Photo Courtesy of Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Fariña made the announcement last Thursday at City Hall.
By Forum Staff
Twenty of the 115 high schools that have committed to offer new Advanced Placement courses this fall are in Queens, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio and Chancellor Carmen Fariña, who made the announcement last Thursday.
The new AP courses are part of AP for All and Computer Science for All, two initiatives in the administration’s Equity and Excellence for All agenda. The new AP courses build on record numbers of New York City students taking and passing Advanced Placement exams, the City said. By fall 2018, 75 percent of high school students will have access to at least five AP classes and all high school students will have access to at least five AP classes by fall 2021. And by 2025, the City will provide computer science education in every elementary, middle, and high school.
“We are changing the game, and giving every student the courses they need – including Computer Science and Advanced Placement – to succeed in college and prepare for 21st Century careers,” de Blasio said.
Earlier this year, de Blasio announced record numbers of New York City students taking and passing Advanced Placement exams. The number of students taking at least one Advanced Placement exam in 2016 rose 8.4 percent, to a record 44,906 students, from 41,419 compared to the year prior. The number of students passing at least one Advanced Placement exam rose 8.2 percent, keeping pace with the increase in participation.
In its first year, AP for All has built on this work, and in the 2016-17 school year, 63 high schools are offering new Advanced Placement courses through the initiative, including 31 that offered no AP courses during the 2015-16 school year.
According to the administration, many of the high schools selected for the expansion currently offer few or no AP courses, and they have demonstrated readiness to begin offering additional AP coursework. In addition to the 20 in Queens, they include 39 high schools in the Bronx, 32 in Brooklyn, 21 in Manhattan, and three on Staten Island.
“These additional AP courses will do great things for NYC public schools,” said City Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights), chairman of the Council Education Committee. “Now thousands more public school students will graduate college ready. These courses demonstrate our city’s commitment to providing all children with a quality public education. I will continue to worth alongside Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Fariña to bring equity and excellence to all of our schools.”
