November 7, 2024 – Amarillo High School is the first school in AISD and the Panhandle to be named to the Advanced Placement® Program (AP®) School Honor Roll, earning Bronze distinction.
The AP School Honor Roll recognizes schools doing outstanding work to welcome more students into AP classes. Schools can earn this recognition annually based on criteria that reflect a commitment to increasing college-going culture, providing opportunities for students to earn college credit, and maximizing college readiness.
In AISD, students enter the AP track in middle school, which expands to 26 AP course options in high school. AHS also earned the AP Acess Award for “clear and effective commitment to equitable access to advanced course work.”
“Advanced academic opportunities like AP are important, not just because they offer students the chance to earn college credit in high school, where it is much less expensive. But also, these courses reinforce important skills like critical thinking and writing, and they build confidence and help students see that they are capable of learning and achieving at a higher level,” Tracey Morman, AISD Director of Counseling and College, Career and Military Readiness said. “Being named to the AP School Honor Roll means doing an exceptional job at making AP available and accessible to all students, and also supporting those students at a level that sets them up to ultimately earn that college credit at the end of the course.”
Amarillo High had 40 percent of seniors who took at least one AP Exam during high school, 28 percent of seniors scoring a 3 or higher on at least one AP Exam and 14 percent of seniors who took five or more AP Exams.
“This award is the direct result of teachers intentionally inviting students to take their advanced classes,” AHS Principal Andrea Pfeifer said. “This is a fantastic example of teachers working together, setting high expectations for students, while simultaneously supporting students to achieve at unprecedented levels.”
Two years ago, Pfeifer says teachers began visiting their colleagues' classrooms and inviting students to sign up for their classes. During registration, an 11th-grade teacher would visit 10th-grade classes and encourage all students to sign up for their class the following year. The 10th-grade teacher would provide support by also encouraging all students to sign up for the classes the next year.
“This great idea worked, and we have increased enrollment in advanced classes and the number of students taking the exams at the conclusion of those classes and earning college credit,” Pfeifer said.
“Our teachers have earned the trust of our students, their families, and our community, and when the teachers made the ask, the students and families followed their suggestion and signed up for the classes,” she said.
Other AISD high schools have similar goals for their campuses. Of AISD’s other three high schools, Palo Duro came closest to meeting the criteria for this year’s AP School Honor Roll, missing the criteria in just one achievement category. Palo Duro met markers for College Culture and College Optimization but fell short of meeting the threshold on the College Credit marker.
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