Waterloo board hears Advanced Programs update as students credit IB/AP pathways with college success

The Waterloo Comm School District board on Oct. 14 received an annual update on Advanced Programs — including International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement and concurrent college courses — and heard students describe how those pathways prepared them for college.

Sharice Ortman, the district’s secondary curriculum and advanced programs coordinator, told the board the district offered 86 college courses last year and recovered roughly $987,000 in transferable credits and scholarships for students. She said the district is the only IB World Diploma program in Iowa serving 11th–12th graders and is planning a 10-year reboot of the diploma program at East and West High Schools.

"Our kids don't just take one IB or one AP — they take multiple," Ortman said, noting 128 students this fall were enrolled in two or more IB courses and that 216 students were enrolled in one or more AP classes. She said 246 AP exams were taken last year and 45% scored a three or higher.

Two seniors who are part of the district’s advanced programs addressed the board. Canan, an IB student, said the program sharpened time-management and research skills that she expects will help in college: "I've gotten a lot of skills that are going to help me in my future — time management and doing research efficiently," she said.

Miss Knight, a teacher whose classes posted high AP averages, described classroom methods she uses to raise scores: "I really make the kids in charge of their own learning ... I look at the data and I make them look at their own data and they dig deep," she told the board.

Ortman highlighted school- and district-level outcomes: West and East High showed improved AP averages (Miss Knight averaged 4.07 on her AP class compared with a global average cited as 2.97), and the district reported growing numbers of students earning college credit through concurrent enrollment with Hawkeye Community College. She said the district had 86 college classes last year and 465 students enrolled in concurrent courses overall, saving families tuition costs.

Board members pressed for detail on equity and access: administrators acknowledged gaps in participation for some underrepresented groups (noting lower participation among Black and Hispanic males) and described efforts such as Talent Development groups in middle school and planned ninth-grade pathway courses to increase participation.

The presentation included a short video of IB diploma students and an invitation to a district 10-year anniversary event later in the year. Board members applauded students and staff for results and asked staff to continue refining program communications and pathways so families can more easily plan course sequences.

Next steps: the district said it will publish program-of-study pathways and continue outreach to middle-school students and parents to improve representation and ensure scheduling allows students to take advanced pathway courses.