AP Biology is equivalent to a two-semester college-level biology course designed for students interested in biology majors. Students cultivate their understanding of biology through inquiry-based investigations as they explore the following topics: evolution, cellular processes, energy and communication, genetics, information transfer, ecology, and interactions. This course requires that 25 percent of the instructional time will be spent in hands-on laboratory work, with an emphasis on inquiry-based investigations that provide students with opportunities to apply the science practices. The AP Biology course focuses on deemphasizing a traditional “content coverage” model of instruction in favor of one that focuses on enduring, conceptual understandings and the content that supports them. This approach helps students develop the reasoning skills necessary to engage in the science practices used throughout their study of AP Biology