History of
ADVANCED PLACEMENT
in Arkansas
1995 – Act 881
Created the Advanced Placement Incentive Program
 High school students
 Advanced Placement courses
 Equipment/materials grants (one time only)
 Professional Development for AP teachers up to $450
per teacher
 Exam fees for students: low income students $45 per
exam; non-low income $50 for the third and
subsequent exam.
1997 – Act 929
Amended Act 881 to include:
 Middle school and junior high school students
 Pre-AP courses
 $50 for each score of 3 or better earned by students on
AP exams for the school’s overall AP program
 Professional Development to include Pre-AP teacher
up to $450 per teacher
2000
Arkansas Advanced Placement Credit Policy
Arkansas Department of Higher Education Committee of
Presidents and Chancellors
2001 – Act 146
Raised the cap of $450 per teacher to $650 for AP and
Pre-AP professional development
2003 – Act 102
Amended previous Acts to:
 Require that each school district provide high school
students with the opportunity to enroll in at least one
(1) Advanced Placement course in the four (4) core
areas of English, math, science, or social studies.
(School must offer the 4 AP courses beginning with
the 2008-2009 school year)
 AP and Pre-AP teachers must obtain appropriate
training (AP teachers nothing less than the week
summer institute; Pre-AP a College Board endorsed
content specific workshop)
 Created the Concurrent Enrollment Course Approval
Panel
 Created an exemption for any high school offering
International Baccalaureate Diploma Program
2005 – Act 2152
Amended Act 102 for International Baccalaureate
 International Baccalaureate courses are to be treated
the same as Advanced Placement courses in every
way: teacher training, weighted credit for students,
and exam fees.
In light of the specifications for Act 102 and Act 2152
the Arkansas Department of Education filed into Rules
regulations for a student to get weighted credit (prior to
this a student only had to be enrolled in the AP course to
get weighted credit): (1) the teacher has to have the
appropriate training and (2) the student must take the
applicable AP examination after having completed the
entire compatible AP course.
2005 was the first year the state paid for ALL AP exams
for students: 2005 - $1,534,078
2006 - $1,753,996
2007 - $1,816,048
2007 – Act 936
Amended Act 2152
 Included new definition for Endorsed Concurrent
Enrollment Courses
 Included requirements for instructors of Endorsed
Concurrent Enrollment Courses
 Included course requirements for Endorsed
Concurrent Enrollment Courses
 Included student requirements for Endorsed
Concurrent Enrollment courses
 Repealed the Concurrent Enrollment Course Approval
Panel
2007 – Act 1015
Provided an Advanced Placement course counted as core
curriculum course taught to assist small, rural public
schools in providing students access to the most rigorous
courses available if it is the desire of students to take
Advanced Placement courses in the place of regular
courses and in doing so, to meet the requirements of the
Standards for Accreditation of Arkansas Public Schools
and School Districts.