College-level exam results among Long Island high schoolers show improvement
Anastasia Caputo, an English teacher who provides a seminar course at Malverne High School, lauded the impact of AP classes. "I think we've done better in making kids think critically," she said. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
Achievement rates are up across Long Island on college-level Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams taken in the region's high schools, and New York State as a whole has moved up in national AP rankings.
Students in Nassau and Suffolk counties passed a total of 58,798 Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests out of 85,753 administered last year, a Newsday analysis found. The passage rate on the exams was 68.6%.
By comparison, the region's students passed a total of 55,443 exams out of 84,794 in 2021. The success rate that year was 65.4%.
Meanwhile, Advanced Placement sponsors reported that New York ranked second among states in percentages of high school graduates in the Class of 2022 who passed at least one AP test. Massachusetts remained in first place with 30.5% of graduates meeting that mark; New York was at 29.6%.
New York had ranked as low as eighth among states in 2019.
Overall participation in AP and IB exams is now higher than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic, when school closures led to cutbacks in some tests and cancellation of others.
On the Island, a growing number of students are pursuing elite diplomas awarded as part of AP and IB programs. The former is sponsored by the Manhattan-based College Board, the latter by the International Baccalaureate organization, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
Local education officials said much of this reflected students' desire to gain an edge in college admissions.
"With college admissions becoming more and more competitive each year, it gives students a leg up in the admissions process," said Dan Doherty, director of counseling in the North Shore school district, which serves the communities of Glen Head, Glenwood Landing and Sea Cliff.
"Colleges will look for GPA and then testing and things like that. But they'll also look at students' programs, to see what levels of courses they've taken. And they want students to take the most rigorous courses available," Doherty said.
North Shore offers both IB and AP courses.
Islandwide results on AP tests were obtained by Newsday from the state Department of Education in Albany. IB results were provided by a regional organization of schools that use the baccalaureate program.
Students earn graduation credentials, known as Advanced Placement Capstone Diplomas and International Baccalaureate Diplomas, through completion of two-year programs in high schools. Both programs require development of skills such as time management and ability to deliver oral presentations, together with completion of academic courses and research papers totaling 3,000 to 4,000 words in many cases
Kaitlin Stephens, 18, a graduating senior at Hauppauge High School, noted that the IB program also includes a philosophy course, "Theory of Knowledge," where students examine ethical issues such as weighing the needs of others versus personal needs.
"We did a lot of personal reflection," said Stephens, who is a candidate for a baccalaureate diploma.
Students enrolled in AP and IB programs also receive regular diplomas issued by local school districts and endorsed by the state's Board of Regents.
The College Board's Capstone initiative, launched in 2014, has expanded rapidly on the Island and nationwide. Newsday's review found that more than 75 public high schools out of 114 operating in this region now offer Capstone diplomas, as do a number of private high schools.
Much of the first year of the Capstone program, known as AP seminar, focuses on research techniques such as identifying reliable sources of information and analyzing various topics from differing points of view. Anastasia Caputo, an English teacher who provides a seminar course at Malverne High School, said that such classes have had an academic impact.
"I think we've done better in making kids think critically," said Caputo, who co-teaches seminar classes with Brian China, a history instructor.
On Long Island, an additional 11 public high schools offer baccalaureate diplomas.
Andrea Darbee, an assistant principal at Hauppauge High School, noted that many colleges credit students for IB courses taken in high school and grant them advanced status. "We've had students who have gone on to sophomore standing," said Darbee, who heads an organization representing IB schools in New York and other northeastern states.
With Michael R. Ebert
Achievement rates are up across Long Island on college-level Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams taken in the region's high schools, and New York State as a whole has moved up in national AP rankings.
Students in Nassau and Suffolk counties passed a total of 58,798 Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests out of 85,753 administered last year, a Newsday analysis found. The passage rate on the exams was 68.6%.
By comparison, the region's students passed a total of 55,443 exams out of 84,794 in 2021. The success rate that year was 65.4%.
Meanwhile, Advanced Placement sponsors reported that New York ranked second among states in percentages of high school graduates in the Class of 2022 who passed at least one AP test. Massachusetts remained in first place with 30.5% of graduates meeting that mark; New York was at 29.6%.
WHAT TO KNOW
- Advanced high school students across Long Island took nearly 86,000 college-level exams in 2022 — a higher number than registered during the pre-COVID years.
- A growing number of these students also are earning elite diplomas from the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs that sponsor the exams.
- Local educators credit AP and IB programs for encouraging critical thinking in high school, while also preparing students to cope with college.
New York had ranked as low as eighth among states in 2019.
Overall participation in AP and IB exams is now higher than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic, when school closures led to cutbacks in some tests and cancellation of others.
More students seek an edge
On the Island, a growing number of students are pursuing elite diplomas awarded as part of AP and IB programs. The former is sponsored by the Manhattan-based College Board, the latter by the International Baccalaureate organization, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
Local education officials said much of this reflected students' desire to gain an edge in college admissions.
"With college admissions becoming more and more competitive each year, it gives students a leg up in the admissions process," said Dan Doherty, director of counseling in the North Shore school district, which serves the communities of Glen Head, Glenwood Landing and Sea Cliff.
"Colleges will look for GPA and then testing and things like that. But they'll also look at students' programs, to see what levels of courses they've taken. And they want students to take the most rigorous courses available," Doherty said.
North Shore offers both IB and AP courses.
AP teachers Brian China, center, and Anastasia Caputo with 10th-graders in an AP seminar discussion at Malverne High School. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
Islandwide results on AP tests were obtained by Newsday from the state Department of Education in Albany. IB results were provided by a regional organization of schools that use the baccalaureate program.
Students earn graduation credentials, known as Advanced Placement Capstone Diplomas and International Baccalaureate Diplomas, through completion of two-year programs in high schools. Both programs require development of skills such as time management and ability to deliver oral presentations, together with completion of academic courses and research papers totaling 3,000 to 4,000 words in many cases
Kaitlin Stephens, 18, a graduating senior at Hauppauge High School, noted that the IB program also includes a philosophy course, "Theory of Knowledge," where students examine ethical issues such as weighing the needs of others versus personal needs.
"We did a lot of personal reflection," said Stephens, who is a candidate for a baccalaureate diploma.
Students enrolled in AP and IB programs also receive regular diplomas issued by local school districts and endorsed by the state's Board of Regents.
'Making kids think critically'
The College Board's Capstone initiative, launched in 2014, has expanded rapidly on the Island and nationwide. Newsday's review found that more than 75 public high schools out of 114 operating in this region now offer Capstone diplomas, as do a number of private high schools.
Much of the first year of the Capstone program, known as AP seminar, focuses on research techniques such as identifying reliable sources of information and analyzing various topics from differing points of view. Anastasia Caputo, an English teacher who provides a seminar course at Malverne High School, said that such classes have had an academic impact.
"I think we've done better in making kids think critically," said Caputo, who co-teaches seminar classes with Brian China, a history instructor.
On Long Island, an additional 11 public high schools offer baccalaureate diplomas.
Andrea Darbee, an assistant principal at Hauppauge High School, noted that many colleges credit students for IB courses taken in high school and grant them advanced status. "We've had students who have gone on to sophomore standing," said Darbee, who heads an organization representing IB schools in New York and other northeastern states.
With Michael R. Ebert
John Hildebrand is Newsday's senior education writer and has covered school news and policy issues affecting Long Island for more than 40 years.
