The Warrior Online

In 1952, a rudimentary version of the Advanced Placement (AP) program was introduced, offering accelerated instruction in 11 areas at three different prep schools. The mission of the program, created by way of a grant from the Ford Foundation, was to allow high school students to complete college level coursework and, upon the completion of a standardized examination, receive college-credit. The program, in the hands of the College Board since 1955, now presents students with 30 different courses to choose from and students from across the country participate. In 2008, for example, more than 345,000 students took the AP U.S. History exam, which was the most popular.