Advance Placement Participation, Staffing, and Staff Training in the District of Columbia Public Schools

This REL Mid-Atlantic report and fact sheet explore strategies schools use to expand participation in the Advanced Placement program. The study examines students' AP test taking and passing rates among District of Columbia Public Schools that do and don't mandate AP courses, teacher participation in the AP Summer Institute, and the degree to which teachers' college majors are aligned to the AP courses they teach. The percentage of students passing at least one exam increased in most of the schools in the study, but passing rates were low, suggesting that districts might have to consider additional teacher and student supports to succeed with AP course requirements.