As reported in the Washington Post, Maryland schools ranked first in the nation for their scores on Advanced Placement exams.  Maryland’s top ranking cements its lead in this measure of college preparedness, which the State has held for longer than previously believed, according to newly recovered data.  As described,

In Maryland, officials celebrated the state’s fourth year in a row in the top ranking. Maryland officials also noted that a College Board analysis, based on new data, shows that Maryland’s top ranking has actually extended for seven years. . . In Maryland, 29.6 percent of high school seniors in the Class of 2012 scored a 3 or higher on one or more exams, which are given across a range of subjects.

More students are taking Advanced Placement exams nationwide each year, though there are still inequities in access to the exam, as reported by USA Today.  The College Board found that only a portion of African-American and Hispanic students whose performance suggests they would succeed register for the Advanced Placement courses.  Maryland, however, is among the states that have successfully broken down barriers to the advanced placement exam.  As described,

A few states, such as Maryland, Florida, Massachusetts and Arkansas, have aggressively opened up access to AP. . . More than 48% of high school students in Maryland took an AP test in high school, for instance, but fewer than 15% in Mississippi did.

For more information, see the full AP report to the Nation from the College Board.