Late last month, the College Board reported that Hawai‘i’s public school students did exceptionally well on the Advanced Placement exams. 

Perfect timing, as seniors are getting their college applications together. (Most schools typically have due dates in November.)

Our schools have been on an upward trajectory with AP for several years now, with more students taking a broader range of AP exams, while increasing numbers earn 3 or higher, granting them college credit in the tested subject area. For 2016-17, the number of exams taken was up 10 percent over the year prior, but the number earning the qualifying score for college credit rose 15 percent over that time. 

For students, this means: 

• College credits completed while in high school;
  
• Access to more advanced college courses during their freshman year in college;
  
• Readiness for college-level work and a more competitive college application; and
  
• Improved mindset about college completion.
  

Greater numbers of students are better prepared, and that is entirely due to the hard work of teachers, counselors, and principals — not just in the classroom but in getting the word out to families communicating the value of both AP and college.

Post-secondary education offerings are vast, from skills-based two-year certificates from community colleges to four-year undergraduate programs. For our communities to thrive, we will need more of our graduates succeeding in college — by 2020, 70 percent of jobs in Hawai‘i will require it. 

College is not for the elite few. At Radford High, AP is not just for advanced students — it is for anyone who is motivated, and we will prepare you. (See profile: bit.ly/CCRI16-RHS.)

That should be the deciding factor — student motivation. 

That motivation is increasing as students see how many barriers to college come down with their own effort. Pass a few AP exams, get a semester’s worth of college under your belt. Enroll in and complete Early College courses for even more credits toward your degree. These are big savings of time and money for families rightly wary of college debt.

Dr. Christina M. Kishimoto
SUPERINTENDENT