Advanced Placement (AP) is a program created by the CollegeBoard which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. Colleges and universities may grant placement and course credit to students who obtain high scores on the examinations. AP Courses may be taken either independently or at a high school. Colleges' specific guidelines on accepting AP scores for credit and placement can be found at AP Credit Policy database.
The process:
A student does not need to be dual enrolled to be able to take AP exams at Ames High School (keep in mind that dual enrollment IS required to take the course at the high school). If there is an AP course that a student desires to take that is not proctored at Ames High School, then CollegeBoard will notify the student of the nearest high school which administers the exam. By mid- March, when registration is open, the high school needs to be notified that you wish to take the exam at their high school.
The Exam:
All AP Exams are administered in the first two weeks of May.
Deciding which AP Exams to take:
Please note that many colleges want students to take their courses and will not honor AP courses if the subject is highly related to their major. For instance, a student pursuing a Physics degree may find that the college requires them to take the Physics course offered at the college or university and may grant credit for their AP Physics qualifying score, but may not substitute for a qualifying Physics course.
Find out more about credit policies at various universities here.
NOTE: If there is an AP EXAM you would like to sit for which AHS does not offer, the exam can be ordered for you so long as you are an AMES HSAP student.
Students who cancel an exam or exams after we have made our initial order would still have to pay a $40 cancellation fee per exam unless it was for one of the accepted reasons. Please see the accepted reasons posted on College Board below:
Academic contest/event
Athletic contest/event
Conflict with IB or Cambridge exam
Conflict with nationally, province, or state-mandated test
Disabilities accommodations issues
Emergency: bomb scare or fire alarm
Emergency: serious injury, illness, or family tragedy
High school graduation
Language lab scheduling conflict
Religious holiday/observance
School closing: election, a national holiday, or natural disaster
Strike/labor conflict
Student court appearance
Two AP Exams on the same date at the same time