Cedar Rapids, Iowa City schools excel in advance placement testing

This is a big week for college-bound Iowa high school students.

Across the state, teens looking to get a head start on their college coursework are sitting for their Advanced Placement exams, which determine whether they receive college credit for advanced classes they have taken.

Few areas in Iowa can boast as many students taking AP exams as Cedar Rapids-Iowa City Corridor, with four out of the five top test-taking schools for 2011 residing in either Cedar Rapids or Iowa City.

For every student graduating from Washington High School in Cedar Rapids, at least three AP exams are taken, according to the University of Iowa Belin-Blank Center's AP Index. It's an elite position - only three other high schools in Iowa have a ratio higher than 2-to-1, and only eight with more than 1-to-1.

Principal Ralph Plagman said AP courses have been a priority at the school for more than 30 years and are the “gold standard” of American high school curricula. The courses and exams, which are formulated by the non-profit College Board in consultation with college professors and high school teachers, provide a good balance between teacher independence as well as rigorous academic standards, according to Plagman.

“You hear a lot of talk of teacher accountability and student achievement,” he said. “Well AP is the model.”

That standard is one of the reasons AP is on the rise in Iowa. The state has gone from one of the lowest in AP test-taking 20 years ago to one of the leaders, according to Nick Colangelo, director of the Belin-Blank Center.

“An AP score means the same to someone from the Bronx School of Science to Jefferson High School in Virginia,” he said. “We don't always have those measures available, but AP gives them to us.”

Washington's not alone. Kennedy High School is close behind with an average of 2.4 students taking a test for every graduate.

Allie Hutcheson, 18, is one of the students helping to set that ratio. The Kennedy senior has taken seven AP courses during her time at Kennedy and is studying for three AP exams this week - literature, calculus and statistics.

Hutcheson said Kennedy's principal, Mary Wilczynski, encourages students to take AP classes whenever possible, and that she's better off for having had that push.

“They're hard work and a challenge, but it's a good challenge,” she said. “The teachers expect a lot more from you, but I think it's going to really help me in college.”

In addition to the academic experience, every AP exam Hutcheson passes with a score of 3 or higher is potentially one fewer course she needs to take in college, adding a financial incentive. It costs $87 per test with reduced rates and grants available for families with a financial need.

But many students opt not to take the tests even if they've done all the coursework, either because they're worried about passing or because the credit isn't the right fit for their post-graduation plans.

Iowa City High School will have the same number of AP course offerings next year as its crosstown partner, West High. But while West has 1.83 students taking a test for every graduate, number five in the state, City High School is at 0.76.

City High Principal John Bacon encourages all of his students who are college-bound to do AP-level coursework and take the exams. But if students end up deciding not to take the tests, they're still better off for having had the class experience, according to Bacon.

“I think they're working very hard. I respect the student's thought process on whether or not to take it is right or not,” he said.

Jefferson High School is in a similar spot, with 0.79 students taking the test for every graduate. The school has worked hard to offer more AP options as that number is double what it was six years ago. During that time the school has brought the number of AP courses it offers up to 23, getting close to Kennedy's 27 and Washington's 25.

But Principal Chuck McDonnell said there are other options for students seeking higher-level coursework. While growing their AP program, Jefferson has also added advanced engineering classes through Project Lead the Way and postsecondary options in partnership with Kirkwood Community College.

“We diversify a bit at Jefferson,” McDonnell said. “Project Lead The Way is as rigorous if not more rigorous as an AP class and we weight it like AP.”

Regardless of the specific approach, Bacon, McDonnell and Plagman agreed AP was a natural fit for any student considering further schooling.

“The first thing we say to students is, ‘If you're going to college, you're taking AP courses,'?” said Plagman.