ABSTRACT
Among the most prominent services provided to advanced students are Advanced Placement (AP) classes and the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. Most sources attribute the development of the Advanced Placement (AP) program to a perception that the most promising students were being siphoned off by a Ford Foundation program designed to provide students the opportunity to earn college credit while still in high school. The Advanced Placement (AP) program is now administered by the College Board, and the Educational Testing Service is responsible for the development and administration of the exams. Students who have taken AP and/or IB courses attribute their feelings of being academically prepared for college to these courses. The quality and consistency of AP courses have received considerable attention, particularly in the areas of mathematics and science. Research on the impact of the IB program on students' performance is limited.
