Spring Branch ISD Featured News

The suspension in March of normal Spring Branch ISD operations did not deter many local high school students from taking Advanced Placement (AP) exams and then earning qualifying scores for possible college-level credits.

Earlier this year, the COVID-19 pandemic led to the near-total closure of schools and educational systems across the world. The College Board, which administers AP exams, decided to hold its annual tests in May with make-ups in June. Due to the pandemic, all testing was remote, and the exam period was also coordinated worldwide.

The total number of SBISD students testing in the spring was down slightly, about 300 students, from previous years. Nevertheless, despite the pandemic’s impacts on traditional learning, 2,331 district students signed up to take 4,720 AP exams.

Here’s how SBISD test takers did: 65 percent of the district AP exams, or 3,049 separate tests, earned a score of 3 or higher on a 5-point scale.

In general, students earn college credits or advanced placement standing at U.S. colleges or universities for AP exam scores of 3 or higher, depending on a specific college or university’s policies.

These results also show that in SBISD the percent of AP exams with scores of 3 or higher has increased during the past five years, including during COVID-19.

From 2016 to 2020, such exam scores increased 10 percentage points to 65 percent.

In general, students earn college credits or advanced placement standing at U.S. colleges or universities for AP exam scores of 3 or higher, depending on specific college or universities policies.

To learn more about AP exams and student awards, visit the College Board site at https://www.collegeboard.org/