FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Thousands more public high school students in Kentucky are taking Advanced Placement exams, and those numbers have more than doubled for some minority groups in the past five years.

The Kentucky Department of Education on Monday attributed the rise to a program aimed at increasing both participation and success in the college-level courses.

In a news release, the department said more than 26,500 public high school students took the AP examinations last year, a jump of about 3,000 since the year before. Since 2008, the number of public high school students taking the exams has risen by nearly 12,000.

Minority groups have seen huge growth in participation. The department's figures show the number of Hispanic students taking the exam since 2008 has increased more than 150 percent and African American students more than doubled.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)