Agenda Item
4. Process Update to Increase Carnegie Courses in Middle Schools and Advanced Placement Courses in High Schools ~ Updated 4.28.2026
Summary: Presented by: Dr. Kia Billingsley, Chief Academic Officer, Division of Teaching & Learning,
Champion Michelle Dillard, Chief of Schools, Division of Schools & Leadership
DeKalb County School District
Student Academic Success with Equity
and Access Initiative
Middle School Carnegie Credit Courses
& High School AP Course Equity
Presented to: DeKalb County Board of Education| April 2026 | Dr. Kia Billingsley & Mrs. Michelle Dillard
Executive Summary
Middle School Academic Equity in DeKalb County
MIDDLE SCHOOL CARNEGIE CREDITS
Goal: Carnegie credit courses at ALL middle schools by SY 2026–27
Current Reality: 6 of 21 middle schools offer zero Carnegie credit courses Columbia MS, DeKalb Arts Academy,
Lithonia MS, Miller Grove MS, Stone Mountain MS, Redan MS
Key Actions:
• Standardized course catalog
• Teacher credentialing expansion
• Student pathway mapping
• Virtual & blended learning
DeKalb County School District | Academic Equity Initiative | April 2026
Current State: Middle School Carnegie Credits
Significant access gaps exist across 21 middle schools
6 8 7
Schools offering Schools offering Schools offering
ZERO Carnegie courses 1–3 Carnegie courses 4+ Carnegie courses
Most Commonly Offered Courses The Equity Issue
• Spanish I & II Students' access to Carnegie credit-bearing courses is
determined by their assigned school — not their academic
• Enhanced Grade 8 Math / Algebra readiness or aspirations. This creates inequitable pathways
• Career & Technical Education courses that follow students throughout their academic career.
DeKalb County School District | Academic Equity Initiative | April 2026
Carnegie Credit Courses by Middle School
SY 2025-26 data | red = no courses offered (priority schools)
MIDDLE SCHOOL CARNEGIE CREDIT COURSES OFFERED MIDDLE SCHOOL CARNEGIE CREDIT COURSES OFFERED
Bethune MS (1) Spanish I Salem MS (2) French I • Spanish I
Cedar Grove MS (2) Spanish I • Visual Arts Comp. I
Sequoyah MS (2) Enhanced Algebra CC • HS Physical Science
Enhanced Algebra CC • HS Physical Science • Visual Arts
Chamblee MS (7)
Comp. I • German I • German II • Spanish I • Spanish II Intro to Business Tech. • Enhanced Algebra CC • HS
Stephenson MS (5)
Physical Science • Spanish I • Spanish II
Enhanced Algebra CC • Visual Arts Comp. I •
Champion MS (6) Foundations of Eng. & Tech. • Intro to Business Tech. •
Spanish I • Spanish II Intro to Business Tech. • Foundations of Eng. & Tech. •
Tucker MS (4)
Enhanced Algebra CC • HS Physical Science
Chapel Hill MS (3) Visual Arts Comp. I • Spanish I • Spanish II
Enhanced Algebra CC • Visual Arts Comp. I • French I
Druid Hills MS (5) Wadsworth Magnet (3) Enhanced Algebra CC • Spanish I • Spanish II
French II • Spanish I
Freedom MS (1) Intro to Business Tech. Columbia MS (0) No Carnegie credit courses offered
Enhanced Algebra CC • French I • French II
Henderson MS (5) DeKalb Arts Academy (0) No Carnegie credit courses offered
Spanish I • Spanish II
Intro to Business Tech. • Enhanced Algebra CC •
McNair MS (3) Lithonia MS (0) No Carnegie credit courses offered
Spanish I
Enhanced Algebra CC • HS Physical Science • Visual Arts Miller Grove MS (0) No Carnegie credit courses offered
Comp. I • Foundations of Eng. & Tech. • French I
Peachtree MS (10) Redan MS (0) No Carnegie credit courses offered
French II • Spanish I • Spanish II • SP Native Speakers I
• SP Native Speakers II Stone Mountain MS (0) No Carnegie credit courses offered
DeKalb County School District | Academic Equity Initiative | April 2026
Carnegie Implementation Plan
Six strategic initiatives to ensure universal access beginning SY 2026–27
Standardized Course Catalog
Establish a universal catalog of Carnegie credit courses — math, world languages, and select electives — offered at every traditional
1 middle school in DeKalb County. The catalog sets a non-negotiable baseline while allowing schools flexibility to add courses based on
staffing and community needs. Work to begin in Fall 2026 to determine standardized courses.
Strategic Staffing & Credentialing
Expand the Accelerate 8 teacher certification program to include 6th and 7th grade math and science teachers. Currently 18 ma th and
science teachers are participating and expected to complete credentialing this May 2026.
2 Conduct a full teacher credential audit across all 21 middle schools.
Recruit certified teachers and develop shared-staffing models and PLCs for vertical alignment.
Student Pathway Mapping
Implement a consistent, district-wide multi-measure identification process for grades 6–12.
3 Develop visual academic pathway maps in multiple languages connecting middle school Carnegie credits to high school graduation
requirements and postsecondary opportunities.
HB 1030 calls for the automatic enrollment of students performing at the exceeding level on GMAS into Enhanced/Accelerated math
courses
DeKalb County School District | Academic Equity Initiative | April 2026
Carnegie Implementation Plan
Six strategic initiatives to ensure universal access beginning SY 2026–27
Virtual & Blended Learning/ Innovative Scheduling
Certified FLEX Academy teacher works as a co-teacher with local schoolteacher to offer virtual and blended course models so every middle school —
4 regardless of size or staffing — can offer all Carnegie catalog courses.
Allow time for co-planning so that student receive high quality instruction.
Use ELT to pair Carnegie level math course to extend time on grade level math and high school level math.
Professional Development
Form vertical curriculum teams pairing middle and high school teachers in each Carnegie subject.
5 Create PLC for training and vertical alignment.
Develop common end-of-unit assessments and pacing guides that guarantee consistent rigor across all schools.
Family Engagement & Resources
6 Host Carnegie information nights at all 21 middle schools with multilingual materials (5+ languages). Launch a dedicated district webpage.
DeKalb County School District | Academic Equity Initiative | April 2026
Carnegie Implementation Timeline
Spring 2026 through Fall 2028 rollout schedule
Spring 2026 Summer 2026 Fall 2026 SY 2027–28
• Launch professional • Teacher credential • Build standardize • Full Carnegie credit
development planning audit complete course catalog access at all 21 schools
• FY27 budget planning & • Expand Accelerate 8 • Student pathway • Success metrics
allocation program mapping implemented tracking begins
• Vertical curriculum • Collaborate with HR to • FLEX Academy virtual • Annual equity review
team formation develop a recruitment offerings begin cycle
plan for certified • Common assessments • Continuous
instructors established for MS improvement process
Carnegie courses
• Begin family
engagement sessions
• Conduct course audits
for each middle school
• Conduct PL on
scheduling
DeKalb County School District | Academic Equity Initiative | April 2026
Executive Summary
HS AP Course Academic Equity in DeKalb County
HIGH SCHOOL AP COURSE EQUITY
Goal: Expand the minimum AP courses offerings at every high school to 10 or more
Current Reality: Schools range from 5 to 30+ AP offerings — a stark equity gap
Key Actions:
• Establish an AP access floor
• Phased 3-year expansion plan
• Remove gatekeeping barriers
• Leverage AVID program
DeKalb County School District | Academic Equity Initiative | April 2026
Current State: AP Course Disparities
Inequities in AP access across DeKalb County High Schools
Access vs Opportunity: Understanding the Impact of Opportunity Gaps
Stone Mountain High School: 5 courses | MLK Jr. High School: 6 courses | Columbia High School: 7 courses
College Readiness Gap Demographic Correlation
Students at under-resourced schools graduate with fewer AP AP course disparities often correlate with school demographics
course options, limiting college applications and reducing and historical resource allocation patterns — perpetuating
scholarship opportunities. systemic inequity.
First-Gen Students Disadvantaged Teacher Pipeline Gaps
Relying on self-selection for AP enrollment systematically
AP-certified teacher shortages in priority schools limit course
disadvantages first-generation college-bound students and
expansion. Prioritizing APSI training is uneven across the district.
underrepresented groups.
DeKalb County School District | Academic Equity Initiative | April 2026
AP Courses Offered per High School
SY 2025-26 | Source: GADOE Student Class | All 24 DeKalb County high schools | Access Floor: 10 courses
Floor Access Floor
: 10
1 1 2 (10)
1 1 2 2 3 3
5 5
0 5 0 33 0 5 0 5 0 5
Chamblee McNair 11
Lakeside 27 Tapestry 11
Dunwoody 26 Towers 11
Druid Hills 21 Cross Keys 10
Tucker 21 Redan 10
Clarkston 16 Miller Grove 8
DeKalb
School of Arts 16 Columbia 7
Stephenson 15 ML King Jr 7
DeKalb Early
Arabia
Mountain 13 College 6
Acad.
Stone
Cedar Grove 12 Mountain 5
Fernbank
Southwest
DeKalb 12 Science 2
Center
Elizabeth
Lithonia 11 Andrews 1
Below access Priority
20+ courses 10-19 (meets floor)
Number of AP Courses Offered floor schools Number of AP Courses Offered
DeKalb County School District | Academic Equity Initiative | April 2026
AP Equity: Six High-Leverage Recommendations
Recommendations 1–3 of 6: Access Floor, Expansion & Teacher Capacity
Establish a District AP Access Floor
1 Adopt a formal district policy or regulation establishing 10 or more AP course offerings as the minimum standard at every compre hensive
high school. Designate Stone Mountain (5), MLK Jr. (6), and Columbia (7) as Priority Investment Schools with dedicated AP Expansion Liaisons,
quarterly monitoring, and dedicated support until the access floor is met.
Implement a Phased AP Expansion Strategy
2 Execute a structured three-year plan: Year 1 (SY 2026-27) — add 2–5 AP courses at each Priority Investment School using APSI-trained
teachers, shared staffing, or virtual sections. Year 2 (SY 2027-28) — all three priority schools reach the 10-course access floor. Year 3 (SY
2028-29) — all comprehensive high schools meet the 15-course aspirational standard.
Build AP Teacher Capacity
3 Redirect all available APSI Summer 2026 training slots to priority schools and teachers launching new courses. Review the 3 -year APSI
re-attendance policy to allow flexible access for high-need schools. Launch an AP Mentoring Partnership program and establish formal AP
course PLC for AP teacher development.
DeKalb County School District | Academic Equity Initiative | April 2026
AP Equity: Six High-Leverage Recommendations
Recommendations 4–6 of 6: Enrollment, Accountability & AVID
Remove Gatekeeping Barriers
4 Shift from passive self-selection to a proactive, data-driven enrollment model. Students meeting defined criteria (85%+ in prerequisite,
teacher recommendation, or milestone score) are automatically placed in AP and must actively opt out. Conduct an annual AP enrollment
equity audit disaggregated by race, socioeconomic status, EL status, and disability. Provide automatic AP exam fee waivers for all income-
eligible students.
Align Accountability & Monitoring
5 Require every comprehensive high school to include a specific, measurable AP expansion or equity goal in their Continuous Sch ool
Improvement Plan (CSIP) for SY 2026-27. Launch the District AP Dashboard by Spring 2027 — internally accessible, tracking AP course count
per school, enrollment by subgroup, exam participation rates, and score distributions (% scoring 3+) with year-over-year trends.
Leverage the AVID Program
6 Map every Priority Investment High School to its feeder middle schools and confirm AVID presence at each. Expand AVID electiv e offerings at
feeder schools lacking sufficient capacity. Implement a formal AVID-to-AP transition protocol — students completing 8th grade AVID are
proactively enrolled in AP or Pre-AP in 9th grade. Track AVID alumni AP enrollment annually as a key program effectiveness metric.
DeKalb County School District | Academic Equity Initiative | April 2026
AP Phased Expansion Strategy
Three-year roadmap to close the AP access gap district-wide
Year 1 | SY 2026–27 Years 2–3 | SY 2027–28 & 2028–29
Add 2–5 AP courses at priority schools Achieve minimum standard at ALL schools
• Shared staffing or virtual sections • Meet 10 AP course floor district-wide
• Prioritize STEM: AP Bio, AP Pre-Calc, AP CS • Strengthen 9th–10th grade Pre-AP pipeline
• Humanities anchors: AP Eng Language, AP US History • Grow pool of AP-ready students over time
• Redirect APSI slots to priority schools • Set measurable annual participation targets
• Launch teacher recruitment campaigns • Disaggregate data by school & subgroup
DeKalb County School District | Academic Equity Initiative | April 2026
Success Metrics & Accountability
How we will measure progress for MS Carnegie Expansion initiatives
Carnegie Credit Metrics
• Carnegie course availability: 100% of middle schools offer the Enhanced Math 8/Algebra CC course by Fall 2026; by SY
2027–28 100% of middle schools offer every core catalog course
• Enrollment equity: Year-over-year increase in enrollment by subgroup; demographic representation in Carnegie courses
within 10% of school population by SY 2027–28
• Student success rates: 75% or more of enrolled students earn a C or better per course, disaggregated by subgroup, reported
each semester
• Teacher credentialing: 18 teachers complete Accelerate 8 credentialing by May 2026; expand to 30+ teachers by SY 2027–
28
• Family engagement: Carnegie information nights held at all 21 schools by December 2026; 70%+ family awareness rate on
annual survey
DeKalb County School District | Academic Equity Initiative | April 2026
Success Metrics & Accountability
How we will measure progress for both initiatives
AP Equity Metrics
• AP access floor: All priority schools (Stone Mountain, MLK, Columbia) reach 10 AP
courses by end of SY 2027–28; all comprehensive high schools reach 15 by SY 2028–29
• AP enrollment equity: Year-over-year increase in % of students in at least one AP course;
demographic enrollment within 10% of school population by subgroup by SY 2027–28
• AP exam performance: Increase exam participation rate by 10% annually; 40% or more of
exam takers score a 3 or higher district-wide by SY 2028–29
• Demographic representation: Annual equity audit disaggregated by race, SES, EL status,
and disability; results published on District AP Dashboard by Spring 2027
• AVID pipeline: 100% of priority high schools confirmed AVID presence in all feeder
schools by SY 2027–28; AVID alumni AP enrollment tracked annually
• *AP Scores SY2024-SY2025.xlsx with demographic data
• *2026_APSI_Enrollment_Summary.xlsx
DeKalb County School District | Academic Equity Initiative | April 2026
Our Commitment to Implementation
How DeKalb County School District will turn these plans into results
We will develop a multi-year FY27–FY29 budget plan that prioritizes staffing, APSI training, and AVID
Funding Our Plan: expansion. All expenditures will be cost-neutral where possible through credentialing pipelines and
shared-staffing models.
We will hold Carnegie information nights at all 21 middle schools by December 2026 and share
Engaging Our
course catalog drafts with principals and counselors in June 2026. Parent, student, and teacher
Community: feedback will drive continuous revisions through a structured feedback loop in Fall 2026.
We will partner with HR prior to Fall 2026 to design a recruitment campaign for AP- and Carnegie-
Building Our Teacher certified instructors. Internally, we will build the pipeline through Accelerate 8 (18 teachers
Pipeline: credentialing by May 2026, growing to 30+ by SY 2027–28) and annual APSI registrations managed
proactively by AP Coordinators.
We will collaborate with Accountability & Research to disaggregate Carnegie and AP enrollment data
Data-Driven by school and subgroup by Fall 2026. The District AP Dashboard will launch publicly by Spring 2027,
Accountability: tracking course counts, enrollment equity, exam participation, and score distributions with year-
over-year trends.
Advanced Academics will convene a cross-functional implementation team including HS Area, HR,
Coordinated District
Finance, FLEX Academy, and Teaching & Learning. This team will meet quarterly to review progress,
Leadership: resolve barriers, and report to the Superintendent on benchmark attainment.
DeKalb County School District | Academic Equity Initiative | April 2026