Advanced placement--these two words describe excellence in high schools across the country for students, teachers, parents, and administrators of high schools and colleges. Too often, these two words are missing from the vocabulary of students and teachers in small, rural schools.

The College Board, the organization which created and developed the Advanced Placement Program, wants to rectify this neglect of a vital teaching tool in rural, small town schools. To do so, it launched an outreach effort to help rural and small-town schools bring the AP program to their students.

The AP Program offers a portfolio of courses and examinations developed by committees of college professors and AP teachers experienced in their fields who bring cutting-edge content knowledge and expert teaching practices to the development of AP courses. At the end of the course, students take an exam covering its content.

Most of the nation’s colleges and universities grant students class credits, advanced placement, or both for satisfactorily passing the AP exam. Passing the exam allows students to graduate from college in less than four years, to immediately enter upper-level courses, or to fulfill a foreign language requirement.

Students do not pay a fee for the AP course, but do pay an end-of-course AP exam fee. In case of need, the College Board, the states and the federal government offer grants to reduce or waive those fees. Institutions in more than 30 other countries also use the Advanced Placement Program for their admissions.

The College Board recognizes that a great many rural, small schools do not offer AP courses and that they struggle with a unique set of challenges, including isolation, limited resources, a limited number of teachers, and lack of a college-going tradition in some communities. For small schools trying to build strong AP programs, these challenges may seem overwhelming. A guide for small, rural schools available from the College Board addresses these key obstacles and shares best practices from small schools across the country that have thriving AP programs.

Because teaching an AP course may seem intimidating, prospective teachers can gain expertize and confidence at week-long Summer Institutes, at spring or fall professional development workshops, or in on-line course discussion groups sponsored by the College Board. A broad range of state, federal and College Board funding is available for this AP professional development. Many organizations also offer on-line AP courses for students in smaller schools and some states provide grants to support the establishment of on-line AP courses.

Small rural schools educate a significant portion of the high school population. By offering Advanced Placement courses, schools of any size can help students acquire the knowledge and skills to succeed in college and beyond. By offering the AP Program, school districts also benefit all students by raising the academic standard for the entire school. Because AP teachers are highly trained, they will better serve all students, not just those taking AP courses.

The College Board, a national not-for-profit membership organization, is committed to ensuring that all schools, especially those serving low-income or underrepresented populations, have the capacity to offer AP. It makes resources available to promote equity and access by providing stipends and grants for teachers and teaching teams, fee reductions for some students, and grants to states, school districts, and other local education agencies to promote use of the AP Incentive Program. State and federal funding is also available. More information about how to start or support an AP Program may be secured by going to the College Board’s website, to one of its regional offices, or to state education agencies.

The College Board, founded in 1900, is composed of more than 5,000 schools, colleges, universities, and other educational organizations. Each year it serves seven million students and their parents, 23,000 high schools, and 3,500 colleges. In addition to the AP program, its best-known programs are the SAT and the PSAT/NMSQT. Its mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity, including students living in rural places.

For more information, visit the College Board or AP Central.