PHARR‑SAN JUAN‑ALAMO ISD director outlines expanded AP, GT and UIL programs

Michael Murray Carrion, director of advanced academics for PHARR‑SAN JUAN‑ALAMO ISD, described a broad set of accelerated and enrichment programs the district runs — from Advanced Placement classes to Gifted & Talented services and UIL competitions — and said the offerings are meant to be available to all students.

“These are programs outside of the normal curriculum that are offered for all students,” Murray Carrion said, explaining the department’s emphasis on expanding access under the district motto of “PSJ Opportunities for All.”

Murray Carrion outlined several competitive programs supported by the department, including robotics, UIL academics and a district “Meet of Champions” for elementary UIL competitors that begins with cluster-level events and advances top performers to a district finals. He said T‑STEM recently advanced to a state robotics competition and that UIL Congress students from the district have advanced to state-level contests.

The district runs parallel English and Spanish spelling contests. Murray Carrion described a Torneo de Ortografía (Spanish spelling tournament) held the same day as the English spelling bee; the Torneo is a written contest with elementary, middle and high school divisions, and top students can advance to a regional torneo at the University of Texas–Rio Grande Valley.

On Gifted & Talented services, Murray Carrion said referrals may come from parents, teachers, counselors or community members; students can be screened beginning in kindergarten, formally tested and reviewed by a committee before placement. He said more than 2,000 students districtwide are currently enrolled in GT and that identified students receive classroom placement with trained GT teachers, targeted professional development for educators, and access to enhancement programs such as chess, robotics, Destination Imagination, Math Madness and debate. He described the Texas Standard Performance Project (TSPP) as the program’s project‑based curriculum.

Murray Carrion discussed Advanced Placement as a central district focus. He noted PSJA offers dozens of AP courses (from the more than 38 AP course titles available nationally) and highlighted that the district supports students financially: “we have over 8,000 exams ordered this year for our student,” he said, adding that roughly 4,000 students take AP courses and that many students take more than one exam. He clarified the standard cost for a single AP exam without waivers is $96 and said the College Readiness Department pays exam fees so there is no cost to PSJA students.

The director pointed to outcome and recognition metrics the district is tracking: two campuses (T‑STEM and Collegiate) earned the College Board’s AP Honor Roll at the gold level, and AP Scholar designations have risen from 46 three years ago to 209 last year, Murray Carrion said.

Beyond coursework and tests, Murray Carrion highlighted upcoming and recurring enrichment events: a two‑week GT camp in June (first through eighth grade), a regional mock trial competition, an upcoming UIL middle school awards ceremony, Destination Imagination regional contests, and a regional chess tournament PSJA will host that draws more than 800 students. He also said the GT camp is adding a fine‑arts component and a social‑emotional learning element this year.

Murray Carrion encouraged parents to refer students and contact the Advanced Academics Department for details. The audio transcript records a partial email string but not a complete, publishable email address; parents seeking more information should contact the PHARR‑SAN JUAN‑ALAMO ISD Advanced Academics Department or their campus counselor.

The podcast closed after the overview and event reminders; Claudia, the host, thanked Murray Carrion and encouraged listeners to subscribe for future episodes.