FOX 21/27 – WFXR Roanoke/WWCW Lynchburg News, WeatherVirginia Students Rank 3rd in AP Tests

For a fifth consecutive year, Virginia students rank third in the nation in achievement on Advanced Placement (AP) tests. According to the College Board's 2012 AP Report to the Nation, better than one in four of Virginia's 2011 public high school graduates demonstrated college-level achievement by earning a grade of three or better on at least one AP examination. Only two states, Maryland and New York, had higher percentages of high school seniors qualifying for college credit on the rigorous tests.

The College Board reports that 25.6 percent of the commonwealth's 2011 graduating seniors earned a qualifying score on at least one AP exam, compared with 18.1 percent for public school students nationwide.

"It is rewarding to see that more than 40 percent of our graduating seniors challenge themselves by enrolling in AP courses," said Superintendent of Public Instruction Patricia I. Wright. "Our students' increasing mastery of college-level studies testifies to the continued effectiveness of the Standards of Learning program and the commitment of Virginia educators to challenging students to higher levels of learning and achievement."

Last year, 20,542 Virginia seniors scored a three or higher on an AP exam at some point during their high school careers. This compares with 2001, when only 17,150 seniors took an AP exam and only 10,900 earned a score of three or higher.