SALEM (AP) - The number of Oregon high school students taking Advanced Placement exams has grown sharply, particularly among low-income students, according to a report from the College Board.

The Advanced Placement Program provides college-level curriculum to high school students, and some colleges give credit for the courses if students do well enough on the exam.

The number of Oregon students taking one or more Advanced Placement exams grew 16 percent between 2004-05 and 2005-06, and the participation among low-income students jumped 42 percent, the report found.

“Advanced placement for years was seen as an elitist program, which overwhelmingly attracted white students,” said Andrea Morgan, coordinator of a state program to increase AP participation. “There's a concerted effort to change that.”

The College Board is a not-for-profit membership association that administers the AP Program, which includes demanding courses and exams designed to prepare students for college.

Its report cites new independent research indicating students who participate in the program have significantly better college grades and college graduation rates than academically and economically similar students.

Oregon has won federal grants to increase the AP participation rate among minority and low-income students.

One of the grants, for instance, covers the AP test fee - $83 - for low-income students.

AP course-taking among minority and low-income students still trails in relation to the number of these students enrolled in high school.

“We know that we have many talented students who are not looking at AP as an option, and we need to encourage them to see themselves as high-performing students,” state school Superintendent Susan Castillo said. “AP is as much about aspiration as it is about achievement.”

And Oregon students are not passing the AP tests in the same numbers as their national peers. Nearly 15 percent of U.S. high school students earned a passing score in 2006; in Oregon, it was 10 percent.