학술논문

Advanced Placement and Initial College Enrollment: Evidence from an Experiment
Document Type
Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Source
Education Finance and Policy. Win 2023 18(1):52-73.
Subject
Advanced Placement
College Entrance Examinations
Scores
Enrollment Rate
Selection
Admission Criteria
Academic Aspiration
Advanced Placement Programs
College Bound Students
High Schools
Language
English
ISSN
1557-3060
1557-3079
Abstract
To evaluate how Advanced Placement (AP) courses affect college-going, we randomly assigned the offer of enrollment into an AP science course to over 1,800 students in twenty-three schools that had not previously offered the course. We find no AP course effects on students' college entrance exam scores (SAT/ACT). As expected, AP course-takers are substantially more likely to take the AP exam than their control group counterparts. At the same time, treatment group students opt out of the exam at very high rates and most do not earn a passing score on the AP exam. Though less precisely estimated, the results also suggest that taking the AP course increases students' aspirations to attend higher-quality colleges but does not lead to enrollment in such institutions.