Reform in an Urban School District: The Role of PSAT Results in Promoting Advanced Placement Course-Taking

Abstract

According to Arthur Powell “Advanced Placement courses have probably brought more challenging academic experiences to more students than any other single reform in recent American high school history” ( Lessons from Privilege: The American Prep School Tradition, p. 243). To this end, there has been a significant increase in Advanced Placement (AP) course offerings, course enrollments, and AP test-taking throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia and the nation. In this article, the effect of an urban school district’s initiative to expand PSAT test-taking as a means of identifying academically able students is examined in relationship to increased AP course-taking and completion. Three years worth of data involving over 4,000 high school graduates are included in the study. Logistic regression is used to model the relationship between students’ ninth grade GPA, 10th grade PSAT scores, race, gender, and graduation year on completing at least one AP course in high school. Suggestions are included for improved use of PSAT results to identify students who might succeed in AP courses. Finally, model adequacy is considered with an eye in identifying additional variables for use in future studies.