying research-based practices for both academics, and counseling/student support.

The grant also will align AP curriculum and the Pre-AP curriculum so that students can make a smooth transition into AP classes and be fully prepared for a successful experience. Additionally, the districts will provide improved services for targeted students that will better utilize business and community in-kind services.

The program aims to help students who have the skills to succeed in AP but don’t currently participate and those who need more engaging, challenging instruction and support programs in order to have true access to AP.