Utah ties at 7th for percent of students pa..

Education • The number of students taking AP exams jumped 8.4 percent in the 2012-13 school year.

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One out of four members of Utah's class of 2013 passed an Advanced Placement exam — which lifted the state nationally to a seventh place tie with New York for the percentage of students passing AP exams, The College Board announced Tuesday.

Scores of 3, 4 or 5 on the tests can translate into college credits.

During the 2012-13 school year, 20,638 Utah public school students took 33,217 AP exams. Those students received scores between 3 and 5 on 22,398 of the exams.

The number of students taking AP exams was a jump of 8.4 percent.

The state office noted that the AP tests are one of three programs that offer students a pathway to earning college credit — and saving those tuition costs — while in high school.

In a statement, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Martell Menlove said, "Obviously this is terrific news," adding, "But it's also important to remember that Utah's increasing AP success rate is only part of what our schools are doing to prepare students for college and careers."

Also in the 2012-2013 school year:

• Utah had 1,132 students involved in the academically rigorous International Baccalaureate program. Those students passed 1,406 IB exams that can earn college credit.

• In concurrent enrollment programs, 27,444 Utah high school students earned nearly 190,000 college credit hours. The programs allow students to take college-level courses while in high school.

In the previous school year, 22 percent of Utah seniors had earned college credit through AP exams, which placed the state 11th in the nation.

Find more information here on the AP Report to the Nation. See the Utah supplement to the report here. —

Utah ties at 7th for percent of students passing AP exams