More students accessing college-level classes through Tennessee program

A state program designed to provide high school students with access to college-level classes is seeing a sizable increase in participation.The Tennessee Department of Education says more than 1,800 students signed up for AP Access for ALL this fall.  That’s an increase of more than 600 students compared to the 2021-2022 school year.AP Access for All is a grant program created by the Tennessee Department of Education and administered by the Niswonger Foundation. The program provides students across the state with access to 17 different virtual AP courses.Tennessee created the program in hopes of eliminating financial barriers and supporting student enrollment in AP coursework not currently offered at their home high school.  Program courses are provided virtually and all are taught by certified and trained Tennessee teachers.East Nashville High School graduate Abdurkader Abdi was among the initial participants.“My high school only offered one AP class, but with AP Access for ALL, I was given the opportunity to take five. I’m now going to college with 24 credits already completed with the help of these online classes,” said Abdi.Abdi is attending Boston College in the fall.Before AP Access for ALL launched in 2021, only 50% of Tennessee high school students had access to an AP class at their school.  That changed in the 2021-22 school year when forty-two schools enrolled students who previously did not have access to these types of classes.This school year 90% of Tennessee school districts are participating in the program.“AP Access for ALL allows our school to offer AP opportunities and training resources to our students and staff that our small school district would not be able to offer on our own,” said Oneida High School Principal Stacy Love. “This program offers equity in opportunity to students in rural areas.”Fifty-six percent of AP Access for ALL students achieved scores considered by the College Board to be “college ready” or better. TDOE says an analysis showed students saved an estimated $454,000 through AP Access for ALL in potential college fees by allowing them to earn college credit and skip introductory classes.“Every Tennessee student, no matter where they live, should have access to college-level coursework and the opportunity to prepare for life after high school,” said TDOE Commissioner Penny Schwinn. “AP Access for ALL is eliminating barriers and opening doors for students to earn college credit for free and gain valuable skills that they can use in whatever postsecondary institution or career path they choose.”Student enrollment for the 2023 spring semester opens in November and free AP training will once again be available for Tennessee educators in Summer 2023.Funding for AP Access for ALL is through the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) and Governor's Emergency Education Relief (GEER) funds.