More HISD Students are Taking, and Passing, Advanced Placement Exams. Here are Some Signs You Might Be AP-Ready.

Houston ISD’s approach to identifying students with a high likelihood of passing the college-level Advanced Placement (AP) exam has not only placed more students in advanced classrooms, but resulted in a higher percentage of students passing the nationally-recognized exam. 

At Westbury High School, AP test participation has doubled since 2023, while passing scores have tripled. Teachers and students say the growth is about more than enrolling students in a more rigorous course. With the right resources, encouragement, and willingness to ask for help, students can develop the skills and confidence to meet the challenge.

What does it take to be ready for an AP exam? HISD NOW asked Westbury students who earned at least a 3 out of 5 on their most recent AP test to share what they learned—and their advice for students preparing to take one.

• Have your PSAT scores shown AP potential? 
• Want to be future-ready? 
• Want to know-it-all? 
• Ready to ask for help? 

Have your PSAT scores shown AP potential? 

For years, students often had to advocate for themselves to get into advanced coursework. That could mean some students who were capable of succeeding in AP never considered taking the classes in the first place.

Starting in 2023, HISD has sought to change that by using the College Board’s AP Potential tool to identify and enroll students with at least a 60% likelihood of passing an AP exam based on their Preliminary SAT (PSAT) scores, while allowing families to opt out.

This systemic shift has opened doors for students who once counted themselves out, like Giselle Torres. In middle school, Torres never envisioned herself as an AP student. Today, she is a high-achieving senior with several 5s under her belt. The opportunity has transformed her into an independent learner who actively strives to exceed her own expectations. 

"In middle school, I was very much a ‘just enough to pass’ type of person," Torres said. "I think that AP has changed me a lot. I strive to do the best I can in every class. And it's not just about doing enough to get by. It's about doing more so you can succeed."

Trung Tran struggled with math in middle school, scoring among the lowest in his grade level. Motivated by his desire to pursue a career in biological research, he dove headfirst into the challenge of improving his math skills. 

Last spring, he earned a perfect score on his AP Precalculus exam and is now enrolled in AP Calculus as a junior.

“I know that discipline is better than motivation. So, I follow a consistent schedule every single day,” he said, noting his afterschool routine includes attending tutorials, teaching concepts to his friends, and independent practice alongside Quizlet and Youtube. “I’m a more resilient person who wants to persevere through hardship.” 

Want to be future-ready? 

As an aspiring business owner, Jenny Bui wants to build the resilience to keep working when things become difficult. Knowing college will bring her closer to her dreams, she enrolled in AP to prepare for a faster pace of learning and the potentially expensive tuition costs. 

“Whatever goal that you want, there will be challenges,” she said. “If you take the challenge right now, you're going to be prepared.” 

Through her AP English Language score alone, she has the potential to save thousands of dollars in tuition and a semester's worth of class—an important factor as more students nationwide are taking 4.5 to six years to complete a four-year degree.

Compared to her on-level classes, the time between Bui encountering unfamiliar material and being expected to understand it has shortened. She has had to develop stronger study habits, communicate when she has questions, and persist through material she doesn't immediately understand.

Her AP Precalculus teacher, Billy Ames, said that AP  courses give students valuable practice in persisting through challenges, regardless of whether they plan to attend college. Learning not to shy away from challenges can give students the confidence to keep going when they don’t immediately have an answer.

“Just because you don't understand something right away, doesn't mean you're not smart,” Ames said. “You're doing something that's harder, and it takes practice to become good.”

Want to know it all? 

Sevasti Meloni, HISD’s Director of AP/IB Curriculum and Programming, said many students are motivated to take AP courses because they align with specific college and career goals. Like in the case of Tran, who wants to study biology, colleges may require students applying to major in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields to complete AP Calculus by 12th grade, a trajectory that is supported by the district’s push to begin Algebra I in middle school. 

But for other students, the value of AP is in making connections between seemingly different areas of study.

Madison Jones-Austin has been accustomed to challenging herself with advanced courses through the encouragement of her teachers and mother. What motivates her most, however, is the prospect of becoming a stronger creative by studying all subjects at the highest level possible. 

As she takes language and literature AP courses that might align with her future as an author or playwright, she also scored a perfect score in AP Precalculus as a sophomore and is now taking AP Calculus. 

“I just think being smart is really cool,” she said. "My motivation is definitely the hunger to have something to my name, to be able to say that I'm doing something harder than most." 

Similarly, Torres draws on her AP history and cultural studies classes to develop a more well-rounded understanding of human behavior, which she sees as equally important as her STEM education in preparing for a career in clinical research.

“One of the focuses of clinical research is seeing why people are the way they are,” she said. “[AP courses] are a good way for me to learn from my interests and not just do them as a hobby.” 

Are you ready to ask for help? 

To protect her students from becoming overwhelmed by the workloads of multiple advanced courses, AP English Language teacher Melissa White structures her classroom so that most of the learning happens in class. Rather than leaving students to navigate difficult material on their own, they have access to immediate help when they need it. 

Teachers prepare for this challenge long before the school year starts. HISD AP teachers participate in six-to-eight-hour days during the weeklong Rice University AP Summer Institute, giving them the opportunity to learn from AP educators across the country. Some HISD teachers are also hired by the College Board to score AP exams, giving them firsthand insight into what graders look for. Throughout the school year, teachers collaborate with their AP and non-AP colleagues through campus Professional Learning Communities to develop strategies for supporting individual students.

Together, those resources create a network students can turn to when the material gets difficult. Because it is rarely possible to cram a year’s worth of material independently in the week before the AP exam, Westbury students say one of the most important parts of succeeding in an AP course is knowing when to ask for help in real time.

Jones-Austin said she often asks her teachers detailed, step-by-step questions about concepts she hasn't mastered. Their clear explanations and encouragement make her comfortable going back when she needs additional help.

Bui has learned to email her teachers directly when she has a specific question. She also appreciates that her teachers notice when students are struggling during class, even when they don't know exactly what to ask.

Echoing Bui, Tran said he gets teacher help on difficult concepts with a simple philosophy: “Just ask any random question, because no question is stupid.”

White said success in AP isn’t about coming in already knowing everything at a college level. Instead, it’s about creating a space where students feel comfortable challenging themselves, making mistakes, and discovering their potential.

“A lot of students are capable, but they've never seen themselves as that type of student,” White said. “Creating an environment where they feel comfortable testing out those skills, making mistakes and learning from them improves their ability to again think through their opinions.”