Advanced course eligibility climbs but gaps persist: Tulsa Public Schools monitoring report shows progress toward 32% goal

The Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education received an interim monitoring report showing incremental gains in the percentage of 10th‑12th graders meeting assessment requirements to enroll concurrently in postsecondary courses.

Crystal Hutchinson, the district’s director of post secondary readiness, told the board that the district has increased the share of students meeting benchmarks by 4.3 percentage points — an increase she said corresponds to roughly 416 more students — and reiterated the board’s target to grow eligibility from about 19% in May 2022 to 32% by May 2027.

Staff and school leaders credited several strategies for the gains: embedding ACT‑aligned instruction in the school day, expanding test familiarization with preACT and practice exams, targeted professional development for teachers, school‑level “boot camps” and programs such as TCC EDGE that let students start college coursework early on campus.

Assistant Principal Isaac McCann of Memorial High School described a one‑day junior boot camp designed to reduce test anxiety and teach test strategies; after piloting the camp for 75 juniors, Memorial expanded access so every junior could attend the following year. McCann said Memorial now provides up to four practice tests for students in grades 9–11 and has increased college‑credit opportunities via the TCC EDGE program — which he said produced the district’s first cohort of students graduating with an associate degree and a high school diploma.

At Edison Prep, Principal Tim Maxiner said his school invested in teacher training through AIMS (ACT instruction) and used district funds to train cross‑curricular teacher teams so students see ACT‑level rigor across subjects. Maxiner described classroom practices such as Cornell notes and shared grading language to normalize expectations and give students multiple “at bats” on ACT‑style questions.

Despite districtwide progress, the report flagged uneven outcomes for some student groups. ILD Guillory said multilingual learners met eligibility at about 3.7% compared with 29.1% for non‑multilingual peers; students served by IEPs met eligibility at 2.8% versus 26.6% for peers without IEPs. Staff also highlighted the strong correlation with attendance: students who are not chronically absent participate at 35.4% while chronically absent students participate at 13.6%.

Superintendent Dr. Johnson and staff told the board the district is expanding targeted language supports, strengthening scaffolds for students on IEPs, enhancing transition planning and increasing family engagement to reduce these gaps. Hutchinson said the district had distributed a postsecondary opportunities booklet and that each high school has a college and career adviser; staff said counselors and advisers are meeting more frequently with students and families and that materials explaining access steps were sent to families.

Board discussion included questions about expanding the district’s ACT/AIMS training to schools in District 3, where eligibility gaps are larger, and how shifts from SAT to ACT/preACT have changed preparation and resource allocation. Chief Armstrong described the district’s move from SAT/PSAT administration to ACT/preACT alignment after state assessment requirements changed and said that providing preACT in the school day gives students repeated practice and clearer feedback for improvement.

The board accepted receipt of the monitoring report on a motion moved by board member Crossant and seconded by Vice President Moniz. The transcript indicates a roll call with multiple ayes; specific vote counts were not fully enumerated in the record provided.

Ending: District staff said they will continue to replicate promising practices across schools, expand parent engagement and target supports for multilingual learners, students on IEPs and chronically absent students as they work toward the 32% eligibility goal.