An occasional column on developments in what educators call STEM — for science, technology, engineering and math.

In May, I wrote about students at Brashear High School in Pittsburgh just as they were about to face the springtime gantlet of advanced placement tests, which measure whether they had mastered college-level material. I had visited Brashear a couple of times, interested to see close up what was essentially a crash course by the school to raise its A.P. results.

The National Math and Science Initiative — a nonprofit group that seeks to improve teaching of science, math, technology and engineering — goes into high schools around the country that like Brashear are not high-achieving. The schools are often located in poorer urban or rural areas, and the initiative offers training and resources to help teachers; Saturday study sessions for students; and financial rewards. For each passing score (3 or higher on the tests, which are scored on a 1 to 5 scale), the organization pays $100 to the student and $100 to the teacher.

The initiative has an impressive track record. For participating schools, the number of passing scores on science and math A.P. tests jumps, on average, 85 percent the first year, and nearly triples by the end of the three-year program.