Pasco schools report steady college-credit rates; district plans work group to expand AP, Cambridge, IB and dual enrollment access

District staff presented results and next steps on advanced-academic options at a Pasco County School Board workshop, highlighting steady college-credit attainment and plans for an acceleration work group to expand access.

Dr. Iles, district staff, told the board the discussion would focus on “progress for ’24–’25 for advanced placement, ACE, IB, and dual enrollment,” and tied the work to the district’s strategic goals to increase student completion of acceleration options and college- and career-readiness. “A specific action goal,” Dr. Iles said, “is increasing the percent of students being successful with an advanced academic coursework by 10 percent.”

The district presented cohort data showing the share of graduates who earned college credit in high school. Staff said the 2020–21 graduating cohort earned college credit at a 39 percent rate; the 2021–22 cohort rose to about 61 percent after the district implemented an English General Paper course in 11th grade and because testing conditions during the COVID period were atypical. For the current senior cohort staff reported 56 percent of students have already earned college credit; current juniors are at 24 percent and sophomores at 14 percent.

On advanced placement, Mrs. DiValley, district staff, said 33 percent of the class of 2025 passed an AP exam — a 5-point increase from prior years — and that the district saw a 15 percent increase in AP exams administered and an 11 percent increase in students taking AP tests. “When you test more students, typically you see a higher pass rate,” she said. Staff estimated Pasco students’ AP participation saved about $6.7 million in college tuition.

Mrs. DiValley said the district expanded AP Capstone participation and noted a recent state change: House Bill 1105 revised Bright Futures eligibility for AP Capstone diploma holders. Under the change staff described, students who earn an AP Capstone diploma will receive the Florida Academic Scholar award through Bright Futures without the prior GPA and test score requirements but with a volunteer-hours requirement for current cohorts; district staff cautioned requirements differ for future cohorts and must follow the statute and implementing guidance.

Cambridge/ACE results showed a decline in pass rates tied to fewer students testing. Mrs. DiValley said the ACE English General Paper pass rate for 11th graders fell 8 percent and the percent tested fell about 12 percent; she said staff will investigate why many students did not sit for both test days (the exam is administered over two days) and will work with principals to account for exemptions or missed test days. The district noted a promising pilot in which ninth- and tenth-grade students taking the journal-paper exam in non‑diploma schools recorded a 90 percent pass rate (240 students) and that general-paper participation saved about $1.2 million in tuition-equivalent for families.

For International Baccalaureate (IB), staff said the total number of diplomas earned increased while the cohort percentage earning diplomas declined; the district reported roughly $400,000 in tuition-equivalent savings from IB diploma students. Diploma programs are offered at Hudson, Pasco and Anclote, and staff said they are piloting expanded access to IB courses for students not formally in the diploma pathway.

On dual enrollment, the presentation showed the percent of graduating seniors who earned at least one dual-enrollment credit was 16.5 percent for last year’s graduating class. Among students who took any dual-enrollment course, the average student in the graduating cohort took about seven dual-enrollment courses. Staff reported a 4 percent increase in As earned in dual-enrollment courses, a 6 percent increase in courses taken, but a decline in the number of AA (associate) degrees awarded from 103 to 89. Total dual-enrollment credits reported were 23,714 and staff estimated about $5 million in tuition savings from dual-enrollment for families.

The district also noted an increase in on-campus dual-enrollment offerings: more sections and more credentialed high school teachers authorized to teach college credit (57 credentialed instructors, up from 35 in 2021–22), with 24 distinct courses offered on campus or via partner colleges. Staff explained that college agreements limit the percentage of college courses the district can offer on a high‑school campus (a 49 percent limit in one agreement) and that system-level agreements with institutions such as USF can provide additional capacity.

Staff outlined next steps: forming an acceleration work group of principals and counselors to recommend “gateway” courses with high nationwide success rates (examples cited included AP Human Geography, Precalculus and Computer Science Principles); increasing teacher participation in AP Summer Institute and IB training; improving parent and student communications (including a parent letter and MyStudent tracking for AP Capstone); and strengthening outreach about dual-enrollment graduation steps and AA-degree application processes.

Board members and staff flagged access barriers. Board member Gilbert said lowering eligibility thresholds for targeted on-campus dual-enrollment sections — for example, offering a limited number of “access” courses with a 2.5 GPA threshold rather than a 3.0 for selected classes — could expand participation for students who might succeed with additional support. Staff said they are negotiating course-level eligibility with partner colleges and planned to bring the district’s dual-enrollment agreement to the board in November or December so changes are in place before registration.

Speakers emphasized the district will use the work group to tighten coordination between principals, counselors and families so opportunities are easier to find on the district website and more navigable for first‑generation college families.

The board received the presentation; staff said additional updates from the acceleration work group will be provided to the board as they develop.