What to know about AP courses in Corpus Christi ISD

In Carroll High School history teacher Tracie Jensen’s classroom, advanced placement students are asked to think deeply about the background of historical events, not just the details.

“Why does this thing take place?” Jensen asks students. “What causes this to happen?”

One lesson last week trotted through the turn of the century, in the years after 1800, covering events like when Vice President Aaron Burr was accused of a conspiracy to establish an independent country in the southwest and how the British Royal Navy seized U.S. sailors to serve in their fleet through impressment.

Students in Jensen’s AP U.S. History class signed up because they hope it will look good to colleges and boost their GPA. 

Students agreed that AP classes have a good learning environment, where classmates care about the work and contribute in class. 

“It looks a whole lot better for colleges seeing that you take AP classes other than a normal class,” Junior Benjamin Fanning said.

There’s also the hope that they might earn college credit at the end of the year. Students in AP classes take an AP exam. If they score highly enough, they can earn college credit that is recognized at colleges and universities across the country, allowing them to skip those classes in college. Though the exam costs money, it isn’t nearly as expensive as college tuition.

“It’ll help you save money in the long run, at least if you pass the AP test,” junior Sabastian Perez said. 

Advanced Placement, or AP, exams are governed by College Board, the same non-profit organization that administers the SAT. To prepare students for these tests, schools offer AP courses. AP teachers take part in biannual training from College Board.

It costs $98 to take one AP exam. The tests are free in CCISD for economically disadvantaged students who qualify for free or reduced lunch, and the district does offer scholarships for other students who might struggle to otherwise afford the tests. In comparison, dual credit courses through Del Mar College are free. 

“There are district and campus scholarships that are offered,” CCISD coordinator for advanced academics Vanessa Perez-Peterson said. “There’s payment plans that are offered by the campuses as well, they’ll work with families on getting that paid. And then sometimes there’s anonymous donors to the campuses, that I’ve heard.” 

It’s up to the college or university to decide if and how much credit to recognize. For example, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi will offer six credits for a score of three out of five in AP United States History. Baylor University offers six credits, but you have to earn a four out of five. 

Information about what scores colleges accept for each test is available online at www.collegeboard.org. 

But not all students who take an AP exam earn a high score. 

For AP English Language and Composition, only 56% of test-takers in 2023 earned a three or above. For AP English Literature, typically taken after the English language course, 77% earned a three or above. 

In AP U.S. History, only 48% earned a three or above in 2023. In AP Biology, 64% earned a three or above, while in AP Physics 1, only 45% did. 

That data is from test-takers across the country.  

In Corpus Christi ISD, scores were lower. During the 2022-23 school year, only 22% of AP core content exams were scored at a three or higher. 

One explanation for the lower pass rate is that CCISD recently made AP exams mandatory for all students who take a corresponding AP course. In many other schools, students can take an AP class without having to take the test. 

In 2022-2023, 3,111 AP tests were taken across the district. The year before, only 1,775 tests were taken, with about a third scoring a three or above. 

The district’s pass rate is lower than it was pre-pandemic. In 2018-19, over 2,000 tests were taken in the district with 29% earning a three or above. During 2019-20, when the school year was interrupted by the pandemic, the test format was altered. About 1,700 students in CCISD took an AP exam that year, with nearly 40% earning a three or above.

In CCISD, AP course offerings vary by school. The school with the most AP offerings in CCISD is Veterans Memorial High School. 

AP courses are open enrollment, which means anybody can sign up. For other options, such as dual credit, students must first pass a college readiness assessment. Students can start taking AP classes with AP Human Geography as a freshman. 

There are social studies, math, science and English AP courses, as well as foreign language and fine arts. Exact course offerings by campus are determined by student interest, Perez-Peterson said. 

Veterans Memorial High School counted 86 exams scored a three or above in English, 55 in math, 100 in science and 159 in social studies in 2022-23. 

At Carroll High School there, were only 15 three or above scores in English, 12 in science and 19 in social studies. At Miller High school, there were only three in English, two in science and five in social studies. 

What this data indicates is that taking an AP class is CCISD is not a guarantee that students will earn college credit. If saving money and earning college credit in high school is the only consideration, other options like dual credit might better fit a student’s goals, particularly if finances are a concern. 

But, educators and students believe there are other reasons to consider an AP course. 

“This is a national program that stresses the importance of the experience in and of itself – it’s going to benefit students because of that rigor in the course they’re sitting in throughout a whole school year,” Perez-Peterson said. “That’s really providing them a solid foundation and preparedness for when they do get into the next step in their post-high school career.”   

Even without the credit, students who take an AP course in high school are better prepared to do well when they take that cover that same subject material in college, Jensen, the AP U.S. History teacher at Carroll High School, said.

In AP classes, teachers not only cover the subject material, they also teach students how to take the test. Many AP exams are writing-heavy and rely on students being able to demonstrate critical thinking skills. 

Gabriel Gomez teaches AP World History at Miller High School. His students are sophomores. 

“I think getting the skills and college experience and curriculum and rigor is probably a little bit more of a positive thing because I learned years ago that not every kid’s going to pass this exam,” Gomez said. “... but if they take an AP course, they’re going to be more prepared and inclined to attend college.” 

This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Corpus Christi ISD AP classes one way to earn college credit