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AP, IB exams
free for GISD
students
Did you know the average
three-credit hour class at a four-year
Texas public university costs
$1,500? Garland ISD offers several
opportunities to start saving
money during high school. In
addition to dual credit classes,
Advanced Placement (AP) and
International Baccalaureate (IB) can
also reduce the number of college
courses needed.
Beginning this spring, the district
will pay for all AP and IB exams. After
evaluating fees from 2014-15, GISD’s
Board of Trustees approved more
than $281,000. Nearly 40 percent
of the 5,956 AP tests taken last year
yielded a 3 or higher, which can be
exchanged for college credit.
Take advantage of free exams
by registering for AP via campus
websites before March 18. Students
who already registered for IB exams
should contact Rebecca Tisdale for
a refund. Several study sessions
are also available. Check with
counselors for details.
Technology giant Google recently selected eight GISD
schools to pilot a new virtual reality experience—the
Expeditions Program. Students visited faraway
destinations, such as the Palace of Versailles, by looking
through a cardboard viewer with a smart phone inside.
Their future started
at four years old
From half-day prekindergarten
classes to a Montessori magnet
program, parents of
four-year-olds have options
in Garland ISD. Cisneros and
Parsons prekindergarten
schools give students a
head start to education with
hands-on learning activities,
field trips, reading instruction,
social interaction, gym class,
cafeteria meals, etc. They also
offer Spanish and Vietnamese
bilingual classes. The district’s new
Montessori campuses, Herfurth and
Luna elementary schools, provide
individual discovery-style learning in
multiage classrooms.
Eligible four-year-olds can attend
GISD schools free of charge, and
new students should enroll at the
Manuel and Maria Valle Student
Services Center. Elementary Choice of
School for 2016-17 opens March 17.
Those interested in Montessori must
pre-enroll at the Student Services
Center by March 13. For families with
older siblings, Secondary Choice
of School is currently underway.
Campus selections should be made
via Skyward Family Access or paper
forms before Feb. 26.
spring 2016