If you offer it, they will take it

Despite opposition from rural school districts, the Arkansas legislature in 2004 passed legislation to require Advanced Placement courses in four core areas in all Arkansas high schools by 2008-09. Schools already have been working to meet the standard and there is good news as a result: more kids are taking the tougher AP courses that meet college credit requirements.

The College Board says the number of students taking AP exams in Arkansas in 2005 was up 108 percent from 2004, the biggest increase by any state in a single year since the AP program started 50 years ago.

Some 235 high schools offered at least one AP course last school year. In 2005, 13,883 students took 23,014 exams, up from 6,674 students taking 11,112 AP tests in 2004. Almost half, 6,524 scored at the "qualified" level or higher on the test.