Siloam Springs reports 304 gifted students and AP qualifying rate of 74%
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Summary
District officials reported 304 identified gifted students (about 7% of enrollment), program staffing and a five-year AP trend that reached a 74% qualifying rate for AP exams in the most recent year.
SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. — The Siloam Springs School District reported on its gifted-and-talented programming and recent advanced placement results during the August board meeting.
Gifted programming: Amy Carter, who presented the report, said the district currently has 304 identified gifted students, which she said is approximately 7% of the district’s student population. Carter cautioned that the count is early in the school year and numbers could change as enrollments stabilize.
Carter listed program staffing as six licensed staff and one classified staff member. K–4 students receive STEAM instruction districtwide (approximately 1,500 students), and the district offers resource-room pullout services for identified students in grades 3–6. Middle school students in grades 7–8 may schedule GT classes or take honors courses for high school credit. High school students may enroll in AP or concurrent-credit courses; career-technical pathways also provide concurrent credit and certification opportunities. Carter named Cecia Espinal as a new GT teacher at Southside.
AP trends: The board was shown a five-year trend in AP exam results. Carter said the district administered 20 AP exams this past year and that 74% of students enrolled in AP courses earned a qualifying score of 3 or higher, which in Arkansas can earn college credit at state institutions. She said students scored above the state average on 17 of the 20 exams; on eight exams students were above both the state and global averages, and on one exam the district was above the state average and met the global average.
Why it matters: District leaders framed the data as evidence of strong teacher performance and student effort in rigorous coursework. Carter said the district will push this year to formalize transition procedures between grade levels and buildings, develop additional accelerated-learning opportunities enabled by recent access-law changes, and review GT teachers’ curriculum to ensure it exceeds regular classroom standards.
Board response was supportive; trustees offered congratulations and urged continuation of the work.
