WASHINGTON 鈥� High school seniors in Maryland and Virginia聽are standouts when it comes to聽advanced placement examinations.
According to data released Thursday from the College Board, a nonprofit organization that manages the AP program, of Maryland’s 2016 graduating seniors earned a score of 3聽or higher on at least one AP examination, the second-highest nationwide.
In Virginia, 28.3 percent of聽graduating seniors achieved that benchmark, the sixth-highest in the U.S.
Nationwide, the rate of success was 21.9 percent of seniors.
Others in the top six聽included Massachusetts, Connecticut, Florida and California.
While colleges and universities set their own policies for awarding credit, such a score on an AP test is generally seen as indicative of college-level work.
Virginia’s numbers are a slight improvement on 2015’s, when 28 percent of Virginia鈥檚 public high school graduates earned scores of 3聽or higher on at least one AP examination.
鈥淰irginia students are consistently among the highest performing in the nation on AP examinations,鈥� said Steven Staples, Virginia’s superintendent of public instruction. 鈥淚 think that speaks to the overall strength of the commonwealth鈥檚 public schools and to the commitment of Virginia鈥檚 teachers to challenging students to meet high expectations.鈥�
Karen Salmon, Maryland’s superintendent of schools, said the latest data indicates continued growth and a high rate of success.
“All students should have the opportunity to succeed in rigorous educational programs,鈥� she said.
