College Board

Advanced Placement Program Founded in 1955, the Advanced Placement Program gives students the opportunity to take college-level coursework and exams in high school. Students who succeed on AP Exams are more likely to succeed in college and can potentially earn valuable college credit. Even AP students who earn a lower score have better college outcomes than academically similar college students who did not take an AP course and AP Exam. Nearly 1.2 million students in the class of 2022 took more than 4 million AP Exams in U.S. public high schools nationwide, as educators across the country encourage a wider and more diverse population of students to participate in AP. 34.6% of 2022 U.S. public high school graduates took at least one AP Exam during high school, and 21.6% of the graduating class scored a 3 or higher on at least one AP Exam. Over the past 10 years, the percentage of all U.S. public high school graduates earning a score of 3 or higher (out of 5) on at least one AP Exam has grown by 3.4 percentage points. More than 1 in 5 U.S. public school graduates score 3 or higher on at least one AP Exam. 402,498 traditionally underrepresented students-including Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian/Alaska Native students-graduated in 2022 from U.S. public high schools having taken at least one AP Exam, up 143,176 students from 2012. The growth in both participation and performance for students from all backgrounds reflects the hard work of students and teachers, and the commitment of states and districts, toward providing students with greater access to academic opportunities. The AP Program provides students, teachers, and administrators with free resources, support, and feedback throughout the year. All students have access to free AP Daily videos and AP Daily: Live Review sessions. AP Daily videos are short on-demand segments led by expert AP teachers that cover all course content and skills. Teachers can assign them for out-of-class work and use valuable class time for more focused engagement with students. These resources help schools target instruction and provide practice opportunities. AP Computer Science Principles: In fall 2016, College Board launched AP Computer Science Principles (AP CSP) with the goal of giving all students-especially those who are traditionally underrepresented in the computer science field-tools and opportunities to be successful in today's workforce. AP CSP was the biggest course launch in the history of the AP Program. New research finds that students who take AP CSP in high school are more than 3 times as likely to major in computer science in college, compared to similar students who did not take CSP. Differences are similarly large for female, Black, Hispanic, and first-generation college students. Pre-AP: First piloted in fall 2018, Pre-AP courses are designed to support all students across varying levels of ability, challenging them to build relevant, interdisciplinary critical thinking skills. The program empowers all students to learn, grow, and build confidence through focused course frameworks, engaging instructional resources, learning checkpoints, and collaborative educator workshops. Pre-AP courses help get students ready for the PSAT-related assessments, SAT, and AP. Twelve (12) courses are currently available in five subject areas. AP Potential: AP Potential is a free, web-based tool that helps educators increase access to AP by using SAT, PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, and PSAT 8/9 score data to identify students with the potential to succeed in AP.

College and Career Opportunities and Enrollment By connecting students to colleges and scholarships, and providing access to credit programs, planning tools, and fee waivers for all who need them, College Board is increasing opportunities and breaking down barriers to college and helping students identify career opportunities. CLEP: The College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), the most widely trusted college-based credit-by-examination program for more than 50 years, is accepted by 2,900 colleges and universities and administered in over 2,000 test centers. CLEP increases opportunities for students by enabling them to earn college credit by demonstrating knowledge they have gained in other settings, such as independent study, workforce training, or other experiences. CLEP exams can save money and time for students of all ages and backgrounds, including students in dual enrollment or continuing education programs, homeschooled, international, and/or transfer students. Members of the military can also take advantage of the financial savings CLEP offers; through a College Board partnership with the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES), military personnel can take CLEP exams for free. Students may take any of 34 examinations in 5 subject areas, covering material usually taught in a 2-year degree program or the first 2 years of a 4-year program. Research shows students who earn course credit for achieving a required minimum CLEP exam score perform as well as or better than their classmates without CLEP exam credit in sequent or subsequent courses. BigFuture: BigFuture is a set of comprehensive digital resources that helps students plan for college, pay for college, and explore careers. It simplifies the path to life after high school by recommending small steps that all students-no matter their high school-can take at just the right time to explore career interests, identify potential majors, find colleges and scholarships, and access financial aid. And it rewards students' efforts directly by providing chances at scholarships. Launched in December 2018 and open to all students, the national BigFuture Scholarship program guides students through the college planning process and offers them multiple chances to earn money for college. Students earn entries in monthly drawings for $500-$40,000 scholarships by completing steps to plan for college. More than $14 million in scholarships has been awarded to more than 15,000 students since the program started. Student Search Service: College Board's Student Search Service, or Search, is a free, voluntary program that connects students with information about educational and financial aid opportunities from nearly 1,900 eligible colleges and universities, and scholarships and other educational programs. Students can opt in to participate in Search when they take certain College Board assessments, or at any time when they visit College Board's website. By choosing to participate, students give College Board permission to share their names and limited information with colleges and scholarship programs looking for students like them. Research shows that students who participate in Search are more likely to go to and finish college. The College Board National Recognition Programs: These awards create pathways to college for underrepresented students by awarding them academic honors and connecting them with universities across the country, helping students stand out during the admissions process. Students who may be eligible include those who take the PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, or AP Exams and are African American or Black, Hispanic American or Latinx, Indigenous, or attend school in a rural area or small town. The College Board National Recognition Programs grant students' academic honors that can be included in college and scholarship applications. Colleges use these honors to identify students from underrepresented groups who have excelled on their PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, or AP Exams and in their classrooms. Expanded Recognition Awards and Scholarship Opportunities: Participating in Student Search Service helps students get found by scholarship providers. In addition to its partnership with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, College Board connects students to 26 scholarship partners that offer more than $300 million in annual rewards to qualified students based on merit and financial need. Among the organizations College Board works with are the American Indian Graduate Center (AIGC), the APIA Scholarship Program, the Cobell Scholarship (awarded by Indigenous Education, Inc.), the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF), the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation (JKCF), and the United Negro College Fund (UNCF). By using information from the PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 10, AIGC, APIA, Cobell, HSF, JKCF, and UNCF are able to access a wider group of eligible students from high schools across the country and make sure they're aware of the opportunities they've earned. Fee Waivers: In 2022, College Board provided over $78 million in fee waivers and fee reductions. CSS Profile: CSS Profile is a service that helps colleges award institutional financial aid to the students who need it most. Profile gives schools a complete picture of families' finances so they can distribute aid equitably and strategically. Nearly 400 colleges, universities, graduate and professional schools, and scholarship organizations rely on CSS Profile to help make college a reality for students. Collectively, institutions and organizations that use CSS Profile award more than $9 billion annually in institutional grants and scholarships to students based on financial need. Landscape: In fall 2019, College Board launched Landscape, a comprehensive and free resource that provides consistent high school and neighborhood information so admissions officers can better understand applicants' high school and neighborhood environments.

SAT Suite of Assessments College Board's SAT Suite, which includes the SAT, PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, and PSAT 8/9, measures what research shows students need to succeed after high school. It also connects students with fee waivers, scholarship opportunities, free personalized practice, and college and career planning tools. As schools and communities continue to recover from impacts of the pandemic, SAT testing capacity and SAT test-taking have increased. The 2022 SAT Suite of Assessments Annual Report shows that 1.7 million students in the high school class of 2022 took the SAT at least once, up from 1.5 million in the class of 2021. Most of these students took the assessment through SAT School Day, the in-school program that dramatically expands access and equity. And as SAT test-taking rebounds, College Board survey results continue to show more than 80% of students want to be able to send their scores to colleges. Nearly 1.1 million students in the class of 2022 took the SAT through the SAT School Day program, which provides schools, districts, and states a way to offer the SAT to juniors and seniors in school, on a weekday, often at no cost to students. Overall, more than 63% of SAT takers in the class of 2022 took the SAT on a school day, the highest percentage to date, compared to 62% of the class of 2021, and 49% of the class of 2020. SAT School Day participation has increased more than 18% over the past year, up from 930,000 in the class of 2021. In spring 2022 we started to deliver the SAT Suite of Assessments digitally. More than 43,000 students in 166 countries took the first administration of the digital SAT when it launched at international test centers. We will transition U.S. schools and test centers from paper and pencil to digital in spring of 2024.

Other Services Research and Advocacy - College Board's Research and Advocacy efforts are related primarily to the areas of college preparation and access, college affordability and financial aid, college admissions and completion, and the importance of teachers and school counselors. Membership - College Board works to strengthen relationships among members to achieve our shared goals through programs, services, and large-scale conferences, and seeks to foster community, expand knowledge, and enhance the education profession. Puerto Rico and Latin America - College Board Puerto Rico and Latin America develops programs and services specially designed for populations whose vernacular is Spanish and appropriate to the educational conditions of Latin America. These programs are aimed at systematizing the university evaluation and admissions processes, strengthening academic and personal orientation, and promoting educational excellence. ****