Dallas ISD High Schools Partnering with the National Math + Science Initiative Outperform Peer High Schools on Advanced Placement* Exams in 2013-14

DALLAS, Oct. 27, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- High schools of the Dallas Independent School District (Dallas ISD), in partnership with the National Math and Science Initiative's (NMSI) College Readiness Program, have outperformed the national average in terms of increases in the number of qualifying scores on Advanced Placement* (AP) exams in the 2013-14 school year. In fact, based on Dallas ISD's work with NMSI, a minority student in Dallas is more than twice as likely to earn a qualifying score on an AP math or science exam than in any other large urban school district in the country.

Dallas ISD high schools increased qualifying scores in math, science and English exams from 2,312 in the 2012-13 school year to 2,637 in the 2013-14 year, an increase of 325 qualifying scores. Dallas ISD was the first school district in the nation to partner with NMSI in its effort to raise academic rigor and increase the number of students who graduate from high school college-ready, with funding provided by the Texas Instruments (TI) Foundation and the O'Donnell Foundation.

AP exam scores of three or higher (on a five-point scale) qualify students for college credit at many colleges and universities across the country and are a prime indicator of whether students are adequately prepared for college and whether they will succeed when they get there. Students who master AP courses in high school are three times more likely to graduate from college. For minority students, that multiplier is even greater: African-American and Hispanic students who succeed in AP courses are four times more likely to graduate from college.

"Earning a college degree is the single most important factor influencing economic opportunity and social mobility for our young people, and introducing high school students to a more demanding curriculum is a critical component to prepare them for success down the road," said Sara Martinez Tucker, CEO of NMSI. "As the results in our hometown of Dallas demonstrate, we are making measurable, sustainable and scalable progress in improving college readiness among our nation's students."

Initiated by the O'Donnell Foundation in 1995 and supported by the TI Foundation since 2000, NMSI's College Readiness Program has grown to include all Dallas ISD high schools and has provided financial awards to thousands of students who might otherwise not have taken and succeeded in rigorous AP coursework.  The program also funds stipends for teacher training, as well as equipment and supplies to support AP classes.

"We've seen the College Readiness Program make a positive impact on Dallas ISD students' success in rigorous coursework.  And as much as this program is about motivating students, it's also about teachers.  The awards help keep valuable, experienced teachers in the district who inspire their students to achievement in science, math and other important studies," said Ann Pomykal, TI Foundation director of major education gifts. 

The TI Foundation expanded its support of the College Readiness Program to the Lancaster, Richardson and Mesquite ISDs in recent years.  To date, the TI Foundation has provided more than $8 million in funding for the program in these four North Texas districts.

Nationally, the first-year increase in qualifying math, science and English exam scores among NMSI partner schools is 68 percent—10 times the national average of 6.8 percent. Performance among traditionally underserved students in the NMSI program is equally impressive: The first-year increase in qualifying scores in math and science among African-American and Hispanic students is 93 percent, nearly 9 times the national average. For female students, the increase is 79 percent, more than 10 times the national average.

In the 2013-14 school year, NMSI boosted student enrollment in college-level math, science and English courses by more than 50,000 working in just 566 schools. NMSI also raised the number of AP qualifying exam scores by more than 18,500 exams, representing more than 13,000 additional students who are better prepared for college after this past school year.  

Without NMSI's efforts, these 566 schools would have otherwise increased their number of qualifying exam scores by fewer than 1,400—representing about 1,000 students—based on the national rate of increase for each year of program participation.

Proficiency in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) is crucial to our country's ability to remain competitive in the global economy of the 21^st century. NMSI's College Readiness Program is addressing this urgent need by partnering with schools that are committed to raising the academic bar and working with teachers, students and administrators to set and achieve aggressive performance goals. The program's key elements of success include shared accountability and goal setting with schools, intensive teacher training and support with expert mentors, more time on task for students through tutoring and study sessions, open enrollment to broaden student participation, and achievement-based awards for teachers and students.

Since 2008, NMSI's College Readiness Program has been implemented in more than 620 schools across 26 states and the District of Columbia.

About National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI): NMSI, a non-profit organization, was launched in 2007 by top leaders in business, education and science to transform education in the United States. NMSI has received national recognition for training K–12 teachers and improving student performance through the rapid expansion of highly successful programs: NMSI's College Readiness Program, NMSI's Laying the Foundation Teacher Training Program and NMSI's UTeach Expansion Program. Inaugural funding for NMSI was provided by the ExxonMobil Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. For more information, visit www.nms.org. 

*Advanced Placement and AP are registered trademarks of the College Board.

Media Contacts:

Tara Marathe
Director of Communications, NMSI
214-346-1245 | [email protected]

Gail Chandler
Director of Citizenship Communications & Community Relations, Texas Instruments
214-567-4403

Jon Dahlander
Executive Director of News & Information, Dallas ISD
972-925-3900

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SOURCE National Math and Science Initiative

Related Links

http://www.nms.org