2016 Advanced Placement Italian Exam Registers Highest Total of Students to Date, Making AP Italian the Fastest Growing of All AP Foreign Language Courses

NEW YORK, July 18, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Margaret I. Cuomo, M.D., president of the Italian Language Foundation, announced today that The College Board's Advanced Placement Italian Language and Culture exam (AP Italian) in 2016 saw its highest level of participation ever. 

"We are delighted that nearly 2,800 students took the AP Italian exam in 2016," Dr. Cuomo said.  "With each passing year, since AP Italian was reinstated in 2011, more and more students are participating in the program, which encourages both a love of the Italian language and Italy's culture and, in some cases, provides college credit for work the students have done in high school.  It's exciting to see the continuing strong growth of student interest in the AP Italian Program."  Data about student participation was shared with the Italian Language Foundation (ILF) by the College Board.

Among the youngest of The College Board's advanced placement programs, AP Italian has shown strong growth in the five years it has been offered continuously.  "This year, AP Italian was the fastest growing of any AP world language course," said Trevor Packer, senior vice president, AP and Instruction, the College Board. "What's more, AP Italian teachers and students also achieved the largest jump in college-credit-qualifying exam scores of any of the world language AP Exams. This is a year of victory both for participation and performance in AP Italian—for both access and excellence."

In 2016, nearly 2,000 AP Italian students met the standards to receive and Italian Language Foundation Dante Award.  The ILF provides students with grants of $50.00 when they receive the score of a three, $75.00 for a four, and $100.00 for a five. 

Students of AP Italian for the upcoming academic year may register as free members of the ILF to become eligible for the Dante Award at www.ilf.org. 

In addition to advocating for Italian language and culture education and providing funds for the Dante Awards, the ILF offers free professional development workshops for teachers of Italian to prepare them to teach AP Italian. Workshops are free to teachers who are ILF members.  Information about the workshops may be found at www.ilf.org. 

AP Italian was inaugurated in 2005 and suspended in 2009.  In anticipation of the program being defunded, Dr. Cuomo and Louis Tallarini, both advocates for Italian language and culture, founded the Italian Language Foundation in 2008 and subsequently helped raise $650,000 towards its reinstatement.  In partnership with the Republic of Italy, the Columbus Citizens Foundation, the National Italian American Foundation, UNICO, and other organizations, the ILF worked with The College Board to successfully reinstate AP Italian beginning with the 2011 – 2012 academic year. 

MEDIA CONTACT: Andrew Decker | 917-860-3557 | [email protected]

SOURCE Italian Language Foundation

Related Links

http://www.ilf.org