The Science of Learning: Building a Stronger Foundation for AP Learning

[MarisaBluestone]

Over the past few weeks, we’ve explored research into AI Tutors, evidence-based teaching practices, and strategies to help students succeed. But what about the students who haven’t yet stepped into a college classroom?

This week, we’re diving into our research on AP Learning—examining how digital tools like Achieve can support high school students and better prepare them for higher education. In the K-12 space, we’re uncovering more about how tools like Achieve can support Advanced Placement (AP) courses. 

What We’re Learning About AP Students

In 2023-24, we studied about 400 students taking AP Psychology, Statistics, and Literature to see how digital tools like Achieve support their learning. We learned a lot about just what kind of impact it can have. 

In fact, 14.9% more students in Achieve-using classes scored a 3 or higher on the exam (a score that earns college credit) than the general population of students.

In addition, students in courses that used Achieve consistently were 15% more likely to take the AP exam than their counterparts whose teachers used Achieve sparingly. So more likely to take the exam, and more likely to pass the exam. This means these students were far more likely to earn college credit.

In 2025, this research will continue, looking for additional trends within language and composition and exploring the impact of Achieve in biology and human geography. We’ll also dig into the reasons why students decide not to take the AP Exam as well as to explore how to better prepare high school students for college by addressing learning gaps. 

There’s even a small group of AP instructors testing our AI Tutor in their classrooms. Will high school students see the same benefits from AI as college students? We can’t wait to find out.

But one big question remains—how do we take everything we’re learning and apply it to real-world solutions? Next week, we’ll dive into how we turn research into action—ensuring that insights don’t just stay in reports, but lead to meaningful change for instructors and students.

Learn more about our overarching goals and how we think about research in part 1
Hear about the data behind AI Tutors in part 2
Discover what we mean by the 360 degree student in part 3