A program to boost student participation and achievement in Advanced Placement classes saw triple-digit improvements after a single year of a pilot efforts at three area schools.

The program offered a mix of financial help, additional resources and incentives for students and teachers. The Colorado Legacy Foundation rolled out the program as part of the Initiative for Military Families at Widefield High School and Mesa Ridge High School in Widefield School District 3, and Fountain-Fort Carson High School in Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8.

“Money should never be a hindrance in striving for a better education,” said Widefield High School student Michaela Taylor.

“I had never taken an AP class before,” she said, adding that she was very happy she took on the challenge of four AP classes last school year. “It was a lot of work. It changed my motivation.”

The Colorado Legacy Schools Initiative is a replication of the National Math and Science Initiative’s Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program aimed at closing the achievement gap and increasing college readiness.

Students who attempt an AP course have crossed a hurdle in pursing a more challenging education, said Helayne Jones, Colorado Legacy Foundation president and CEO. Such students are even more likely to enroll in more rigorous coursework, she said.

The three high schools piloted the program during the 2011-2012 school year, focusing on dramatically improving the number and diversity of students who enroll in AP coursework and receive scores of three or higher on the exams. Those scores grant the student college credit for a class at some universities.

The program is aimed at students who have never been asked to take an AP course, or told they could succeed in such a class, Jones said after the results were announced Wednesday.

At Widefield High School, the number of students who received a qualifying score on an AP exam increased from 26 to 111 — an increase of 426 percent. Mesa Ridge saw an increase from 22 qualifying scores to 65, a nearly 300 percent improvement. The 2011-2012 school year was the inaugural year for Fountain-Fort Carson’s AP program, and 79 students received qualifying scores. The number of students taking enrolled in AP courses and taking exams was even higher.

Incentives come in the form of money. Students earn $100 for each qualifying score they receive. Teachers receive $100 for each of their students who receives a qualifying score.

Grants and other funds cover the cost of the program, and will fund expansions as more schools are added to the roster. The foundation wants to add at least 10 schools each year, and the model has local communities contributing monetary support to augment program funding after three years.

Each AP test costs $87, officials said. Under the program, that price was cut in half. Widefield High School picked up the rest of the cost, Assistant Principal Megan Houtchens said, but it can’t keep that up.

The program also covered additional resources, such as helping teachers to be better prepared to serve a wider mix of students, and helped students with additional study and review options.

“It helped us remove some of the barriers to AP coursework,” said Angela Murphy, AP biology teacher at Widefield.

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