Clifford Adelman, noted author and senior research analyst for the U.S. Department of Education, conducted a long-term study that tracked the educational experiences of a large national sample of high school students from 10th grade through college. The recently published findings are significant. Adelman found that students who took challenging courses while in high school had a much better chance of finding success in college, and particularly, a much higher change of finishing a bachelor’s degree than their classmates who chose easier, less demanding classes. Transcript grades and entrance exam scores were much less significant indicators. In addition, the current trend among college admissions officers is to give much more weight and consideration to the courses that students have taken in high school than to admission test scores (ACT, SAT, etc.) and overall high school grades. In an age of concern over grade inflation and national discussion over the value of standardized test, this fact remains clear. Students who have had the opportunity to take advances courses while in high school are more likely to find success in the university classroom. It is a fact that students (and their parents) need to know as they plan their courses of study from 9th through 12th grade. The Advanced Placement curriculum with its standards of instruction based upon a national exam and extensive faculty in-service through workshops sponsored by the College Board can provide the best and most thorough curricula to reach this end.
[Adelman, C. The Toolbox Revisited: Paths to Degree Completion From High School Through College. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, 2006. http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/toolboxrevisit/toolbox.pdf