Montana’s Class Of 2017 Saw A Slight Increase In AP Exam Participation And Scoring

On Wednesday, The College Board announced national and statewide Advanced Placement results for the class of 2017. Montana Office of Public Instruction Director of Communications Dylan Klapmeier says Montana saw an increase in the number of students taking an AP exam and an increase in students who scored a 3 or higher.

“The benchmark score of 3 out of the 5 shows college readiness,” said Klapmeier. “In the class of 2017, 20.5 percent of students took an AP exam compared to 20.3 percent of in the class of 2016. Of those, 13 percent scored a 3 or higher compared to 12.8 percent in the class of 2016.”

According to Klapmeier, Montana traditionally ranks below the national average in terms of AP participation and scoring.

“Regionally here we are in line with our neighboring states for participation and we actually lead all of our neighbors in scoring,” Klapmeier said. “Something we are working on in Montana with the College Board is to get a better idea of which school districts in Montana are participating heavily in AP.”

Two Montana school districts received recognition on the AP’s District Honor Roll. Helena and Polson School Districts increased access to AP coursework and the percentage of students earning a 3 or higher on AP exams.