Students at Gaffney and Blacksburg high schools showed mixed results on 2008 college advanced placement scores released Thursday by the College Board.

Blacksburg High scores were right on the state and national average of 56 percent for students earning college credit on Advanced Placement (AP) exams. Gaffney High saw its passing rate drop from 57.5 percent in 2007 to 41 percent in 2008.

The College Board's Advanced Placement program allows high school students to take college-level classes. Students enrolled in the courses are required to take an AP exam at the end of the school year.

Advanced Placement exam scores are based on a 1-to-5 grading scale. Students scoring a 3 or higher can receive college credit.

Gaffney High had 72 students take Advanced Placement exams in 10 courses this past year. The district discontinued a popular distance learning psychology course due to lack of enrollment at Gaffney and Blacksburg high schools.

Gaffney High Principal Marlene Davis said the school will continue to make Advanced Placement courses available so students can have the opportunity to do college level work.

"We encourage students to take courses that will be challenging to them," Davis said. "We hope more students will enroll in Advanced Placement classes. We are looking at ways to offer more distance learning classes that will help students at Blacksburg and Gaffney high schools."

South Carolina has seen record interest in its Advanced Placement program.

A record 15,362 students statewide scored high enough to earn college credit, a 3 percent increase over last year's 14,922. The number of exams attempted increased to an all-time high of 26,872.

The most popular AP exams in 2008 were U.S. history, English literature and composition, English language and composition, calculus and statistics.

Only 16 Blacksburg High students took Advanced Placement exams last year.

Six of the school's 12 passing scores came from students in the distance learning psychology class taught by Gaffney High teacher Elizabeth Ireton.

Blacksburg High is only offering Advanced Placement English this school year.

Guidance counselor Billy Transou predicts the popularity of dual credit courses will lead more students to take AP classes in their junior year. Students can earn a maximum of four high school units and 12 college hours through dual credit offerings at Limestone and Spartanburg Community College.

"We are seeing more juniors taking Advanced Placement classes since the state has offered dual credit," Transou said. "Many seniors in competition for class rank take dual credit courses to avoid losing their class standing. It's a great deal for students and their parents though because they can earn a year's worth of college credit while in high school."