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Board presses for data and equity review on AP Seminar first reading at Mountain View High
Summary
Trustees heard a first reading for a Mountain View High AP Seminar course after AP English Language moved to junior year. Trustees and community members asked for disaggregated Mountain View vs. Los Altos data, questioned the pilot process and raised equity and schedule concerns; the board asked staff to bring detailed data and moved the item to the action calendar for further review.
Terry Faught presented a first reading to the board for Mountain View High School's AP Seminar offering in tenth grade after AP English Language was moved to junior year. He described the course history, district pass‑rate snapshots and teacher training used to implement the course.
"This is the second year that this course is being offered," Faught said, summarizing district pass‑rate figures and explaining the pathway from AP Seminar to AP English courses.
Why it matters: The change affects course offerings and perceived equity between Mountain View and Los Altos high schools, with trustees warning that different catalogs can produce unequal options for students and complicate master scheduling and a‑g approval.
Trustees, students and community members asked several follow‑up questions. Student trustee Claire said she had taken AP English as a sophomore and noted higher pass rates after the course moved to junior year: "I was one of the students that took AP language my sophomore year... I think the pass rates went up." Trustees asked Faught to provide disaggregated data on how the change affected student performance at both sites, how many students took the course, grade distributions and whether AP Seminar is meeting access and equity goals.
Trustees also raised process questions. Several said the course has been taught for two years in practice and asked when and how the board should be notified of pilot courses. Esme and others asked for clarity on what "pilot" means in district practice and whether the board should have had earlier oversight of a course that affects a‑g approval and transcript weighting.
Board direction and next steps: Trustees signaled they did not intend to place the course on the consent calendar. The board asked staff to return with disaggregated Mountain View vs. Los Altos data (enrollment, exam pass rates, GPA comparisons and any evidence that the tenth‑grade offering has affected eleventh‑grade outcomes), and scheduled the item as an action item to allow public comment and further deliberation.
