From Wake County Public School System's Oct. 24 "School Community News" Newsletter:
More Students Taking College-Level AP Exams
More Wake County Public School System students are taking college-level Advanced Placement exams and the percent of WCPSS students with a passing score remains significantly higher than the average for North Carolina. The Wake County Public School System had 4,605 students take 9,217 Advanced Placement exams for 2007-08. This was the second year in a row that the number of AP tests taken had increased by more than 1,000. The 3.30 exam average of WCPSS students is higher than the 2.79 exam average of NC students. While 74.4 percent of WCPSS students who took AP exams scored 3 or higher, 56.3 percent of NC students scored 3 or higher. WCPSS students have been encouraged to take more challenging courses such as AP classes, International Baccalaureate classes and Honors classes. By taking more rigorous classes, students get a head start on college-level work, improve writing skills and sharpen problem-solving techniques, develop the study habits necessary for ta ckling rigorous course work and stand out in the college admissions process. Read more here.