View the KMHS APUSH Syllabus HERE

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I am so pleased that your child has enrolled in Advanced Placement United States History for this school year and I wanted to give you some idea of what to expect as the year unfolds. This course attempts to develop higher level critical thinking skills by emphasizing analysis and evaluation. As a parent, you may need to take into account the fact that AP courses differ from traditional honors courses in the following ways:

• • • A major percentage of each grade will be based on multi-chapter tests and formal timed writing assignments.

    • Tests will cover a significantly larger body of information (generally 4-6 chapters) than students may be accustomed to digesting at one time.

    • Homework, every night, will consist primarily of textbook reading and completing a reading guide. Work will be assigned over the weekends, amounting to no more than one hour. (PLEASE SEE MY NOTE BELOW ABOUT HOMEWORK AS WELL.)

    • Homework will not always be graded but is critical to student success.

    • Students are provided with a reading calendar at the beginning of the unit of study. This will outline expectations and due dates. This is posted to their Google Classroom.

    • There are very few “simple” assignments where the student can improve his or her grade merely by completing the work.

    • Just as in college, the responsibility for mastering the material rests primarily with the student.

ALL students enrolled in AP US History will take the national exam on May 6, 2021. This is a three-hour exam, consisting of a 55 minute multiple choice section; a one-hour document-based essay requiring students to answer a question using a series of relevant primary sources; and a one-hour section consisting of a shorter essay. As you can imagine, this test is quite an experience! The tests are then scored by readers for the College Board in June with final scores being mailed in early July. Scores range from 1 to 5, with 3 or better considered “passing.” Students who score a 3 or better on the AP exam are able to receive college credit for their AP work. Check with your child's college of choice to determine exactly how much credit they will receive, generally anywhere between 3-6 hours of social science credit.

Because students are potentially earning college credit for their work, AP U.S. history is designed to be taught at the college level and many students find the pace and workload demanding and sometimes frustrating at first. Please keep this in mind as you establish expectations for your child’s performance. The objectives of this course include improving your child’s ability to analyze and evaluate the relative significance of historical data and to express those ideas in well-written essays. These are no small tasks for a high school student. Please continue to have high expectations for your child, while being supportive and understanding of the fact that he or she is being asked to perform at a higher level than traditional high school students, and that there may be an adjustment period to this rigor.

I ask students to be their own advocate in this course. Self-advocacy is a skill that will be essential in college since parents are not able to call or email college professors to inquire about problems or grades. They will only develop this skill with practice. While I will happily talk, email, or meet with parents personally, I do prefer to hear about any questions or concerns from a student directly first. If they are embarrassed, want clarification, or want to confirm something, or want to share something of a confidential nature, I am happy to speak with you.

Sincerely,

Ms. Laura Robinson