ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSES:

Encourage your child to take more Advanced Placement (AP) courses in high school.

• Nearly 75% of high school graduates enter college, but only 12% of these students have completed a significant college-prep curriculum. Research shows that students who take rigorous courses in high school stand a far greater chance of succeeding in college.
• AP students are much more likely than their peers to graduate from college in four years or less. The four-year college graduation rate for students who take two or more AP courses is 32 percentage points higher than for those who don't take any AP courses. And the rate for students who take just one AP course is 16 percentage points higher than for those who don't take any.

Take Action:

• Find out what AP courses your child's high school offers. Make sure they meet the true definition of Advanced Placement and are not simply "honors" courses. If the school does not offer any, encourage it to do so.
• Encourage your child to take AP courses.