Article Reflection No. 77 (For 11/19/2023)

Article: “Why Is the College Board Pushing to Expand Advanced Placement”

Reflection:

In the article “Why Is the College Board Pushing to Expand Advanced Placement”, journalist Dana Goldstein details the socioeconomic and racial factors involved in Advanced Placement courses and testing—relative to the $90-million funding from taxpayers. The exam is viewed as a “boost” to college applications for high schoolers—a testimony to a challenging course—and can provide college credit as long as one receives a three or higher. Although College Board brought broader access for these courses and exams, with over five times as many low-income students taking the exam than twenty years ago, students with low-income families are still at a direct disadvantage, with 80% of Roxbury Prep (a school with a majority of low-income families from racially marginalized demographics) students receiving a one or two on AP exams, despite the 872 tests taken over the past year(s). This data may be explained by the following factors: not having the financial means to resource test preparation, lacking primary-school education, and difficulty speaking English, according to Goldstein. 

This article provides an interesting perspective. I have to admit, expanding access to AP courses and exams seemed only beneficial before I read this article, but I am glad to learn about additional underlying factors: financial, racial class, and the test scores themselves. This reminds me of the article I read for the 10/28/2023 reflection, on the SAT data and how the scores for lower-income, disadvantaged communities are lower than the wealthy advantaged communities.