Advanced Placement Courses in Social Studies
What is Advanced Placement?
Advanced placement courses are college-level courses taught within the high school classroom for the most motivated and advanced students. These courses are substantially more rigorous than Honors courses and require a heavy work load from the students. The curriculum for any AP course is based on the national College Board Curriculum. These courses are designed around the national AP tests that are administered each May. Passing scores on these tests can earn a student college credit while they are still in high school. Further details about the nature of AP courses can be found on the College Board website at apcentral.collegeboard.com.
How Does My Child Get Into Advanced Placement Courses?
Students who are successful in honors level Social Studies classes will be recommended by their teachers for the AP courses. It is not in the best interest of a student in an academic level class to move directly into an AP class, as the skills, pacing, reading, writing, and workload of the honors classes prepare students for the AP classes in ways the academic classes do no. The first opportunity for an AP Social Studies class comes in 10th grade with AP Microeconomics or AP Psychology, so interested and successful 9th graders can discuss their interest with their 9th grade teacher.
Should My Child Take Advanced Placement Courses?
A student desiring to take AP Social Studies classes should:
Have strong reading comprehension of college-level text and high-level primary source documents
Have excellent writing skills
Be detail-oriented and highly self-motivated with a strong work ethic
Be able to work effectively in a group and participate actively in class.
Be an independent learner.
Be able to formulate ideas quickly for timed testing and writing