AP test scores sky-rocketed after COVID pandemic — raising grade inflation criticism for college prep courses

Nypost · Aug 04, 2026 · 752 words · By Alex Oliveira

Educational Standards College Board Accountability Grade Inflation

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What to know about Educational Standards

AP test scores sky-rocketed after COVID pandemic — raising grade inflation criticism for college prep courses See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 10

Techniques found 3

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center0%

Right100%

1 source compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

AP test scores sky-rocketed after COVID pandemic — raising grade inflation criticism for college prep courses See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on Google In 2021, just 17% of of high school students taking the Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition test earned top marks on the exam.

Common ground

Four years later, that number ballooned to more than 43%.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Appeal to Fear, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

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open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/04/us-news/ap-test-scores-sky-rocketed-after-pandemic…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Appeal to Fear 70% confidence

Building support by instilling anxiety or panic in the audience.

Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to fear helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Exaggeration / Hyperbole 60% confidence

Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

verified Verified By Reference 4

help Insufficient Evidence 2

check_circle Corroborated 2

info Single Source 1

verified Verified 1

info

Claim 1: “The new EBSS scoring system, however, broadened the pool of educators who determined the minimum requirements for each score.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim that EBSS broadened the pool of educators is explicitly stated in one source ('AP test scores sky-rocketed after COVID pandemic'), but not independently corroborated by other provided sources.

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web search NEUTRAL — The new EBSS scoring system, however, broadened the pool of educators who determined the minimum requirements for each score. The result was way more students making the grade the prestigious tests. I…
https://nypost.com/2026/08/04/us-news/ap-test-scores-sky-roc…

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web search NEUTRAL — Settling the Score. In 2022 the College Board changed how it scores AP exams, and some test scores surged. It publicly defended its new method this week after critics questioned its rigor.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/admissions/traditional-a…

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web search NEUTRAL — Overall Performance Trends in 2025 AP Score Distributions. In 2025, a significant number of AP subjects saw an increase in the percentage of students scoring 3 or higher compared to 2024. This uptick …
https://www.eduavenues.com/post/2025-ap-score-distributions-…

verified

Claim 2: “Students earning a 5 on AP tests — the top score — rose 61% on average across nine central subjects from 2021 to 2025.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The evidence provides general information about AP scores and calculators, but no data regarding a 61% increase across nine subjects between 2021 and 2025.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — AP, Ap, A&P, or A/P may refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AP

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — ASAP Mob (stylized as A$AP Mob) is an American hip-hop collective formed in 2006 in Harlem, New York City, that consists of rappers (most of whom carry the "ASAP" moniker, except Da$H and Playboi Cart…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASAP_Mob

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associated_Press

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 3: “US Government and Politics saw similar increases of 4 and 5 scores — 23.6% in 2021, then 48.5% in 2025”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided for this claim.

help

Claim 4: “US History, which saw 26% of takers earn top marks in 2021 compared to 50.4% in 2025, according to Education Next.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided for this claim.

verified

Claim 5: “College Board, which also run the SAT and PSAT college entrance exams, previously consulted a panel of about a dozen professors and teachers to determine what proportion of test takers should get top marks.”

VERIFIED

The 'Board of admissions and relations with schools' source confirms that the College Board previously used standard setting panels comprised of eight to 18 higher education faculty and high school educators to determine cut scores.

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web search NEUTRAL — Welcome to The College Board. No front page content has been created yet.
https://www.collegeboard.org/node

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web search NEUTRAL — The Central Hub: The College Board Account. All these services—the SAT, AP, and BigFuture—are linked through a single, unified account. Your collegeboardlogin is the key to unlocking this entire ecosy…
https://www.college-board.us/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Classic Nursery Rhymes Compilation for Kids (12 Minutes) | The Good and the Beautiful KidsThe Good and the Beautiful Kids313K views • 11 months agoLivePlaylist ()Mix (50+). 22:27.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omkuE6Wa5kQ

verified

Claim 6: “In 2021, just 17% of of high school students taking the Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition test earned top marks on the exam.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence contains general information about AP English Literature and Composition and unrelated search results, but does not provide the specific 2021 percentage of students earning top marks.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — AP English can stand for two distinct Advanced Placement Programs for U.S. high school students, provided by the College Board: AP English Language and Composition AP English Literature and Compositi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AP_English

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Advanced Placement (AP) English Language and Composition (also known as AP English Language, APENG, AP Lang, ELAP, AP English III, or APEL), is an American course and examination offered by the Colleg…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AP_English_Language_and_Compos…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Advanced Placement (AP) English Literature and Composition (also known as Senior AP English, AP Lit, APENG, or AP English IV) is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Ad…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AP_English_Literature_and_Comp…

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 7: “Those earning at least a 4 — which many colleges require to receive credit for the course — increased by 63%, figures from the College Board showed, according to an assessment of the numbers by Education Next.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The evidence explains how to calculate percentages but contains no data regarding a 63% increase in scores of 4 or 5 for AP tests.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — AP, Ap, A&P, or A/P may refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AP

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 8: “the 2025 National Assessment of Educational Progress results showing a record-low 35% of 12th graders were proficient at reading, while only 22% could handle basic math.”

CORROBORATED

The claim that 35% of high school seniors were proficient in reading according to the NAEP is explicitly corroborated by 'The Daily Valet' and supported by the 'New York Post' reporting on damning new lows in math and reading.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Educational assessment or educational evaluation is the systematic process of documenting and using empirical data on the knowledge, skill, attitudes, aptitude and beliefs to refine programs and impro…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_assessment

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the largest continuing and nationally representative assessment of what U.S. students know and can do in various subjects. NAEP is a congress…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Assessment_of_Educati…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 9: “Four years later, that number ballooned to more than 43%.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The evidence confirms the existence of the year 2025 and the AP exam, but does not provide the specific percentage of top scores for 2025.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 10: “Education Next, an education journal affiliated with the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, noted in April that the nine subject areas which saw significant increases were each being graded under a new system — Evidence-Based Standard Setting (EBSS) — which the College Board rolled out around 2022.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the College Board implemented Evidence-Based Standard Setting (EBSS) around 2022. One source explicitly mentions it replaced the old scoring based on educator standards.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — When applied to AP English Literature, the process found conclusively that a larger percentage of AP English Literature students were demonstrating the proficiency required for college credit than ear…
https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/validity-eviden…

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web search NEUTRAL — The College Board has utilized standard setting panels comprised of eight to 18 higher education faculty and high school educators to determine cut scores.College Board developed a new approach they c…
https://senate.universityofcalifornia.edu/_files/committees/…

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web search NEUTRAL — As explained in Inside Higher Ed, College Board has replaced the old scoring based on standards set by educators with something known as evidence-based standard setting (EBSS). We learn that "since th…
https://www.myuncommonapps.com/post/in-august-the-common-app…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.