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State officials tout statewide AP Access for All program as route to college credits for rural students
Summary
Department staff and Niswonger Foundation leaders told the State Board the AP Access for All program provides free online AP courses, teacher training and paid exam fees to expand advanced coursework across Tennessee; presenters cited 2,498 enrolled students and plans for a second‑chance pilot for students who narrowly missed qualifying scores.
Assistant Commissioner Deborah Knoll and Gina Poslovich, director of AP Access for All at the Niswonger Foundation, told the State Board of Education that the statewide program launched in 2021 and is now supported with recurring state funds to expand access to Advanced Placement coursework for students in rural and underserved districts. "Every student in Tennessee deserves access to rigorous, high quality academic opportunities like advanced placement," Knoll said.
The presenters described a hybrid model of regional staff and school‑based liaisons supporting 140‑plus Tennessee‑licensed adjunct teachers who deliver asynchronous online AP sections. Poslovich said the program keeps online sections intentionally small and uses lead teachers and secondary leads to maintain consistency. "We also do not let courses go over 20 students because you never want a kid to get lost," Poslovich said.
On outcomes, Poslovich and Knoll said AP Access for All currently has 2,498 students enrolled and that program students have taken nearly 6,500 AP exams through the initiative. They reported that AP Access students earned qualifying scores (3 or higher) on 49% of their exams in the most recent year, compared with a statewide 63% rate for all AP test‑takers; the presenters noted the program serves a broader, less‑select population. The department and Niswonger said the program has paid roughly $1,000,000 in exam fees over the past four years and estimated nearly 9,700 potential college credits earned, translating to roughly $4 million in potential tuition savings.
Knoll and Poslovich emphasized that AP Access for All is meant to supplement, not replace, in‑person AP offerings, and that many students do a mix of AP and dual‑enrollment work. "We are not here to mess with those dual enrollment partnerships," Poslovich told board members, adding that AP coursework is a nationally standardized pathway and can bolster transcripts for students aiming at selective universities.
Board members questioned program logistics and equity. A member asked whether courses are synchronous; Poslovich said they are fully asynchronous but that teachers hold optional Zoom supports and small‑group meetings for students who need help. Other members pressed on teacher shortages (grading demands for writing‑intensive AP courses), counselor capacity to identify candidates, and how the program communicates with middle‑school counselors to reach rising freshmen.
Knoll described a planned fall pilot with Modern States to give students who narrowly missed a qualifying AP score another route to earn college credit, calling it a "second chance opportunity" for students who completed the coursework but missed the test cutoff. The presenters also provided an impact report and one‑page enrollment summaries for board members seeking further detail.
The board did not take action on the program at the workshop. Presenters offered to supply additional disaggregated trend data requested by members and to follow up on questions about year‑by‑year changes in qualifying rates and strategies for increasing teacher capacity.
