The big picture
Shannon Tovar, director of accountability and continuous improvement, shared a look at the district’s AP exam performance during the 2023-24 school year during a Sept. 23 board of trustees meeting. She reviewed the number of students who passed AP exams, the number of AP exams issued and the number of passed AP exams overall during a presentation to the board.
During the 2023-24 school year, 79% of students passed an AP exam with a score of three or higher, Tovar said. Of the 1,708 students who took an AP exam, 1,350 students passed, according to the presentation.
Tovar presented the data as part of a scorecard priority report to the board. Priority reports are presented to the board at each meeting and are meant to highlight performance objectives and student outcomes in specific areas of the district.
During the presentation, Advanced Academics Director Michael Crow also shared key action items being pursued to help students to better prepare for taking the scholastic aptitude test and preliminary scholastic aptitude test.
GCISD residents can access the slideshow presentation on the meeting agenda or watch a recording of the board meeting online.
Quote of note
After the presentation, board President Shannon Braun said the district still has work to do but it was a good opportunity to celebrate.
“We just did the best that we’ve ever done in terms of AP testing and so that is something that we can brag about,” she said. “I’m proud of that.”
Throughout the scorecard report and the campus improvement plans presented earlier that evening, Braun pointed out a theme she noticed in the presentations.
“The theme that I hear is that we are results-driven and that we’re focusing on data which helps tell us where we’re weak and where we’re strong,” she said. “I’m going to applaud that because we’re putting resources into the classroom. That’s what this board is committed to.”
