AP stats may not be cause for joy

While Utah is ninth in the nation for percentage of students passing Advanced Placement course exams in 2007, and Hispanic participation in AP testing is up statewide, an ethnic minority student advocate said the Hispanic figure is no reason to jump for joy.

That's because while the College Board reported Wednesday Utah's Hispanic student participation rate in AP exams was up 50 percent over five years, the Hispanic student dropout rate continues to remain high in Utah, says Michael Clara, a Salt Lake resident who is vocal on ethnic issues.

The Hispanic student AP exam participation number "is not worth celebrating," Clara said. "This is just a drop in the bucket as compared to the number of kids we're seeing dropping out of school."

Staff at the State Office of Education on Wednesday were not able to produce statistics regarding Hispanic dropout rates in Utah.

According to the College Board, while Utah's Hispanic student population grew by 29 percent over the past five years, the students' participation rate in AP testing rose from 237 students in 2002 to 476 in 2007, an increase of 50 percent.

Clara said when you start with a low number to begin with, a 50 percent increase isn't as dramatic as if it began with a high number — which is where the Caucasian students are when it comes to the AP exam participation and passing rates.

"I feel we should not, by any means, get complacent and think we are making progress — because we're not," he said.

Clara admits the state has some excellent education programs that target ethnic minorities and English language learners. He would like to see a bigger push for more qualified teachers to instruct ELL. "That's a start," he said.

The AP Report to the Nation states 14,096 Utah students took a total of 22,609 AP exams in 2007 and that 14,891 of those tests came in with a score of 3, 4 or 5, which is good enough to earn college credit. That gave the state's public school students an overall pass rate of 65.9 percent, compared to the national pass rate of 57.2 percent.

College Board data showed Utah's white students accounted for 85.5 percent of all AP exams in the state while comprising 85 percent of the school population. Hispanic students account for 8.9 percent of the high school population but only 5.4 percent of AP exams.