A year ago, Oklahoma Watch found fewer than one in four Oklahoma high schools were on track to meet a new state minimum of four Advanced Placement courses.
New reporting by StateImpact Oklahoma found more than half of high schools still aren't teaching any AP classes, mainly due to lack of student interest and staffing concerns.
Take Barnsdall, where two AP courses are taught: English and Biology. Others are available online, keeping the district in compliance with the law.
'We can offer them,' said Barnsdall Superintendent Sayra Bryant. 'Getting students to take them is the hard part.'
Among StateImpact Oklahoma's findings: More than 60% of high schools are teaching zero AP courses this year. Only a quarter are teaching four or more. And in rural districts (those with fewer than 1,000 students), nearly 80% are teaching zero AP courses, and 94% are teaching fewer than four.
Advanced Placement courses are more rigorous than typical high school classes and are on par with college-level work. Students can take an exam at the end of the course and, with a score of 3 or higher (on a scale of 1 to 5), receive college credit.
But many students prefer concurrent enrollment, where earning college credit doesn't hinge on the end-of-course exam and instead is based on their work throughout the class.
Watonga High School offers both AP classes and concurrent enrollment to its students.