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Arlington ISD reports rising AP participation, higher scores and plans for expanded support
Summary
District officials told trustees AP participation rose about 8% since 2018 and scores of 3 or higher grew roughly 38%, with plans to expand pre-AP recruitment, teacher support (APSI attendance, PLCs) and campus-level coordinators to sustain growth.
Arlington ISD administrators presented a multi-part update to trustees on Oct. 2 showing increases in Advanced Placement (AP) participation and performance and describing district strategies to expand access and support for AP students.
The key numbers: AP test participation is up roughly 8% since 2018, and the number of AP exams scored at 3 or higher increased by about 38%, the presenters said. Superintendent Doctor Smith and advanced-academics staff said those gains translate into college credit for students and improved College, Career and Military Readiness (CCMR) outcomes.
“Participation is growing by about 8% since 2018,” said Doctor TJ Jarko, adding that “we have about a 38% growth in scores of 3 or higher.” Doctor Karan Zeske, identified as director of advanced academics, told trustees that 23% of the Arlington ISD graduating class of 2025 left with at least one qualifying AP score (a 3, 4 or 5).
Why it matters: District leaders argued the trend signals better access to rigorous coursework across high schools and could lower college costs for students who earn credit through AP exams. Board members pressed the administration about supports for students and teachers to ensure growth is sustained.
What the district is doing: Officials laid out three main strategies — recruit more students into AP through open-enrollment outreach and AP ambassadors, retain students using embedded AVID strategies and in-class scaffolding, and strengthen teacher capacity via APSI (AP Summer Institute) funding, professional learning communities (PLCs) and targeted subject support. The district is also in year two of a pre-AP plan intended to build necessary skills in freshmen and sophomores.
Student voice: AP ambassadors from Lamar High School described peer-to-peer outreach on campus. “Being able to acquire college credit in high school for, like, dollars 15 for an AP test versus thousands of dollars for taking a college course in college, we found the value in that and we wanted to share that with other students at Lamar,” said Rokshani Wicker Matulaca, vice president of AP Ambassadors.
No votes required: The presentation was an informational report; trustees asked questions about tracking ninth-grade AP participation, dual-enrollment comparisons and supports such as tutoring and campus coordination. Staff agreed to provide additional data to trustees on dual-enrollment counts and broader college-credit totals at a later date.
Ending: Trustees praised teachers, campus coordinators and student ambassadors and endorsed the district’s emphasis on recruitment, retention and professional learning as the pathway to continued AP growth.
