Ten Colorado high schools will share a $10.5 million grant designed to close achievement gaps and improve college readiness for students by making Advanced Placement course opportunities more widely available.
The investment from the National Math and Science Initiative comes on the heels of a pilot program by the Colorado Legacy Foundation to increase the diversity and AP success rates of kids who previously might not have attempted the rigorous courses. The standardized AP tests that determine a student’s proficiency in a given subject have become a key element in college admissions.
From the Denver metro area, Abraham Lincoln High School, Northglenn High School, Aurora Central High School and Arvada High School will participate in the program. Also winning a share of the grant money were Pueblo’s Centennial High School, a pilot participant whose test success rate more than tripled; Grand Junction High School, Fruita Monument High School and Central High School from the Grand Junction area; and James Irwin Charter High School and Vista Ridge High School from Colorado Springs.
“This is about changing school culture,” said Helayne Jones, president and CEO of the Colorado Legacy Foundation, during the announcement at the state Capitol. “Any student who wants to be challenged deserves to be supported by their school. This program makes it happen.”
The money will fund teacher content training for AP and pre-AP classes in grades 6-12; student support, including half-payment of the $87 testing fee and more than three weeks of exam preparation work; and cash incentives for teachers and students based on achieving qualifying scores on AP tests.
The foundation plans to expand the program by an additional 10 schools next year and 10 more in 2014-15, for a total of 30 participating high schools.
