Advanced Placement Classes
General Information:
The College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) courses are advanced classes that approximate some of the content of introductory college courses. AP classes offer challenging coursework at a fast pace; the College Board determines much of the content and pacing of each course. AP courses prepare students to take an AP exam in the subject; these exams are given in May and are two- to three-hour tests made up of both multiple choice and free response questions. The exams are scored on a scale of 1 to 5 with 3, 4, and 5 considered passing scores. Students who pass the test may be able to earn college credit for that course, but this is dependent on the particular college and major. AP courses are usually more demanding than regular high school classes, and students who want to take AP classes should be prepared for a much more difficult homework load.
Current AP Course Offerings:
AP Classes in Humanities (AP US History, AP English Literature, AP US Government, and AP English Language & Composition)
Frequently Asked Questions:
How do students enroll for AP classes at Oceana?
Students can refer to the 2023-24 course catalog to find out the prerequisites, criteria and process of each AP course offered at Oceana. Students will choose AP Spanish, AP Calculus and/or AP Chemistry through StudentVUE starting Wednesday Febraury 24th for the 2021-2022 school year. Students who want to sign up for AP in Humanities will fill out this google form.
When can students enroll in the different AP classes?
Students will inform Oceana about their course requests in February each year for the next school year. After students submit their requests, Oceana will follow the criteria and process for each AP course. Enrollment is based on prerequisites and space.
How does AP affect a student's GPA?
Students who earn an A, B or C in their AP course will receive an extra point in their GPA (Grade Point Average) calculation. Every grade earned is assigned a grade point so we can calculate a student's GPA. An A is assigned 4.0, a B is assigned 3.0, and a C is assigned 2.0. A student's grade earned (only A, B or C) in an AP course is assigned an additional point: an A is assigned 5.0, a B is assigned 4.0, and a C is assigned 3.0. This additional point is used to calculate the student's weighted GPA.
Do students get college credit for AP classes?
AP scores could earn students college credit depending on the college's AP Credit Policy. Students are encouraged to reach out to the college they are considering attending to find out their policy on accepting AP scores for college credit. For more information, please review this site.
Do AP classes in Humanities support Senior Exhibition, a graduation requirement for Oceana?
In Humanities 11 students complete the Junior Exhibition project which builds the skills necessary to complete Senior Exhibition successfully in their senior year. In addition, the Humanities 12 curriculum is built around the skills necessary for a successful completion of Senior Exhibition. In contrast, curricula in AP Literature and AP US History are dictated by the AP College Board and do not provide much scaffolding or support for the completion of Oceana's Senior Exhibition Project. Students who take AP Lit/ AP US History instead of Humanities 11 do NOT do a Junior Exhibition and therefore do not receive as much preparation for Senior Exhibition, which ALL students must successfully complete in order to graduate. Although AP Government and AP Language and Composition in the senior year provide some support and time for Senior Exhibition, students in these AP classes are expected to work more independently on their projects.
What is the difference between taking an AP class and taking a concurrent enrollment class at Skyline College?
Concurrent enrollment courses will give students college credit if they pass the course; however, students should check in with the college to see how the college will accept the credits (for example, does taking the course allow the student to not take that course at the 4-year college? Does the university accept college credit but the student will still need to take the subject requirement? Assist.org provides all articulation agreements from community colleges to universities).
Students can potentially earn college credit depending on how well they do on the AP exam and if the college accept the scores for college credit. Students should reach out the university they are considering to learn about their policy.