Exploring the Relationships Between College-Going Culture and Students' Advanced Placement Course and Exam Participation

• In Event: 73.062 - Poster Session 17
  In Poster Session: 73.062-5 - Current Topics in Counseling and Education

Abstract

College access scholars enthusiastically encourage high schools to implement and maintain a college-going culture on campus. One aspect of a college-going culture is access to and enrollment in challenging classes and higher-level coursework. This paper uncovers how schools’ college-going cultures, as defined by school personnel, grant entry into the Advanced Placement (AP) program. After exploring the mechanisms schools use to sort students into or out of AP, the paper examines whether these practices influence students’ AP course and exam participation. This mixed-methods study uses interviews with school counselors and principals to understand how they assign students to AP courses. Then, it utilizes student survey data and school records to estimate students’ participation in AP courses and exams.

Author

• Chenoa S. Woods, Florida State University