AP® enables students to pursue college-level studies while still in high school. Through more than 30 courses, each culminating in a rigorous exam, AP provides willing and academically prepared students with the opportunity to earn college credit and/or advanced placement. Taking AP courses also demonstrates to college admission officers that students have sought out the most rigorous coursework available to them.
Each AP course is modeled upon a comparable college course, and college and university faculty play a vital role in ensuring that AP courses align with college-level standards. Talented and dedicated AP teachers help AP students in classrooms around the world develop and apply the content knowledge and skills they will need later in college.
Each AP course concludes with a college-level assessment developed and scored by college and university faculty as well as experienced AP teachers. AP Exams are an essential part of the AP experience, enabling students to demonstrate their mastery of college-level course work. More than 90 percent of four-year colleges and universities in the United States grant students credit, placement, or both on the basis of successful AP Exam scores. Universities in more than 60 countries recognize AP Exam scores in the admission process and/or award credit and placement for qualifying scores. Visit http://www.collegeboard.org/ap/creditpolicy to view AP credit and placement policies at more than 1,000 colleges and universities.
Performing well on an AP Exam means more than just the successful completion of a course; it is a gateway to success in college. Research consistently shows that students who score a 3 or higher on AP Exams typically experience greater academic success in college and have higher graduation rates than otherwise comparable non-AP peers.* Additional AP studies are available at http://www.collegeboard.org/research.
Academic Preparation - You don't need to be top of your class to be an AP student, but you'll want to be prepared for the AP course you choose. Some AP classes have recommended courses you should take first, and all AP courses ask that you come willing to do your best work. To choose an AP course that's right for you, talk to a counselor or teacher about the subjects that interest you and ask about your options for learning the skills to help you succeed.
Motivation - You show your determination when you do the things that matter to you. Think about when you've learned or accomplished something you're really passionate about. You practice until you get it right. You try harder when it's not easy the first time. The effort pays off and you feel a huge sense of accomplishment when you see how much you can do when you try. That is the kind of commitment that is sought out and rewarded in AP classes, and will help you succeed when you move beyond high school.
AP Biology is an introductory college-level biology course. Students cultivate their understanding of biology through inquiry-based investigations as they explore topics like evolution, energetics, information storage and transfer, and system interactions. *counts as graduation requirement
Learn about the fundamental concepts of chemistry including structure and states of matter, intermolecular forces, and reactions. You’ll do hands-on lab investigations and use chemical calculations to solve problems. *counts as graduation requirement
Explore and investigate the interrelationships of the natural world and analyze environmental problems, both natural and human-made. You’ll take part in laboratory investigations and field work. *counts as graduation requirement
AP Physics 1 is an algebra-based, introductory college-level physics course. Students cultivate their understanding of physics through classroom study, in-class activity, and hands-on, inquiry-based laboratory work as they explore concepts like systems, fields, force interactions, change, conservation, and waves. *counts as graduation requirement
The study of calculus includes an extensive use of practical applications from engineering, physical science, business, economics, and the life sciences. There will be strong emphasis on problem solving where there is more than one well-defined procedure for obtaining the answer. Students are expected to take the Advanced Placement Exam in May. *counts as graduation requirement
The study of calculus includes an extensive use of practical applications from engineering, physical science, business, economics, and the life sciences. There will be strong emphasis on problem solving where there is more than one well-defined procedure for obtaining the answer. BC Calculus is an extension of AB Calculus rather than an enhancement. The overlapping topics are covered in similar depth. Students are expected to take the Advanced Placement Exam in May.
AP Statistics involves the study of four main areas: exploratory analysis, planning a study, probability, and statistical inference. These areas of study are intended to give students a deeper understanding of statistical analysis. This course will concentrate on realistic examples and the problems that arise in them. Graphical displays will include boxplots, dotplots, stemplots, histograms, and bar charts. Students will develop the skills needed to effectively communicate statistical methods, results, and interpretations. Each unit covered is reflective of the standards provided by College Board. *counts as graduation requirement
This AP course introduces the student 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 organizations and its environmental consequences. They also learn about the methods and tools geographers use in their science and practice. Enrollment in AP includes the commitment to take the AP exam. *Counts as academic elective not toward core graduation requirements.
This college level course focuses on applying historical thinking skills as students learn world history from 8000 BCE to the present. Emphasizes the political, cultural, economic and social development and growth of civilizations, covers the emergence of nations through trade/communications, intellectual development, scientific/technological development, emergence of nation states, nations in conflict and the emerging interdependence of nations in the first and twenty first centuries. The course content is equivalent to that found in college level freshman and sophomore courses. This course fulfills the graduation requirement for World History. Enrollment in AP includes the commitment to take the AP exam. *Counts as graduation requirement
Conforms to the College Board topics for the AP exam; covers intellectual and cultural history, political and diplomatic history and social and economic history. Enrollment in AP includes the commitment to take the AP exam.
This advanced course includes the College Board topics for the Advanced Placement U. S. History Exam. Students will focus on applying historical thinking skills as they learn about U.S. history from approximately 1491 to the present. The course content is equivalent to that found in freshman and level college courses. It includes discovery and settlement, Colonial Society, American Revolution, Constitution and the New Republic, Age of Jefferson, Nationalism, Sectionalism, Territorial Expansion, Civil War, Reconstruction, Industrialization, Progressive Era, World War I, Depression, New Deal, Word War II, and the Cold War. Enrollment in AP includes the commitment to take the AP exam. *counts as graduation requirement
Conforms to the College Board topics for the AP exam; includes federalism, separation of powers, influences on the formulation and adoption of the Constitution, political beliefs, political parties and elections, interest groups, institutions and policy processes and civil liberties and civil rights. Outside reading, essay writing, and document based questions are a strong focus to understand the content. Enrollment in AP includes the commitment to take the AP exam. *counts as graduation requirement
This advanced course includes College Board topics for the Advanced Placement Macroeconomics exam. The emphasis is on macroeconomics, but the course also includes microeconomic, international, and personal finance components. The course is equivalent to what is offered at a freshman or sophomore level in college. Enrollment in AP includes the commitment to take the AP exam. *counts as graduation requirement
AP Psychology is an introductory college-level psychology course. Students cultivate their understanding of the systematic and scientific study of human behavior and mental processes through inquiry-based investigations as they explore concepts like the biological bases of behavior, sensation and perception, learning and cognition, motivation, developmental psychology, testing and individual differences, treatment of abnormal behavior, and social psychology. *counts as academic elective not graduation requirement
AP Capstone includes AP Seminar and AP research. Please click the link to learn about the whole program.
The course focuses on college level reading and writing intensive course. The course conforms to the College Board recommendations for the AP Language/Composition Exam; emphasizes critical thinking, reading, and writing through the study and discussion of argument, analysis, and synthesis; stresses the connection between reading and writing mature prose. Enrollment in AP includes the commitment to take the AP exam. *counts as graduation requirement
The course focuses on college level reading and writing intensive course. It includes an intensive study of representative works from various literary genres and periods. The focus is on the complexity and thorough analysis of literary works. The students will explore the social and historical values that works reflect and embody. The textual detail and historical context provide the foundation for interpretation: the experience of literature, the interpretation of literature, and the evaluation of literature. Writing to evaluate a literary work involves making and explaining judgments about its artistry and exploring its underlying social and cultural values through analysis, interpretation, and argument (e.g. expository, analytical, and argumentative essays). The writers will develop stylistic maturity: strong vocabulary, sentence variety, and effective use of rhetoric to maintain voice. Enrollment in AP includes the commitment to take the AP exam. *counts as graduation requirement
AP Computer Science Principles is an introductory college-level computing course. Students cultivate their understanding of computer science through working with data, collaborating to solve problems, and developing computer programs as they explore concepts like creativity, abstraction, data and information, algorithms, programming, the internet, and the global impact of computing.
AP Computer Science A is an introductory college-level computer science course. Students cultivate their understanding of coding through analyzing, writing, and testing code as they explore concepts like modularity, variables, and control structures.
*AP CSP and AP CSA can count as foreign language requirements, science, and CTAE credits. See you counselor for details.