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Scaling up: Advanced Placement Incentive Program

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  • Celebi, Hande

Abstract

This paper investigates the long-term effects of Advanced Placement (AP) courses on college and labor market outcomes. I examine the staggered rollout of the AP Incentive Program in Texas, designed to expand AP participation. The pilot phase targeted a small group of high schools, while the scaled-up phase extended the program to half of all Texas high schools in 2001. This structure allows me to test whether the program scaled effectively. Using detailed administrative data for all Texas students, I estimate impacts separately for each phase. In the pilot phase, the program increased AP enrollment by 50% and the number of AP courses taken by 40%, while college enrollment rose by 24%, graduation by 6%, and wages by 7%. In contrast, students in schools that adopted the program during the scaled-up phase show no improvement in any outcomes. A plausible explanation for these divergent effects is that student demand for AP courses differed across the two phases.

Suggested Citation

  • Celebi, Hande, 2026. "Scaling up: Advanced Placement Incentive Program," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecoedu:v:110:y:2026:i:c:s0272775725001335
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econedurev.2025.102753
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    JEL classification:

    • I26 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Returns to Education
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy

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