Advanced Placement Tests With the Largest Racial Scoring Gaps

Overall, in 2006 the mean score for whites on all Advanced Placement tests was 2.96. The mean score for blacks on all AP tests was 1.00 point lower at 1.96.

However, on some AP examinations the racial scoring gap between blacks and whites was significantly higher than the national average. The largest black-white scoring gap was on one of the two computer science tests. On that exam, the mean white score of 2.98 was 1.35 points higher than the mean black score of 1.63.

The black-white scoring gap was also at least 1.00 point (equivalent to a full letter grade in a corresponding college level course) on the tests for macroeconomics, human geography, English literature, comparative politics, biology, environmental science, physics, psychology, microeconomics, calculus, and statistics.

Copyright © 2007. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.