AP Courses

INTERDISCIPLINARY

Advanced Placement Seminar- The Capstone Program              

11th 

In AP Seminar, students investigate real-world issues from multiple perspectives, gathering and analyzing information from various sources in order to develop credible and valid evidence-based arguments. AP Seminar is a foundational course that engages students in cross-curricular conversations that explore the complexities of academic and real-world topics and issues by analyzing divergent

perspectives. Using an inquiry framework, students practice reading and analyzing articles, research studies, and foundational, literary, and philosophical texts; listening to and viewing speeches, broadcasts, and personal accounts; and experiencing artistic works and performances. Students learn to synthesize information from multiple sources, develop their own perspectives in research-based written essays, and design and deliver oral and visual presentations, both individually and as part of a team. Ultimately, the course aims to equip students with the power to analyze and evaluate information with accuracy and precision in order to craft and communicate evidence-based arguments.

This is a two-year AP commitment, as students enrolled in Seminar will automatically be enrolled in AP Capstone as seniors.

Advanced Placement Research- The Capstone Program

12th

In AP Research, students cultivate the skills and discipline necessary to conduct independent research in order to produce and defend a scholarly academic thesis. AP Research allows students to deeply explore an academic topic, problem, or issue of individual interest. Through this exploration, students design, plan, and conduct a yearlong mentored, research-based investigation to address a research question. Students further their skills acquired in the AP Seminar course by understanding research methods; employing ethical research practices; and accessing, analyzing, and synthesizing information as they address a research question. The course culminates in an academic thesis paper of approximately 5,000 words and a presentation, performance, or exhibition with an oral defense. In order to take this class, students must be enrolled in AP Seminar during the junior year.

ENGLISH

Advanced Placement English Language & Composition        

12th

An AP English Language and Composition course cultivates the reading and writing skills that students need for college success and for intellectually responsible civic engagement. The course guides students in becoming curious, critical, and responsive readers of diverse texts and becoming flexible, reflective writers of texts addressed to diverse audiences for diverse purposes. The reading and writing students do in the course should deepen and expand their understanding of how written language functions rhetorically: to communicate writers’ intentions and elicit readers’ responses in particular situations (College Board). We practice 3 modes of writing; rhetorical analysis, synthesis, and argument, and study multiple choice questions in preparation for the May exam. 

Advanced Placement English Literature & Composition

11th & 12th

The AP English Literature and Composition course engages students in the careful reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature. Through the close reading of selected texts, students will deepen their understanding of the ways writers use language to provide both meaning and pleasure for their readers. As they read, students consider a works' structure, style, and themes, as well as such smaller-scale elements as the use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism and tone.  This course follows the guidelines in the AP English Course Description, and is graded using the AP Scoring Guides for all three modes of writing (Prose, Poetry, and Literary Argument). Students are expected to take the AP Exam in May. Please note that this class frequently assesses student writing using “cold” prompts under timed conditions. 

FINE ARTS

Advanced Placement Studio Art:  Drawing                    

11th - 12th

This is a very independent course for advanced student artist that have taken both Art 1 and Drawing & Painting or have teacher permission.  Students will be encouraged to continue developing their own artistic voice while demonstrating their drawing/painting skills as they investigate their own creative idea(s) through a series of artworks. The students will engage in a sustained investigation of their choice that explores ideas, processes, and materials. By the end of the course, students will have developed a body of work (portfolio) that will be submitted digitally as well as physically to the AP College Board for potential college credit.

Advanced Placement 2D:  Digital

11th - 12th

In this course, artists will be developing their artistic voice while at the same time showing their versatility in digital imaging as they expand on different themes during the creation of 24 original artworks. The artists will engage in a year-long investigation of all three aspects of the AP studio portfolio: Quality, Concentration, and Breadth. The artists will explore how they can articulate different themes and emotions with a versatile approach to digital techniques and design. Artists will also be responsible for examining, investigating, and critiquing works of art.  In semester two, artists will focus on the Concentration and Quality aspects of their portfolios by picking an area or theme to focus on and explore in depth. The class culminates in a final presentation of the AP portfolio to be submitted to the College Board.

MATH

Advanced Placement Statistics

11th & 12th

The AP statistics course is to introduce students to the major concepts and tools for collecting, analyzing, and drawing conclusions from data. Major content topics are divided into four themes: exploratory analysis, planning and conducting a study, probability, and statistical inference. Important components of the course should include the use of technology, projects and laboratories, cooperative group problem-solving, and writing, as a part of concept-oriented instruction and assessment. This will allow students to build interdisciplinary connections with other subjects and with their world outside school.

Prerequisite:  Grade of C or better in Math III or Advanced Algebra

Advanced Placement Calculus                      

11th & 12th

AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC focus on students’ understanding of calculus concepts and provide experience with methods and applications. Through the use of big ideas of calculus (e.g., modeling change, approximation and limits, and analysis of functions), each course becomes a cohesive whole, rather than a collection of unrelated topics. Both courses require students to use definitions and theorems to build arguments and justify conclusions. The courses feature a multi representational approach to calculus, with concepts, results, and problems expressed graphically, numerically, analytically, and verbally. Exploring connections among these representations builds understanding of how calculus applies limits to develop important ideas, definitions, formulas, and theorems. A sustained emphasis on clear communication of methods, reasoning, justifications, and conclusions is essential. Teachers and students should regularly use technology to reinforce relationships among functions, to confirm written work, to implement experimentation, and to assist in interpreting results.

Prerequisites: College Board Prerequisite(s): Students should have completed the equivalent of four years of secondary mathematics designed for college-bound students. CPS Recommendation(s): Algebra, Algebra II and Trigonometry, Geometry, Pre-Calculus if student passed Algebra in 8th grade OR MATH III 

Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles

11th & 12th

AP Computer Science Principles introduces students to the breadth of the field of computer science. In this course, students will learn to design and evaluate solutions and to apply computer science to solve problems through the development of algorithms and programs. They will incorporate abstraction into programs and use data to discover new knowledge. Students will also explain how computing innovations and computing systems, including the Internet, work, explore their potential impacts, and contribute to a computing culture that is collaborative and ethical. 

SCIENCE

Advanced Placement Biology                        

11th & 12th

AP Biology is the equivalent to an introductory college level course that would be taken by a freshman Biology major. The course will be focused around evolution as a process that drives biological diversity, the utilization of free energy and molecular building blocks in biological systems, the retrieval, transmission, and response to information that is essential to life's processes, and the interactions within and among living things. Students will utilize science practices and mathematical models to develop an understanding of these concepts and will connect them to social and ethical concerns of today's world.

Advanced Placement Chemistry                       

11th & 12th

In AP Chemistry, students will learn about the fundamental concepts of chemistry such as structure and states of matter, intermolecular forces, reactions, and how to use chemical calculations to solve problems. Students will engage in hands-on laboratory investigations to learn chemical concepts through direct experience and observations. The course is designed to be the equivalent to a general chemistry course taken by a freshman science major.

Advanced Placement  Physics C:  Mechanics             

12th  

AP Physics C is a calculus based mechanics course that will focus on such topics as equilibrium, kinematics, dynamics, energy and work, momentum, and rotation. This course approximates a first-semester university-level college physics course for science and engineering majors. Students will use science practices while completing 14 major labs and smaller weekly activities and will use calculus and advanced algebra to define and explain principles of mechanics. This course is designed to help prepare students for the AP exam in May and university physics courses.

Advanced Placement Environmental Science     

10th - 12th

The goal of this course is to provide students with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, to identify and analyze environmental problems both natural and human-made, and to evaluate the risks associated with these problems and examine alternative solutions for resolving and/or preventing them. Environmental science is interdisciplinary; it embraces a wide variety of topics from different areas of study. Yet, there are several major unifying constructs or themes that cut across the many topics included in the study of environmental science. This course is designed to help prepare students for the AP exam in May and for a university Environmental Science course.

SOCIAL SCIENCES

Advanced Placement Microeconomics           

11th & 12th

Economics is the study of how individuals and societies produce, distribute, and consume goods and services. Sound boring? Maybe, but probably not when you realize that this means that economists study poverty, wealth, inequality, environmental protection, immigration, taxes, investment, laws and regulations, banking, housing, food stamps, business decisions, unemployment, human capital, the health of entire national economies --- virtually anything that has material value and that impacts our lives. In other words, economics is the study of who gets what and why. How people make such decisions is just as important as the decisions themselves. Economics is a systematic way of thinking about the costs and benefits of everyday choices --- both yours and our society’s. Thus, economics is also a social science that seeks to explain human behavior. This makes it a cousin to psychology, sociology, anthropology, and political science. The course is available to juniors or seniors as an elective; juniors in the CTC Business Academy are required to take it.

Advanced Placement Human Geography                       

9th 

The purpose of the AP Human Geography is to introduce students to the systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding, use, and alteration of Earth’s surface. Students employ spatial concepts and landscape analysis to examine human social organization and its environmental consequences. Students also learn about the methods and tools geographers use in their science and practice. Throughout the course students will ask the fundamental question that geographers are concerned with:  where and why? They will use and think about maps and spatial data. Students will be able to define regions and evaluate the regionalization process and characterize and analyze the changing interconnections among places. In addition to addressing College Readiness Standards for reading this course is designed to help students meet and exceed the Common Core Standards and prepare students for the AP exam in May.

Advanced Placement World History                                            

10th

This class offers a true global approach to understanding the history of our world, beginning around 8,000 BCE and ending at the end of the 20th century. While it is impossible to learn about everything that happened in these 10,000 years, it is possible to study continuity and change over time, make comparisons between cultures, and study some general themes that can help us understand the forces that have shaped our world today. In order to analyze these common threads and subsequent changes over time, we will utilize both a thematic and chronological approach throughout the class. The course emphasizes historical thinking skills such as comparing and contrasting, analyzing cause and effect, and analyzing change.

Advanced Placement US History                                    

11th

The purpose of this course is to engage students in a comprehensive study of American History, examining the complexities and the controversies inherent in historical analysis. The themes that will be included in the course are: American Identity and Diversity, Development of Political Institutions, Citizenship, the Role of Religion, Social Reform, Pop Culture, War and Policy and Global America. The course will challenge students to think of history in a multidisciplinary context, noting the connection of history of literature, popular culture, music, and art. The course is meant as an equivalent college-level American history survey course and the goal is to will effectively prepare students to take the AP test in May. This course is primarily open to juniors who meet required specifications.

Advanced Placement Psychology                                   

12th

The AP Psychology course is designed to introduce students to the systematic and scientific study of behavior and mental processes of humans and animals. Students are exposed to the psychological facts, principles, and phenomena associated with each of the major subfields within psychology. They also learn about the ethics and methods psychologists use in their research and practice. Students will be able to understand human development and the connections between biology and behavior. This course addresses the College Readiness Standards for reading and prepares students for the AP exam in May. This course

is currently available to juniors and seniors who meet required specifications.

Advanced Placement US Government  & Politics                            

11th & 12th 

This course gives the student an analytical perspective on government and politics in the United States. This course includes both the study of general concepts used to interpret U.S. politics and the analysis of specific examples. It also requires familiarity with the various institutions, groups, beliefs and ideas that constitute U.S. politics. This class helps to prepare the student for the American government and politics AP exam.

Advanced Placement African-American Studies

12th

This is a multidisciplinary course that examines the breadth of African American experiences through direct encounters with rich and varied sources, drawing from the fields of literature, the arts and humanities, political science, geography, science, and more. In course, students will learn about how African Americans shaped America, its history, laws, institutions, culture and arts, and even the current practice of American democracy  Students will develop their argumentation skills by using a line of reasoning to connect claims and evidence. Students will also evaluate written, data, and visual sources (including historical documents, literary texts, music lyrics, tables, charts graphs, maps, works of art, and material culture).

WORLD LANGUAGE

Advanced Placement Spanish Language         

11th  & 12th

This AP course is designed to provide students with a learning experience equivalent to that of a third-year college course. It is intended for students who wish to develop proficiency and integrate their language skills, using authentic materials and sources. This course will help prepare students to demonstrate their level of Spanish proficiency across three communicative modes: Interpersonal (interactive communication), Interpretive (receptive communication), and Presentational (productive communication), and the five goal areas outlined in the Standards for Foreign Language Learning (Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities). Students enrolled in this course will take the AP Spanish Language Exam during the Spring semester in May.

Advanced Placement Spanish Literature            

11th & 12th

This AP course is designed to provide students with a learning experience equivalent to that of a third-year college course in Peninsular and Latin American literature. The course is designed to introduce students to the formal study of a representative body of Peninsular and Latin American literary texts. Students enrolled in this course will take the AP Spanish Literature Exam during the Spring semester in May.

Advanced Placement Chinese Language

10th - 12th

AP Chinese aims at consistent development of knowledge and proficiency of and about Chinese Language and culture. The learning activities reinforce student-centered learning and cooperative learning, the use of information technology, and encourage creative learning and thinking. In addition to other texts, authentic materials and student-made texts are used. Audio and visual materials are also used inside the classroom and are encouraged to be used at home. Eligible students must have successfully completed at least 3 years of school Chinese courses and must acquire the recommendation of the instructor. This course is intended to prepare students for the AP exam.

Advanced Placement French Language

12th

In AP French, students will continue to develop their understanding of French language and culture by practicing reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. Students will explore concepts related to family and community, personal and public identity, beauty and aesthetics, science and technology, contemporary life, and global challenges.