The Austin Independent School District board on Jan. 16 accepted a monitoring report on the districtscorecard measure that tracks college-credit eligibility for 11th- and 12th-grade students.

The report, presented by Superintendent Matias Segura and staff, said the district is seeing higher enrollment in college-credit courses — 64% of 11th and 12th graders were enrolled in a college-credit class in fall 2024 — and that early indicators show 39% of those students have already met the goal this year. But presenters cautioned the data are incomplete in places and that completion, not just enrollment, is the metric the district must raise.

The monitoring item, Goal Progress Measure 3.2, aims to increase the percentage of 11th and 12th graders who are eligible for college credit (by dual credit, OnRamps, AP or IB exam scores, or industry certificates) from 48.2% in 2024 to 53.8% by June 2029. Superintendent Segura told trustees the measure focuses on students who are "eligible," which is a narrower, more rigorous target than prior metrics because eligibility can depend on additional steps, such as TSI completion or colleges accepting transcripts.

Why it matters: Board members said the metric matters because eligible students are more likely to graduate and enter postsecondary education with reduced cost and time. The district tied the monitoring measure to multiple initiatives, including middle-school programming and a postsecondary-success initiative, and emphasized a recent investment in a real-time data platform the board approved last year.

Key findings and staff explanations
- Enrollment rise: Ashley Binnicker, executive director of secondary outcomes, said district data show 64% of 11th and 12th graders were enrolled in college-credit-bearing courses in fall 2024, a 2-percentage-point increase over 2023-24. She cautioned that some completion data (for example ACC dual-credit fall results and spring AP/IB results) arrive only at the end of the academic year.
- Completion vs. enrollment: Dr. Elizabeth Severance, director of advanced academics, and Dr. Angel Wilson, assistant superintendent of secondary schools, emphasized that completion (students earning college credit or passing AP/IB/OnRamps) is the stronger predictor for long-term outcomes. The district is shifting monitoring to prioritize completion rather than mere enrollment.
- Gaps for specific student groups: Presenters flagged that students identified as Black/African American, emergent bilingual, and students receiving special education have the lowest completion percentages this year, though each of those groups showed enrollment gains compared with last year. For instance, emergent bilingual enrollment rose and special education enrollment rose, but special education students still had lower completion rates (6.7% holding prior college credit; 21.5% currently enrolled).
- Root causes discussed: Dr. Severance and others named several barriers: teacher certification shortages for dual credit and CTE offerings, variability in instructor training across AP/OnRamps/dual-credit pathways, the need for clearer standardized course sequences so families can plan, and language or accessibility barriers for emergent bilingual and special education students.

Campus outliers and models for scaling
- Crockett Early College High School: high rates of college-credit enrollment (62%–64%) and less variation between student groups. Staff credited AVID implementation, AVID site-team work, and proximity to ACC.
- Navarro Early College High School: another high performer; staff noted strong dual-language programming, high AP Spanish participation, and campus efforts to certify high school teachers to teach dual credit.
- Northeast Early College High School: increased use of OnRamps, expanded AP offerings (AP Precalculus), and a consistent ECHS team were cited as drivers of improved access.

Board questions and staff responses
Trustees pressed staff on the balance between enrolling more students and ensuring those students persist to earn credit. Dr. Severance said the district is moving to supports (TSI preparation, more aligned counseling, targeted professional learning for instructors) to reduce the risk that students enter advanced coursework without the executive-function or academic supports they need.

Trustees also asked about AVID implementation consistency. Staff said Crockett and other high-performing campuses have embedded AVID beyond electives into school-wide practice and that district AVID coaching and membership in AVID Center are part of the plan to expand implementation fidelity.

What the board decided
Trustees voted to accept the monitoring report. The motion was made by Secretary Lynn Boswell and seconded by a trustee; board minutes record the vote as passing unanimously by those on the dais.

What to watch next
Administration said the district will refine on-track/off-track parameters for scorecard goals later in the school year, expand supports for instructors (including ACC/college partnerships), implement a districtwide universal drop form to track students withdrawing from college-credit pathways, and continue real-time data monitoring so principals can act on enrollment and completion data earlier in the school year.

Speakers quoted in this article are drawn from the meeting transcript and include Superintendent Matias Segura, Dr. Angel Wilson (assistant superintendent, secondary schools), Ashley Binnicker (executive director, secondary outcomes), and Dr. Elizabeth Severance (director of advanced academics).