QUINCY, Ill. (AP) — A pilot program is giving students in rural Illinois high schools better access to Advanced Placement courses to prepare them for college

The Herald-Whig reports that 75 students at 10 high schools in rural areas of the state are taking online AP classes as part of a new initiative of the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council.

Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti says there are limited AP classes that are offered to students in rural areas. She says the pilot program will test the feasibility of expanding AP classes through distance education so that students in rural Illinois can get the same opportunities to learn as students in urban areas.