Students in Irving ISD earned 820 top scores on Advanced Placement (AP) exams for 2009-2010, compared to 690 for the previous year.
According to data compiled by the district’s Department of Planning, Evaluation & Research, IISD has seen an overall increase during the past three years in the number of high schools students who receive a score of three or higher. In the 2007-2008 school year, 691 students earned a three or higher. This dropped to 690 in 2008-2009, and increased to 820 last year. This 18.8 percent increase is higher than the state average increase of 11 percent. AP exams are scored on a scale of 1 to 5.
Participation among IISD minority students has also increased dramatically over the past 10 years. In 2001, minority students took 46 percent of all AP exams. This increased to 75 percent in 2008-2009, and increased to 82 percent for 2009-2010. Though the IISD increase of 7 percent is lower than the state minority participation average increase of 15.8 percent for this past school year, Irving ISD minority participation was considerably higher than the statewide minority participation of 57 percent.
In Irving ISD, all students who participate in AP classes take the appropriate exam. IISD differs from many other Texas school districts in this regard, which can make it difficult to compare IISD testing results with state reports. IISD encourages maximum test participation in order to ensure all AP students receive a true college-level course experience. The five exams most frequently taken by Texas students are English Language & Composition, U.S. History, English Literature & Composition, World History, and Spanish Language.
