Irving ISD kicking Advanced Placement ass

by Chad Jones

Over the past three years, Irving ISD has seen a steady increase in the number of high school students who receive a score of 3 or higher on The College Board's Advanced Placement exam.

Think of it this way. The more AP tests your kid takes, the less likely they'll have college classes with this guy.

Over the past three years, Irving ISD has seen a steady increase in the number of high school students who receive a score of 3 or higher on The College Board's Advanced Placement exams.

The exams, which are scored on a scale of 1 to 5, offer students the opportunity to take challenging college-level courses while still in high school, and receive college credit for successful performance on AP exams.

For 2004-2005, 522 IISD high school students scored grades of 3 or higher on AP exams. The number jumped to 651 in 2005-2006, followed by another increase to 671 in 2006-2007.

The IISD also ensures access to all advanced academic and elective classes for all students. In that regard, the participation of minority students in AP courses has continued to increase over the past several years. In 2002, 40 percent of minority students, who graduated from an IISD high school, participated in AP courses. By 2007, the number had increased to 64 percent.