September 10, 2018—New data shows tremendous growth in the number of Amarillo ISD students enrolling in Advanced Placement (AP) programs and earning college credit.
From 2010 to 2018, the number of AISD scholars with scores of 3 or higher on AP Exams grew by 143 percent. AP classes are college-level courses in which high school students can earn college credit or qualify for more advanced classes when they begin college. AP tests are scored on a scale of 1 to 5, with scores of 3 or higher considered a key indicator of high-level academic achievement and generally accepted by colleges and universities for credit and placement.
The growth is attributed to a district-wide, intentional focus on reinforcing the AP program and strategies to help students be successful in meeting the rigor of AP coursework.
“To see the data in black and white as evidence that not only are more of our students enrolling in AP classes, but they are successful in those classes and those two things are growing in tandem, is very exciting,” Superintendent Dr. Dana West said. “We are graduating students prepared for life and success beyond high school. Many more of them are now graduating with the important experience of college-level coursework to prepare them for their next steps.”
The number of AP students achieving to the level of AP Scholar improved district-wide as well including 184 percent growth in AISD’s total number of AP scholars and a 300 percent increase in the number of National AP Scholars. AP Scholars are those who scored 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams. National AP Scholars earned an average score of 4 on all AP Exams taken and scores of 4 or higher on eight or more exams.
Amarillo ISD offers 26 AP courses at the high school level and four core Pre-AP classes for each of the three grade levels in middle school.
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