SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- State education officials say a record number of students in Illinois took Advanced Placement tests this year.

And the good news continues. The number of minority students taking the tests has also increased. The participation of black and Hispanic students was up more than 30 percent.

About 55-thousand high school juniors and seniors took the AP tests. That's almost a ten percent increase from 2006.

State Superintendent of Education Christopher Koch says he's excited to see more high school students challenging themselves.

He also says it's a positive step in the right direction to see such an increase in minority participation.