Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Secondary Education Programs topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
PPS presents results and expansion plans for CTE, AP, IB, dual credit and ninth-grade supports
Summary
District staff reported enrollment and performance growth in career and technical education, expansion of AP/IB/dual credit offerings, and a focus on ninth-grade on-track strategies; staff outlined partnerships, funding approaches and next steps to scale programs.
District senior staff presented a comprehensive update on April 8 about high-school strategies including ninth-grade on-track work, career and technical education (CTE), Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) and dual-credit programs.
Filip Hestich, senior director for high school academics, said the district uses multiple strategies — ninth-grade success teams, CTE expansion, advanced coursework and career-connected learning — to prepare students for postsecondary success. "Seventy percent of our graduates enroll in two- or four-year programs," Hestich said.
Nut graf: Staff told the board the district is expanding CTE access, advanced coursework and college-credit opportunities while focusing on ninth-grade on-track metrics as a key predictor of graduation. Staff recommended continuing investments in targeted supports, partnerships with industry and higher education, and data-driven interventions to increase equity in outcomes.
Highlights: CTE now offers 79 programs across 11 high schools and enrollment has risen to nearly 11,000 students (from 8,800 three years earlier); students earned over 700 industry-recognized credentials and CTE concentrators had graduation rates above 95%. Advanced coursework: the district administered nearly 5,000 AP exams last year with about 70% scoring 3 or above and ordered over 6,000 AP exams for the coming year; AP exam administration is moving to digital formats for many courses. IB remains the primary college-credit mechanism at Cleveland and Lincoln; about 670 students tested in IB last year across the two schools. Dual credit: roughly 5,000 students enrolled in dual-credit courses this school year; students earned more than 17,000 college credits last year (estimated tuition value > $3 million). Ninth-grade work: the district expanded ninth-grade success practices and early-transition (Leap into Ninth Grade) programs; staff requested elevating ninth-grade on-track as a district priority to align supports.
Staff also flagged priorities and pilot work: a district student-led CTE advisory council, a YouScience AI aptitude pilot at two schools, and a proposal to partner with Stanford researchers on an NSF computer science grant and an AI tool for first-year computer science students. Board members asked for disaggregated data on who is benefiting from AP/CTE/dual credit and for follow-up on apprenticeship outcomes and attendance strategies.
Ending: Board members praised the presentation and requested more disaggregated outcome data and follow-up reports on attendance, apprenticeship pathways, and equity outcomes for expanded programs.
