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Advanced Placement in WPS

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Professors Tom Conroy (Urban Studies) and Alex Briesacher (Sociology), along with students pictured at the right, Abigail Holden (Sociology) and Elizabeth Stone (Urban Studies/Environmental Science), received Summer Undergraduate Research Grants to continue their work on AP Participation and Performance in Worcester Public Schools. 

Following the completion of a quantitative study entitled AP & WPS, Part 1 in May, Conroy and Briesacher launched a qualitative study that looks at the impact of AP Exam-taking on student academic confidence and their college-going plans. 

Their findings from the initial study raised many questions they wanted to ask and answer. For example, publicly-accessible data shows that 

  • WPS’ failure rate is the highest among Massachusetts Gateway Cities with school districts of more than 10,000 students. This is in large part because WPS' testing rate is much higher than other districts. 
  • In no year since 2007 have more WPS students passed their AP Exams than they have failed them, raising questions about the impact of an intentional expansion of the program that has occurred over the last 15 years. 
  • Although Latino students outnumber White students in the district (45% to 28%), White students took 38.5% of the AP exams last year while Latino students took only 28.4% of them.  

Their current work with Holden and Stone Liz is qualitative in nature and wants to understand how failing AP exams affect student academic confidence and college-going.  That research is on-going with a report target date to be published by the Department of Urban Studies' CityLab later in 2023.  

Former WPS students who are willing to participate in a survey about their AP experiences should follow this link. They can also choose to enter a raffle for $100 in gift cards after completing the survey.  

The study has been funded in part by the John J. Binienda Center for Civic Engagement at Worcester State University, WSU’s Summer Undergraduate Research Grant program, the WSU Department of Urban Studies, and CityLab at WSU. 




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