Exam Shows More Mass. Students Are Ready For College

The number of Massachusetts high school students who are ready for college is rising after nearly 28 percent of those who took advance placement exams last year scored a 3 or higher, which is considered a solid indicator of college readiness.

That is according to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, which announced Wednesday that the number represents a 2.4 percent increase from the class of 2011.

Massachusetts trailed behind Maryland and New York nationally.

The performance of minority and poor students continue to improve, but African-American as well as Hispanic and Latino students still lag behind Asian and white peers.

"The good news is that the growth in access to and success in AP exams has been tremendous for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds," said state Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester.

The percentage of public high school students who took at least one advance placement exam in high school rose to just over 39 percent last year, compared with nearly 22 percent in 2002.

With reporting by The Associated Press and the WBUR Newsroom