Hawaii Island’s public school students took more Advanced Placement exams in the 2016-17 school year, though their overall passing rate dropped slightly, according to information provided to the Tribune-Herald on Tuesday by the state Department of Education.
Hawaii Island’s public school students took more Advanced Placement exams in the 2016-17 school year, though their overall passing rate dropped slightly, according to information provided to the Tribune-Herald on Tuesday by the state Department of Education.
Islandwide, 731 students took 1,135 exams last year. That’s a 16 percent increase in the number of participating students and a more than 13 percent increase in the number of exams taken in comparison with the 2015-16 school year.
Of last year’s exam takers, 426, or about 38 percent, earned passing scores, which is defined as achieving a minimum “3” score on a five-point scale. The year prior, that passing rate was about 40 percent among Hawaii Island AP test takers.
The islandwide average still trailed behind the state pass rate of 42 percent, which increased from just more than 40 percent in the 2015-16 year.
AP exams are administered each spring by the College Board. Students who score at least a “3” can earn college credit. Students also can take an AP exam without enrolling in an AP course.
In a Tuesday news release, DOE Superintendent Christina Kishimoto called year-over-year growth “promising” and said she ultimately wants “all students (to) take at least one AP level course or early college course as part of their high school curriculum.”
The DOE also provided SAT scores. According to the data, Hawaii Island 11th-graders earned an overall mean SAT score of 1034 compared with the statewide average of about 1041. A total of 501 Big Island students took the SAT test.