A blended Advanced Placement (AP) pilot program unfolding in Cincinnati shows tremendous promise. It provides students in poverty with in-person and virtual access to AP instruction and—if successful—could help make the case for why Ohio should provide free and universal access to online courses.
Over the years, Advanced Placement (AP) courses have been one of the most effective ways to prepare high school students for college and make it more affordable—a double win. However, there are enormous discrepancies in students’ access to AP programs based on geographic location, race, and poverty levels. The very academic programs that can help first-generation college goers and those typically underrepresented in higher education tend to be less available to them. Admittedly, some progress has been made: between 2003 and 2013, the number of students taking and scoring a 3 or higher on an AP exam almost doubled nationally. But Ohio continues to lag, not just in overall access to AP, but in successful course completion. The state falls considerably below the national average: 14.8 percent of 2013 Ohio graduates scored a 3 or higher on the AP exam, compared to 20.1 percent nationally.
That’s why an AP program piloted by Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) is so exciting. The initiative is a blended model that allows one teacher to instruct a larger-than normal group of students in multiple locations (i.e., 130 students spread across four schools). The teacher rotates buildings, allowing the remaining students to follow along online. It’s a wise solution that helps create economies of scale and link students not just to expanded course content, but also to high-quality teaching.
The North Carolina-based research group Public Impact promotes this solution through its “Opportunity Culture” initiative. By extending the reach of great teachers to more students, everyone wins. Teachers earn more money for taking on a higher student load; students benefit from excellent teachers regardless of whether their contact with them is face-to-face or virtual; districts can pocket the savings and also reap the benefits of having more academically prepared students.
The Cincinnati program, still in its infancy, began in the 2014–15 school year with one course offered at seven schools. It expanded to five courses at ten high schools this fall, including one at Withrow University High, a predominantly black school with a poverty rate of 80 percent. CPS deputy superintendent Laura Mitchell said that the new program is about “equity and access.” Prior to the pilot, half of Cincinnati’s schools offered no AP courses, and about two-thirds offered only one course.
Last fall, the Columbus Dispatch dug into similar high school course data, illustrating that geography matters a great deal in determining access to high-level courses in the Buckeye State. (Note that “high-level” included not just AP courses, but International Baccalaureate classes, general advanced courses, and nontraditional languages like Chinese.) The analysis found that suburban districts had over four times the number of high-level courses as rural (and poorer) districts on average (26 versus 6.5, respectively).
Knowing that pervasive disparities exist statewide, Cincinnati’s AP expansion is worth celebrating. But the Cincinnati Enquirer still asks if improved access is enough, especially when gaps remain pronounced: Cincinnati’s award-winning Walnut Hills High School offers thirty-two AP courses to Withrow’s five. This is a Pandora’s-box-opening question in terms of how we define equity and fairness in education (and one best saved for another day). Withrow teacher Kraig Hoover, whose children attend Walnut Hills, offered his thoughts: “Equity is not about taking away from those who have—it’s about building up those who have not.”
So what’s the best way to go about that? Some states, like Arkansas, have mandated universal access to AP. In 2008–09, all schools were required to offer a minimum of four advanced placement courses (and pre-AP courses to boot). Ohio has no such requirements, and many schools have zero AP offerings. However, the state does require that each district participate in the College Credit Plus program, which strives to accomplish AP’s stated goal: access to college-level coursework at no cost.
Given the challenges involved in hiring and retaining qualified teachers to lead AP courses and the small size of many of Ohio’s rural districts, a smarter policy would be for the state to ensure universal AP offerings via a virtual/blended platform. This could be similar to what Cincinnati is piloting at the local level. Florida is a leader in this realm with its statewide, online Florida Virtual School, which offers free courses to all public, private, and homeschooled students in the state (and to students globally for a fee).
As my colleague Jessica Poiner recently pointed out, Ohio is already two-thirds of the way toward a stellar course access policy, with a robust career and technical education (CTE) program and College Credit Plus. But the state is still lacking when it comes to providing access to free online coursework for all students. Ohio should ensure that students can earn credits from courses beyond their own school boundaries using blended and virtual delivery methods. It could go a step further in ensuring that AP courses are among those available, like in Florida. (To consider how Ohio might develop a robust course access policy that includes a virtual platform, read Jessica’s thoughtful follow-up piece here.) And to take a cue from CPS—which gave students participating in virtual AP courses laptops and wifi hot spots—the state must also consider the technological implications of expansion and be prepared to pay for it.
There are no results yet for Cincinnati’s pilot AP program. When there are, students’ completion rates and exam scores will go a long way toward determining how much work we have left to do to prepare Ohio’s students for the rigors of AP. In the meantime, Ohio should guarantee that every student who is prepared for AP has access to it, making it the highest priority in high-poverty and/or rural schools. A blended/virtual solution would be the most cost-effective and scalable way to get there.
