My name is Sue Peters and I'm an assistant superintendent in Weslaco Independent School District, and I oversee secondary curriculum and instruction and leadership.
We have about 24 percent English language learners, 84 percent economically disadvantaged, so 98 percent Hispanic. So you have a high-risk population, but the students are very motivated to do well. We have some groups that need a lot more support than others.
So our English language arts strategist who oversees all the secondary schools in that area really connected with the apex and of course, assessment prep and support, because that's a big challenge for us. English, one English, too. And of course, exams of the English teachers love the product very well aligned to the end, of course, assessments, which is big for teachers that are in those content areas. The students engaged with it and we're doing well because it targets exactly what that student needs. You could have a group of students working on the Chromebook on Apex, very individualized for what they needed while the teacher was working with another group on something else.
So as we start to hear success stories from students and we share those with others that we're trying to get engaged in, that the last year we had a jump in our EOC scores. We had the most significant increase that we had had in the past five years.
And then we have an alternative high school where they have a hundred percent graduation rate. And she's using Apex in her English language arts. And all of our content people are using Apex.
Seeing those students when they walk across the stage in their families and oftentimes their children cheering for them. You know, it is just richly rewarding.