Schools to automatically accept AP credits

New policy to make college more affordable

Students who enroll at state universities and community colleges will now automatically get to carry Advanced Placement credits they earned in high school.

The decision makes the Connecticut State College and University system the 30th in the nation to have such a policy, said Leigh Appleby, a system spokesman.

Under the new policy, any student earning a score of 3 and higher on any AP examination who enrolls at Western, Southern, Eastern or Central, as well as the state’s 12 community colleges, will get course credits equivalent to a specific course in the general education or elective category.

The AP credits also remain good for students transferring from a state community college to a state university or Charter Oak State College.

“This commonsense policy is a step in the right direction,” said system President Mark Ojakian.

The uniform policy, Ojakian added, will not just help high school students gain college credit, but it will also make higher education more affordable and accessible.

More students take AP courses each year. In 201718, the number of Connecticut public school students who took at least one AP exam rose to 30,411 — an increase of 5 percent from 2016-17.

Many students took more than one AP test. Of the exams taken, 37,804 achieved a score of 3, 4 or 5 — an increase of 3.8 percent from 2016-17.

It was not immediately clear how many of those students end up at state universities and community colleges. The hope is that the uniform policy will boost that number.

Commissioner of Education Dianna R. Wentzell said the policy aligns with efforts of her department to boost AP participation and performance among all students, particularly students of color and those from low-income families.

AP classes are collegelevel courses taught in high school in more than 30 subjects. The courses were developed by the College Board. Optional exams given in May are designed to measure mastery of the subject.

In Connecticut, the $94 test fees are subsidized for low-income students.

The CSCU system and state Department of Education began exploring the benefits of adopting a uniform AP acceptance policy to students in October 2018. The Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents and the Connecticut School Counselor Association both support the idea.

The superintendent’s group said it hopes the uniform policy will “keep AP students in the state” while saving them time and money.

Hearst Connecticut Media file photo Keith Gernert, of Southbury, leads the tradional walk through gates at Western Connecticut State University on Aug. 24, 2018. Incoming freshmen move into dorm rooms on the midtown campus, followed by the "gates" ceremony. Students’ AP credits will now follow them to Connecticut state universities and community colleges.