State legislators at the North Carolina General Assembly will have yet another education program to consider funding when they meet in May for adjustments to the state’s budget.
The N.C. House Select Committee on Education Reform heard a presentation recently from the state’s Fiscal Research Division about a proposal to finance Advanced Placement tests for N.C. high school students. Students that score a three or higher on most AP tests are eligible to receive college credit for certain courses.
But the proposal to use state money for AP tests has drawn criticism from some program administrators who say that existing programs such as N.C. Governor’s School and N.C. Teaching Fellows should take precedence.
The idea to set aside state funds for AP tests comes from a similar program that was implemented in Florida in 2000.
From 2001-2011, the number of Florida students who scored a three or higher on AP exams increased by 10.5 percentage points, according to College Board’s eighth Annual AP Report to the Nation.
At the committee meeting, the Fiscal Research Division outlined three possible options aimed at increasing the number of students taking AP tests: fully or partially funding each test’s $87 fee, giving bonuses to teachers whose students receive high test scores and providing workshops for teachers.
Rep. Hugh Blackwell, R-Burke and chairman of the committee, said members are currently weighing the options presented.
“We will be evaluating what seems to or should receive the highest priority. They will all be evaluated to determine which is the most worthy,” Blackwell said.
Although the total amount of money needed to finance AP tests is uncertain, the program has the potential to affect thousands of students across the state — whereas Governor’s School is limited to a relatively small number of students, he said.
