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NMSI Blog

Costs and Benefits of NMSI’s Comprehensive AP Program

NMSI’s Advanced Placement* (AP) program is a comprehensive approach that increases teacher effectiveness and student achievement in rigorous math and science courses through training, teacher and student support, vertical teaming, open enrollment, and incentives.
 
With the need to maximize limited resources, school administrators want to know how much the program costs and what will be the return on investment.
 
The average cost of the program is approximately $200 per student. The total cost of the program depends on a number of factors including the size of the school and the number of students taking AP courses.
 
Schools can be assured that they will get the most value and impact for their money, just take a look at the 197% increase in AP participation in Lubbock.
 
In his aptly named report “A Little Now for a Lot Later,” Dr. Kirabo Jackson, a Professor in the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University, validates NMSI’s Advanced Placement* (AP) program through an independent study of NMSI’s approach.
 
According to Jackson, the per-student program costs are small relative to reasonable estimates of the lifetime benefits that may accrue to affected students such that the program may ameliorate sub-optimal educational investments.
 
In other words, “If this program increases a student’s likelihood of attending college, increases the quality of college attended, and reduces the time it takes to graduate from college,” then NMSI’s program is a wise investment in students’ future success.
 
Notably, Jackson finds that NMSI’s AP program success can be attributed to the “improvements in greater AP access, changes in social norms towards APs, and better student information.”
 
Jackson also asserts that the program’s emphasis on academic rigor can actually be effective in improving overall student outcomes as the knowledge and skills acquired from taking AP courses and training can be applied in non-AP courses by students and teachers.
 
We are excited to launch our program in new schools this year and are gearing up for the 2013 Summer Institute Teacher Training events, which go hand in hand with the AP program and creating success in schools. NMSI’s results speak for themselves and we look forward to sustaining that momentum.
 
 *Advanced Placement and AP are registered trademarks of the College Board.