Advanced Placement Human Geography: Program Access and Effectiveness by Race, Ethnicity, and Gender, 2001–2020

Abstract

Advanced Placement (AP) is a program initially developed by the College Board to engage “superior” high school students with rigorous college-equivalent coursework. Because the AP program has the potential to facilitate the college placement and success of diverse youth, the College Board has made equitable AP access a core objective. This article reports the results of an assessment conducted to gain a better understanding of the number and characteristics of students who have participated in AP Human Geography and how they fared on the exam. Although AP Human Geography enrollments have grown more diverse since the program’s launch in 2001, unequal access to the course remains a challenge. Unequal outcomes on AP Human Geography exams are also evident when comparing mean scores and qualifying scores by race, ethnicity, and gender. The effectiveness of AP Human Geography for youth of color is compromised by the inordinate number of exams taken in ninth grade, a point in schooling characterized by widespread and embedded geography achievement disadvantages and unequal educational opportunities. Ensuring the equitable preparation of students for advanced geography coursework and fostering racial and gender equity in the curriculum are among the reforms recommended to reduce inequality in AP exam scores.