Golden Valley High School Principal Sal Frias is seeking a greater emphasis on Advanced Placement programs at the school.
Not that the numbers are low. In fact, Golden Valley had roughly a quarter of its student population take at least one AP course last year, with 67% of those who took AP exams earning passing scores, Frias told the William S. Hart Union High School District governing board at last week’s meeting.
Governing board member Erin Wilson said hearing those numbers was “outstanding,” a word that Frias used multiple times during his presentation to highlight the work being done at Golden Valley.
But Frias, in his 16th year as the leader of Golden Valley, wants more. He has three goals for his teachers regarding AP courses: increase participation, increase the number of tests taken and increase overall performance. He said he’s aware of the challenges that can come with trying to accomplish multiple goals at once, so he’s focused on getting the students in the door first, and then improving scores afterward.
“If you can continue to focus and include more kids who want to challenge themselves, I’m going to take a chance on that,” Frias said. “I’d rather expose AP (courses) to more students than try to look for 90 or 100% pass rate.”
As part of the greater emphasis on AP courses, Golden Valley has been offering the AP Capstone program to students for the past few years. That program, according to the College Board website, has students take two separate yearlong courses, AP seminar and AP research.
“Rather than teaching subject-specific content, these courses develop students’ skills in research, analysis, evidence-based arguments, collaboration, writing, and presenting,” the College Board website reads.
Frias said students who complete those two courses and receive scores of three or higher on each AP test, followed by earning scores of three or higher on four other AP tests, receive AP Capstone designations on their diplomas.
“Many students are doing that and it is blossoming next year,” Frias said. “I think we’re tripling our numbers to 50 (students) that are going to challenge themselves next year, which is outstanding.”
Golden Valley has also been designated as an AP Honor Roll school, which recognizes schools that are delivering results for students while broadening access to advanced coursework.
Frias also mentioned 35 Associated Student Body clubs and community service opportunities that allow students to add chords to their graduation outfits. Perfect attendance awards are also being handed out on a weekly basis to highlight students who are helping to increase the average daily attendance at Golden Valley.
Oluwadara Falodun, the student board member and a senior at Golden Valley, said the encouragement from school staff to attend school and the many events and programs being held make it an easy decision to want to be in class every day.
“There’s so many things that happen at our school, all of our clubs and all of our events that make students feel like Golden Valley’s a home,” Falodun said. “They feel comfortable being there, which is something that not a lot of students just can say.”
Frias credited his assistant principals for fostering the kind of environment at Golden Valley that allows students to create relationships with staff and make everyone feel like part of a family.