English teacher Francesca Gunther and math teacher Gonçalo Fino De Sousa helped students raise overall AP test scores this past spring with constant practice throughout the school year.
“Practice, repetition, is one of the easiest ways to be successful in a standardized test,” said Sousa, who teaches AP Calculus AB and BC.
In previous years, test scores at Daniel Pearl Magnet High School have fluctuated. The scores for the 2023-2024 school year increased compared to 2022-2023 rates. In 2023, students took 90 AP tests, with only 35 of the tests achieving scores of three or higher. In 2024, students took 113 tests, but this time students scored a three or higher in 75 tests which is a 66% pass rate. The past rate is close to the national average of 69%.
“Behind those scores were more than just learning the materials,” said senior Gracie Huaman, who took the AP tests for Calculus AB, United States History and English Literature and Composition. “Sousa helped us study to beat the test (by) identifying common phrases to link to certain operations and timing ourselves (when) taking practice exams.”
In 2023, six students who took AP Calculus AB through the online program Edgenuity got a score of one on the exam. In 2024, with a full time teacher in the classroom, five students took the exam and four of them received a passing score, of those four, three of them got a score of five. While 80% of the DPMHS students who took the exam passed, the national average passing score is 64%.
When 26 students took the AP English Language and Composition exam in 2023, eight of them scored a three or higher while one person received a five. In 2024, only 19 students took the test, but this time nine of them got a score of three or higher.
“I like how she (Gunther) helped us really hammer the format down for the test,” said senior Leeron Nakash, who took AP tests for United States History and Literature and Composition.
Of the 15 students who took the AP English Literature and Composition test in 2023, only 10 students passed with a three or higher and no one scored a five. In 2024, more than double the number of students took the exam. Out of the 31 students, 24 students received a three or higher with one student achieving a five.
“I first helped my students to understand the formula by using sentence frames and slowly took that away for them to grow without it,” Gunther said.
AP Spanish Language and Culture is a course offered only online, with Spanish teacher Glenda Hurtado offering tutoring to prepare students for the exam. For 2023, only two students took the exam and both students had a passing score of five. For the 2024 school year, seven students took the exam and six of them passed. Five of the students received a score of five.
“If it wasn’t for her (Hurtado’s) help, I don’t think I would’ve done as well,” said senior Allison Gonzalez, who took AP tests for Spanish Language and Culture, United States History and English Literature and Composition.
AP United States Government and Politics, has had fluctuating AP test scores. During 2023, a total of 19 students took the exam, yet only three had a passing score of three or higher. In 2024, 10 out of the 13 students who took the test had a passing score of three or higher, a significant increase from the previous year.
“Using weekly quizzes, I helped the students learn the content,” said Brenda Helfing, who teaches the AP United States Government and Politics, United States History, World History and African American Studies.
For AP United States History, only 12 students took the exam during the 2023 school year. Only eight students passed with a three or higher with one student scoring a five. However in 2024, with a jump to 18 students taking the exam, 14 of the students were able to achieve a score of three or higher.
Test scores have fluctuated for the AP World History: Modern test. In 2023, the class was offered only through Edgenuity and with a teacher in the room, 10 students took the exam with five students passing with a three or higher. In 2024, the class was still taken online, but this time with a substitute teacher in the room. This time, 12 students took the exam, but only two passed with a three or higher.
“Being able to review the information multiple times, I think that’s what really helped,” Helfing said.
In the newest AP class African American Studies, there were a total of eight students who took the exam. Out of these eight students, seven of them achieved a passing score of three or higher, with three receiving a five. Being its first year offered, DPMHS’ pass rate was 88%, which is higher than the national average of 73%.
“It’s interesting to learn about these complex empires, but I hope to do great on my AP test as I learn more about what African Americans have done for our society,” said senior Axel Aleman, who took the AP test for AP English Literature and Composition and is currently taking AP African American Studies.
