How advanced is AP? Exam scores are inflated, says new competitor

Advanced Placement courses aren't very advanced any more, writes Michael Torres of Classical Learning Test on the Martin Center blog. Since 2023, College Board has "drastically inflated AP exam scores" while "using its monopolistic perch to push ideology," he charges. Classical Learning Test, an alternative to SAT and ACT exams, will challenge AP's hegemony by offering college-level Enduring Courses in humanities.

College Board "recalibrated" scoring of exams for popular AP courses in 2023, making it much easier for students to qualify for college credit. About 22 to 23 percent of students taking the AP U.S. History exam earned a passing score of 3 or higher prior to the recalibration, he writes. "Now nearly 50 percent pass." The pass rate increased by about 250 percent for AP English Literature.

States are bragging about record-breaking AP participation and passage rates, Torres writes. In a November press release, the Oregon Department of Education enthused about the 70 percent surge in AP participation since 2021 and the 18 percent increase in passing scores on AP exams since 2024.

AP courses improve “college readiness,” education officials asserted. They didn't mention the change in scoring.

"In an era defined by declining student performance, grade inflation, and declining standards," high achievers need ways to prove their competence, he writes.

AP has become a huge money-maker for the College Board, bringing in an estimate $500 million per year, writes Torres. Many states require public universities to accept AP courses for credit, subsidize AP courses, pay bonuses to AP teachers and use AP participation as a sign of school quality in accountability systems.

Getting schools to offer CLT's humanities courses and getting colleges and universities to award credit for high scorers will not be easy. I suspect classical-education schools will be interested, and traditional public schools will not. In any case, it's good to see rigor making a modest comeback.

ACT has launched an "enhanced" test that has fewer questions and takes less time. Reading passages are shorter. The math section has four multiple-choice options instead of five. The writing and science sections are optional, so students can "showcase your strengths."

ACT says the new test is less stressful, but not any easier. The "enhanced" scores are supposed to be comparable to un-enhanced scores.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a would-be president of the United States, is trying to use his slightly below-average SAT score of 960 to prove he's a regular guy. He's also talking up his dyslexia as a counter to his family wealth, political connections and white male heterosexuality. It's an interesting pitch: Vote for me! I'm mediocre! (To be fair, while he was talking to Atlanta's black mayor when he said, "I am like you. I am no better than you. I'm a 960 SAT guy," the audience was racially mixed.)