SEVA HESTER  Staff writer

Northside Independent School District grows by at least 3,000 to 4,000 students each year. In the last ten years, the district has gained a total of 24,000 students. A headcount statistics report showed the attendance on campus was 3,298. With that in mind, it might seem difficult to maintain the district-wide grade averages.

  However, that’s not the case in this situation as, “Grades are mostly the teacher’s responsibility,” campus registrar Michele Turner said. “The grade report secretary, Mrs. Brown, keeps up with errors, incompletes and inconsistencies. She is basically the guard keeper of the grades.”

  Students aren’t the only numbers rising, “as of this year there was an addition of six brand new staffing positions,” Academic Dean Jennifer Bishop said.

  Enrollment is up throughout the district and some campuses are seeing record numbers. Bishop explained how our educators are working to prepare for increased numbers and provide quality instruction to maintain high academic success.

  “[Teachers] work as a ‘Professional Learning Community’, or PLC,” Bishop said. “[It is] to anticipate where students might struggle and work with that. We encourage kids to attend tutoring, and then a specific group we noticed [that was struggling more] was the ninth graders. That’s why we have Connections; other high schools were doing it too. We wanted our freshmen to have the same successes as the other high school freshmen have.”

  Connections is a program created to help students transition from middle school to high school.  Freshmen with resources to pass classes are more likely to continue to do well throughout high school.

  Students passing classes with A-B range grades are more likely to enroll in advanced placement classes.

  “Last year we did 1,500 AP tests,” Assistant registrar Amy Prichard said.

  Advanced Placement classes help students earn college credit, as long as they score a 3, 4 or 5 on the exam.

  “I think that [taking] AP classes in high school is really beneficial because it allows students to not only prepare for college courses but also lessens the load of college,” sophomore Mia Ramirez said.

  Counselors and teachers “advocate for [students] to take Advanced Placement,” Prichard said.

  But what is the reason to take AP courses?

  “Because college is not free. As for school goes, it helps your GPA and if you pass the AP test, you will earn college credit,” Turner said.

  Students recognize the importance of AP classes as well. Senior Delia Flores is enrolled in multiple AP courses including AP Government and AP Economics and understands the benefit of these courses.

  “AP is important because it gets you ahead. Regular classes just don’t give you the prep you need,” Flores said.

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