By Karen Gutierrez
Enquirer staff writer

More Kentucky high-schoolers are earning college credit by taking advanced-placement exams and passing them, state officials announced Tuesday.

This year, 9,688 public-school students in Kentucky took the exams, an increase of 13.3 percent over 2003.

Of the 15,211 exams taken by those students, about 46 percent received a grade of 3, 4 or 5. Students with those scores usually earn credit toward college or are permitted by colleges to skip introductory courses.

Advanced-placement exams are administered every May by the College Board, the same company that produces the SAT. Students usually prepare by taking courses at their high schools. Their grades in these courses carry extra weight when averages are calculated.

Northern Kentucky teachers offered several reasons for the increase in students taking the exams.

Many high schools are creating more opportunities for students by allowing them to take courses at local colleges.

To encourage students, the Kenton County School District also now pays the exam fee of $82 for students who maintain at least an 87 percent average in their advanced placement courses, said John Popham, an AP history teacher at Simon-Kenton High School in Independence.

Simon-Kenton also requires students to take the exam if they are in an advanced placement class. If they don't, their grade for the course will not be weighted.

Pat Fox, an AP English teacher at Scott High School in Taylor Mill, said some students are simply looking for more of a challenge than they can get in regular classes.

E-mail kgutierrez@enquirer.com