The changes will affect current sixth grade students, Amy Harp, FISD’s managing director of academic programs, said on March 4 when the policy change was first presented to the board. The board approved the policy change in a 4-2 vote April 9 after its second reading.
Trustees Stephanie Elad and Marvin Lowe voted against the policy.
Elad commended district officials for holding two readings of the policy change, which allowed community members to weigh in. She received positive feedback for the policy, but said she also had community members who cited concern for less differentiation in curriculum and potential impact on students applying for competitive schools.
“This is a really big change for our district that will have significant impact on our students for years to come,” Elad said.
Offering input
Craig Leverette, a vice president at Collin College, spoke in support of the policy change during the meeting’s public comment portion. Dual credit was developed over 70 years ago to aid in the transition from high school to college, he said. Leverette said he considered dual credit to be a different version of Advanced Placement courses.
“Dual credit allows Frisco ISD students guaranteed entry into a degree plan at their institution of choice in an advanced place within that degree plan,” he said.
What’s happening?
GPAs are currently split into three tiers:
- Tier 1 is a 5.0 and includes on-level courses.
- Tier 2 is a 5.5 and includes dual-credit, advanced courses, career and technical education courses, independent study and mentorship, and academic decathlon.
- Tier 3 is a 6.0 and includes AP and International Baccalaureate courses.
- Tier 1 is a 5.0 and includes on-level courses.
- Tier 2 is a 5.5 and include advanced courses, career and technical education courses, independent study and mentorship, and academic decathlon.
- Tier 3 is a 6.0 and includes AP, International Baccalaureate and dual-credit courses.
The backstory
AP courses allow students to earn college credit at the end of a course if they pass the end-of-course exam. Courses are open enrollment, with any student able to take the course. FISD will offer 33 AP courses in the 2024-25 school year.
Dual-credit courses are college courses taken at the same time as the high school course, Harp said. Courses are offered through Collin College and UNT at Frisco. Students pay the college a course tuition, which ranges from $152-$225, and instructional materials are estimated at $100 per course.
There are 77 academic and technical courses offered through Collin College and eight online courses offered at UNT at Frisco.
Many students will not go to college after high school because of the financial impact for families, said Stephanie Cook, FISD’s managing director of guidance and counseling services, during the March 4 meeting. Dual-credit courses can help students save thousands of dollars in getting a degree, she said.
