More than 25,000 public school students took a combined 38,685 Advanced Placement exams this year, a 6 percent increase in the number of participating Utah students compared with 2015.
Test-takers earned a passing score — a three, four or five on a five-point scale — on two-thirds of those exams, which awards college credit to participants in content areas like art history, calculus, English literature and psychology.
The new AP data apply only to students in public schools, and were released Monday by the Utah Board of Education.
In a prepared statement, state Superintendent Sydnee Dickson said the numbers from the College Board — which administers the AP program — should be viewed in addition to the combined 200,000 hours of college credit that Utah students earned through concurrent enrollment coursework.
"I want to thank our teachers and applaud our students and the parents who helped them increase participation and succeed in earning college credit through the AP program," Dickson said.
Utah earned a higher success rate last year, with 66.8 percent of tests scoring a three or higher, but saw roughly 2,000 fewer exams completed than in 2016.
And economically disadvantaged students now make up roughly 8 percent of Utah's AP exam participants, the College Board data show.
North Sevier High School in Salina saw a 100 percent success rate, with 5 students successfully scoring a three or higher on 6 tests.
School districts that increase both participation and the success rate of test-takers are named to the annual AP Honor Roll, which is traditionally released in the weeks following statewide data.
Last year, the Alpine, Canyons, Davis, Ogden City and Duchesne County school districts were named to the honor roll, with Davis School District continuing its six-year streak since the roll's creation in 2010.
bwood@sltrib.com
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