New Mexico's Hispanic Students Deliver on AP Exams, Will This Raise the Bar for Collegiate Success?

Hispanic students in the state of New Mexico have scored at the top of the nation when it comes to testing for Advanced Placement courses.

New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez cited a new report that shows 43 percent of the state's Hispanic high school graduates in 2013 scored a three or higher on an AP test—the highest percentage nationwide. Martinez also said it is the second year in a row Hispanic students in the state taking at least one AP class have ranked No. 1.

"This is absolutely amazing and I'm so excited," the Martinez told reporters, according to the Albuquerque Journal. "This shows that what we're doing with Advanced Placement is working."

The state's low-income student population ranked second nationally for AP scores. The report shows almost half of those students who graduated in 2013 took an AP class, with 40 percent getting at least a passing score.

AP courses not only prepare students for college level studies, they can also help them skip certain classes and receive college credit for taking them in high school.

The governor is reportedly using the state's AP ranking as proof that their efforts were working and will ask the Legislature to increase AP funding in the state budget to $2 million.

Currently, education analysts have noted that colleges need to be more diligent in recruiting Hispanic graduates. College recruitment offices have said in the past that they send recruiters to schools that have a proven track record of producing college graduates. With more students in New Mexico earning college credit through AP courses, and having the standardized test scores to back it up, New Mexico's high schools may earn a few additional visits at the end of the school year.

With college credit being earned in high school, students may be inching themselves closer to college graduation as well. Currently, while Latino students are enrolling in colleges at a higher rate, they are lagging behind other ethnic groups in graduation rates. The current increase in AP credits could help to turn the tide in that area as well.