Red Clay increases access to advanced placement and dual-enrollment classes

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include the correct spelling of Sam Golder's last name. 

As a high school freshman, Delvin Doe wasn't sure he wanted to take advanced placement classes. 

A student at Conrad Schools of Science, Doe worried about being able to pass an AP course. Administered by The College Board, which also makes the SAT, those classes are faster-paced and cover more material than regular classes and also require independent work like research and analysis.

"I felt like it would be really hard for me," Doe said. "But my mom was really pushing me to take one." 

His mom wasn't the only one. 

For the past several years now, Red Clay School District has been making a coordinated effort to get more students involved in advanced placement and dual-enrollment classes, which allow high schoolers to earn college credit prior to graduation. 

The effort is wrapped up in something called #FUTUREREADY, which recently earned Red Clay a Magna Award from the National School Boards Association’s flagship magazine, the American School Board Journal.

“Really it started in 2010," said Sam Golder, director of secondary schools for Red Clay. "We noticed we were kind of stagnant with our AP enrollment and high rigor coursework." 

When Red Clay put together a new strategic plan in 2012, it included plans to remove barriers for typically underserved groups, like those of African-American and Hispanic descent. As a result, it has increased enrollment in AP classes by 38 percent or about 500 students.

School counselors and administrators started searching for students who could stretch themselves academically, rather than just allowing kids to sign up. By eliminating the pre-requisites for AP and dual-enrollment classes, they hoped to encourage students to try their hand at tougher classes, whether they got As or not.

Doe said it was conversations with his family and school staff that eventually convinced him to take AP Psychology, taught by Conrad's Barbara Prillaman. 

"The first marking period it was so hard," the 17-year-old said. "Honestly, it was so hard, I almost failed. My mom yelled at me." 

But Doe was also encouraged not to give up, he said. By the end of the course, he had a B. He learned how to take better notes and better manage his time. Though he received a 2 on his AP test — a score of 3, 4 or 5 is typically required for college credit — he signed up for AP Statistics his senior year and is loving it. 

"It's fun," he said. "You just have to study." 

Golder said the district doesn't measure success only by the test scores.

"We believe the skillset you pick up in a high rigor course is the most important thing," he said. “The research on this is strong. We really feel like participating in these type of classes enhances your ability to be successful in your first year of college. There’s a real correlation.”

There are other metrics to look at, too. Because of #FUTUREREADY and other efforts, Red Clay says it has seen its dropout rate dip to less than 1 percent. The district’s graduation rate has risen to about 91 percent, there are fewer out-of-school suspensions and more Red Clay graduates are enrolling in four-year colleges and universities.

In five years, the district has seen: 

• 6 percent growth in college enrollment
• 9 percent growth in college graduation
• 38 percent growth in AP enrollment (pass rate maintained)
• 142 percent increase in dual enrollment course participation
• 275 percent growth in IB enrollment
• Doubled the enrollment of African-American students taking AP classes
• Increased Hispanic participation in AP classes by 33 percent
• Dropout rate decreased to 0.9 percent

There are a few caveats, Golder said. For instance, when #FUTUREREADY first kicked off, Red Clay's IB or International Baccalaureate program was still in its infancy. So the program was due to grow, and the 275 percent growth is based on small starting enrollment.

Red Clay has done more than just get rid of prerequisites for advanced classes, he added. 

At Dickinson High School, a hybrid schedule allows 9th graders more than one chance to take Algebra 1, Golder said. If they don't pass the class in the fall, they can take it in the spring. 

It's helped lower the district's freshman "retention" rate from 44 percent to 15 percent. Students who are retained are essentially held back a grade. By state regulation, high school students must pass a specific number of math, English and social studies courses each year to move forward. 

Other programs, like AVID, have helped make sure first-generation college students succeed, Golder said. 

AVID, Advancement Via Individual Determination, is on its face a study skills class. Dedicated to closing the achievement gap, it seeks to prepare students for college and other post-secondary institutions by teaching them the skills and behaviors needed for academic success. 

That means everything from proper note taking to organizational skills. 

Last year, students in the AVID program at McKean High School earned more than $1 million in scholarships to colleges both in and out of state, Golder bragged. 

“McKean had been one of our real success stories," he said. “We have a lot of things in place to support kids taking these classes for the first time.”

Red Clay has also re-established career pathways at all of its high schools, has introduced more flexible scheduling and has a "college signing day" where students wear gear from whatever university they've been accepted to and more. 

Still, some of the district's schools outpace others in terms of AP enrollment. Dickinson has 49 students enrolled in AP classes this year and A.I duPont High School has 142. 

Conrad has 359, while McKean has 58, according to the Delaware Department of Education. Cab Calloway School of the Arts has 206, Charter School of Wilmington has 370 and Delaware Military Academy has 40. 

The amount of students in dual-enrollment classes is not reported, and each school has a different "theme," though Golder said students could benefit from taking more rigorous classes no matter their trajectory after high school, whether they plan to enter the workforce, go to college or enter the military. 

Prillaman, who teaches the AP Psychology class as well as dual-enrollment sociology, said she's seen students grow as a result of taking more advanced classes. 

"I think the message that any kid can be successful and will be successful is really important," she said. "The overarching idea that anyone can take a course and can get assistance is vital." 

Red Clay Superintendent Merv Daugherty said teachers and staff have embraced #FUTUREREADY despite some pushback in the beginning from teachers who worried students wouldn't be adequately prepared and would fail.

They feared poor grades would reflect negatively on them as educators. 

"The teachers, we sat them down and said: 'Don't worry about your test scores. You just teach.' After the first year, it was really put to bed," Daugherty said. 

Daugherty said so many students are so much more capable than people assume. Sometimes, even students themselves doubt they can succeed.

To get them thinking seriously about their futures, Red Clay takes ninth-grade cap-and-gown photos every year, Daugherty said. 

“We were shocked at the response of the students,” Daugherty said. “They said, ‘No one ever told me I was going to graduate from high school.’”

The photos are displayed in the schools as a reminder of the goal: graduation.

For senior Maddi Tiberi, 17, that's only a few weeks away. 

"My sophomore year, I took all college prep classes," she said, referring to basic subject matter courses taught at Delaware high schools. "I never thought I'd take an AP class because they are so hard and take so much time." 

Luckily, because of another strategic change at Red Clay schools, all students meet with their guidance counselors one-on-one to discuss scheduling. Golder said they are tasked with selling AP and dual-enrollment classes to students they think are ready for them. 

"Our guidance counselors, they sit you down," Tiberi said. "And they'll tell you the truth, tell you if you can handle it." 

School staff told Tiberi she could handle AP U.S. History, she said, so she took it her junior year. This year she's taking dual-enrollment sociology.

Like Doe, she's learned time management and note-taking skills.

"All the teachers, they are there for you," Tiberi said, adding that she felt well-supported in both classes. She plans on joining the Delaware National Guard after graduation, while Doe plans on enrolling in the University of Delaware's Associate in Arts program. 

"I like to think there are no students in our building who think they can't take an advanced placement or dual-enrollment course," said Conrad principal Mark Pruitt. "We've always worked hard to allow access for all students." 

Contact Jessica Bies at (302) 324-2881 or jbies@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @jessicajbies.

Looking for more education news? Visit delawareonline.com/education. Submit story ideas at http://delonline.us/2i2tugB.