Three Tennessee High Schools, Partnering with the National Math + Science Initiative, Dramatically Boost Performance on Advanced Placement* Exams in 2013-14

DALLAS, Oct. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Three Tennessee high schools near Fort Campbell—Clarksville High School, Northeast High School and Rossview High School—in partnership with the National Math and Science Initiative's (NMSI) College Readiness Program, have dramatically increased their numbers of qualifying Advanced Placement* (AP) exams in the 2013-14 school year. Together, the schools posted a first-year increase in qualifying AP math, science and English scores of 80 percent, more than 10 times the national average, and accounted for 17 percent of the entire state's increase in qualifying scores in 2013-14.

AP exam scores of three or higher (on a five-point scale) qualify students for college credit at many colleges and universities across the country and are a prime indicator of whether students are adequately prepared for college and whether they will succeed when they get there. Students who master AP courses in high school are three times more likely to graduate from college. For minority students, that multiplier is even greater: African-American and Hispanic students who succeed in AP courses are four times more likely to graduate from college.

Clarksville, Northeast, and Rossview high schools launched the three-year College Readiness Program with funding from the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), as part of a broad initiative to increase academic rigor and college and career readiness among students from military families. 

"Earning a college degree is the single most important factor influencing economic opportunity and social mobility for our young people, and introducing high school students to a more demanding curriculum is a critical component to prepare them for success down the road," said Sara Martinez Tucker, CEO of NMSI. "As the results in Tennessee demonstrate, we are making measurable, sustainable and scalable progress in improving college readiness among our nation's students."

Based on data from the College Board, the first-year increase in qualifying math, science and English exam scores among NMSI partner schools is 68 percent—10 times the national average of 6.8 percent (see accompanying graph).

In the 2013-14 school year, NMSI boosted student enrollment in college-level math, science and English courses by more than 50,000 working in just 566 schools. NMSI also raised the number of AP qualifying exam scores by more than 18,500 exams, representing more than 13,000 additional students who are better prepared for college after this past school year.  

Without NMSI's efforts, these 566 schools would have otherwise increased their number of qualifying exam scores by fewer than 1,400—representing about 1,000 students—based on the national rate of increase for each year of program participation.

Proficiency in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) is crucial to our country's ability to remain competitive in the global economy of the 21^st century. NMSI's College Readiness Program is addressing this urgent need by partnering with schools that are committed to raising the academic bar and working with teachers, students and administrators to set and achieve aggressive performance goals. The program's key elements of success include shared accountability and goal setting with schools, intensive teacher training and support with expert mentors, more time on task for students through tutoring and study sessions, open enrollment to broaden student participation, and achievement-based awards for teachers and students.

Since 2008, NMSI's College Readiness Program has been implemented in more than 620 schools across 26 states and the District of Columbia.

About National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI): NMSI, a non-profit organization, was launched in 2007 by top leaders in business, education and science to transform education in the United States. NMSI has received national recognition for training K–12 teachers and improving student performance through the rapid expansion of highly successful programs: NMSI's College Readiness Program, NMSI's Laying the Foundation Teacher Training Program and NMSI's UTeach Expansion Program. Inaugural funding for NMSI was provided by the ExxonMobil Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. For more information, visit www.nms.org. 

*Advanced Placement and AP are registered trademarks of the College Board.

Media Contact:
Tara Marathe
Director of Communications, NMSI
214-346-1245 | [email protected]

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SOURCE National Math and Science Initiative