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Arroyo High officials tell board Shields Up tutorial program cut D/F rates and raised AP pass rates
Summary
At a special board meeting, Arroyo High School leaders described 'Shields Up,' a 24-minute, teacher-led intervention embedded in the school day that administrators say doubled tutorial offerings, enrolled a majority of students in targeted supports and helped AP pass rates rise from roughly 62% (2021) to 82% (2025).
Arroyo High School leaders presented the board with evidence that a schoolwide program called Shields Up is reducing D/F rates and improving student outcomes.
Principal Gabriel Flores and site staff described Shields Up as a 24-minute block four days per week that embeds tutorials, study halls, and cross-age mentoring into the regular school day. "Shields Up is an incentive based program that we designed in order to address the needs of our students who have academic deficiencies," said the site's instructional lead, Jamie Witt. Administrators said the program combines teacher-driven tutorials, "borrowing" between teachers for targeted help, and enrichment options during a "long lunch" for students who meet eligibility criteria (2.6 GPA minimum, no D/Fs, limits on tardies and unexcused absences).
Presenters gave specific results: the percentage of students earning AP scores of 3 or higher rose from about 62% in 2021 to about 82% in 2025; the site reported 94 English-learner students graduated last year and noted those students came from 12 countries; and site staff said roughly 64% of Arroyo students participate in at least one Shields Up intervention (tutorial or study hall). Instructional staff reported a steep short-term drop in D/F counts in one example: down from 118 to 34 at a six-week checkpoint after program adjustments.
Board members praised the teacher-driven model. Trustee Ricardo Padilla called embedding intervention into the school day "the reason this works," and noted that requiring time during school rather than after school produces higher participation. Trustees also asked about who staffs tutorials and were told Shields Up is primarily teacher-run with supplemental help from college tutors assigned to Shields Up classes.
Administrators said the program evolved since 2017: it has doubled the number of offered tutorials, expanded athletic-team tutorials to maintain athlete eligibility, and added targeted supports for newcomers and long-term English learners. The presenters invited board members to visit campus and attend Arroyo's open house, scheduled the following day.
The board received the presentation with consensus praise and no formal action. The presentation can inform district-level discussions of scaling similar interventions at other sites.
