U-46 looks to boost AP enrollment, diversity

"Rigor" is one of the hottest buzzwords in education today. By expanding its Advanced Placement offerings, Elgin Area School District U-46 is hoping rigor will also be the key to its students' success after high school.

Advanced Placement, or AP, classes, are courses designed to mimic the intensity, workload and lessons of college-level classes in a variety of subjects. In many cases, students who score highly on AP exams can place out of required college classes.

Drawing on data that show students who take AP classes do better in college, District U-46 is trying to expand its AP program to include more students and subjects.

AP enrollment has risen substantially at U-46 schools in recent years. In 2006, 786 students took AP exams in the district; last year, 1,782 students took an AP exam - with more than half of them earning at least a 3, the minimum score needed to get academic credit in college.

District U-46 is hoping to continue that trend, creating two new committees to plan and coordinate the district's AP efforts. Those committees are focused on boosting overall AP enrollment, offering a broader range of AP classes and making sure the students enrolled in AP classes are as diverse as U-46's general student population.

Superintendent Jose Torres has made expansion of the AP program a priority, incorporating it into his "Listening and Learning Plan" designed to raise overall achievement, close the "achievement gap" between low-income students and their peers and improve communication.

"The greatest predictor of postsecondary success is the rigor of secondary curriculum," said Greg Walker, assistant superintendent for secondary education. "How are we going to make sure that the - participation in the examination is reflective of the population?"

The AP committees are seeking ways to offset the cost of AP exams (they cost $87 each), which may deter some disadvantaged students from taking the test, but so far have had no luck. U-46 also plans to set yearly AP goals, expand training for AP teachers and implement an AP readiness program at the middle schools.

But like other initiatives in U-46, the AP expansion will have to contend with ongoing budget pressures. The district has slashed its 2011 budget by more than $27 million, cutting teachers, salaries and sports.

Walker said Monday: "There are many students who are not sitting in AP classes - due to budget constraints."