To bring the college and the job markets closer to each other, the College Board, which runs the Advanced Placement (AP) program, is changing what AP courses look like. Unlike in the past, AP courses were developed in partnership with colleges and Universities, but now the organization works with industry leaders like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and IBM. It seeks to make high school education more relevant given the transformative effects AI will have on the workplace. The 2026-27 school year will introduce two new AP courses: Cybersecurity and Business Principles/Personal Finance, which will narrow the gap between what’s taught and what’s needed in the workforce.
AI for AP Courses and Exams
With the current rise of AI, there are concerns about the significance of AP exams; AI can outperform all AP subjects almost perfectly now. College Board CEO David Coleman acknowledges that challenge and emphasizes that we are creating courses designed for the workforce of tomorrow that have come under the influence of AI. Now AI cannot easily replicate those courses with critical thinking, problem-solving, and hands-on skills. Also, the College Board is exploring sometimes frequent revisions of course frameworks, especially for topics such as AI and cybersecurity, to make sure this kind of content continues to be current in this rapidly changing technological landscape.
AP Course in Business, Cybersecurity.
The AP Business Principles/Personal Finance course is meant to provide students with the knowledge of business and financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and flexible economy. To cater to practical, real-time use, this course will entail students to put forth a business enterprise, arrange and serve as a use, modeled situations.
The AP Cyber Security course, now being piloted at 200 schools, will increase to 800 schools before the nationwide launch. As with most online courses, completion of the course and passing its exam grants students the chance for a CompTIA Security+ certification voucher, which is widely recognized as a certification in the field of cybersecurity. Since the number of cybersecurity workers is projected to fall short of 85 million by 2030 worldwide, this course is designed to give students the foundational skills necessary for a successful career in an in-demand field.
Preparing Teachers for AI and Cybersecurity Integration
The evolution of AP courses also requires an evolution of how teachers are trained. The first challenge involves making teachers prepared to teach complex and technical subjects like cybersecurity as the bulk of teachers are not technical. To address this, the College Board is partnering with teacher training programs, as are for AP Computer Science Principles, and External update: In 2016, the College Board adjusted the tentative plan for the certification exam, which is planned for 2019, to align with the standards aligned with the curriculum. It ranges from summer training sessions, and daily exercises to structured support for the teachers so they can keep ahead of their students.
The College Board also is looking into the use of AI in classrooms, not instead of but in addition to teachers, as a tool to help students learn. But Coleman warns against too much faith in artificial intelligence and stresses that education cannot do without AI, human mentorship, encouragement, and feedback.
Future AP Course Innovations
The College Board has looked beyond business and cyber security to expand into health science with the AP offers. Education needed to prepare students for careers in healthcare will be given by such a course that integrates chemistry and biology, Coleman envisioned. Such a solution would fill in a growing market need for scientific expertise in medical fields combining different disciplines.
The College Board is also reviewing AP Statistics, which has already been dropped from its Algebra II requirement to make it less daunting. The underlying intent is to enrol more students who might have found a traditional math course difficult but that actually do well in the challenges of data analysis, a skill that has become essential in AI.
