AP Courses

Grade 10 (1 Credit/2 Semesters)- AP Seminar is an interdisciplinary course that encourages students to demonstrate critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and academic research skills on topics of the student’s choosing. Developing and practicing these skills will prepare students for academics, careers, and the real world. They will investigate topics in a variety of subject areas, write research-based essays, and design and give presentations both individually and as part of a team. 

Grades 11-12 (1 Credit/2 Semesters)- AP Language and Composition is a writing-intensive course in American Literature and current events, focusing primarily on non-fiction: autobiography, essays, articles, speeches, and so on. The intent of this course is to offer a more rigorous alternative to English 3 Honors, and to prepare students to take the AP Language and Composition test in the spring. Students will become proficient in reading and understanding rhetoric, and writing in the different genres of non-fiction, such as the persuasive essay and the personal narrative. 

Grades 11-12 (1 Credit/2 Semesters)- Advanced Placement Literature and Composition will engage students in the careful reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature. Students will consider structure, style, themes, figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone. The course will include intensive study of representative works from various genres and periods; reading will be both wide and deep. Writing in AP Literature and Composition reinforces reading. It will include attention to developing and organizing ideas in clear, coherent, and persuasive language, a study of the elements of style, and emphasis on precision and correctness. 

World History Overview is a one credit survey course covering the timeframe from the beginning of recorded history to the present day. Students will become aware of the rich heritage and contributions of the world and its interdependence. As students examine the changing political, social and economic institutions in Asia, Africa, Europe, Oceania, and the Americas over time, they will focus on the diversity, the history and the culture of the world’s people. Students will examine the rise and fall of nations and empires as well as the diffusion of ideas, geographical forces of change, intellectual revolutions, and cultural traditions that shaped the modern world.

Advanced Placement U.S. History is intended to be the equivalent of an introductory college-level history course. This course is designed to give the student grounding in the subject matter of U. S. History and an understanding of major interpretive questions that derive from selected themes. It will consist of intensive chronological coverage from 1492 to the present with selected themes from economic, social, intellectual, cultural, diplomatic and political-constitutional history. Near the end of the school year, students have the option of taking the Advanced Placement examination in U. S. History and qualifying for college credit. The reading is college-level, extensive, and designed for students who are highly motivated and who have strong independent skills. Tests are both objective and essay. 

AP African American Studies is designed as an evidence-based introduction to African American studies that prepares students for the intellectual challenge of studying African American historical and cultural influences at the college level. The interdisciplinary course reaches into a variety of fields—literature, the arts and humanities, political science, geography, science—to explore the vital contributions and experiences of African Americans. The course will take students beyond the popular aspects of African American history to highlight the resistance movements and cultural traditions that influence modern history.

The purpose of this course is to prepare students for the Advanced Placement exam in Microeconomics and create a more rigorous option for our economics course. In addition, this course is to provide each student with the necessary tools and skills to understand the operation of the American and global economies. Additionally, it will provide the students with the ability to apply their understanding to real life issues. We all play the role of consumer, worker, investor, taxpayer, and voter. This course will allow the students to make more informed and reasoned judgments about their role in our economy. 

This course is for students wanting a more in depth view of psychology. Through the use of psychological methods, students will explore psychology in learning/intelligence theory, development, mental disorders, group behavior, the biological bases of behavior, sensation and perception, cognition, and memory. Through labs, lectures and presentations this class is structured to provide support and success on the AP Psychology exam. It is strongly recommended that students have taken Human Social Behavior and passed with a "C" or higher prior to taking AP Psychology. Near the end of the school year, students have the option of taking the Advanced Placement examination in Psychology and qualifying for college credit. The reading is college-level, extensive, and designed for students who are highly motivated and who have strong independent skills. Tests are objective and essay. 

AP U.S. Government and Politics provides a college-level, nonpartisan introduction to key political concepts, ideas, institutions, policies, interactions, roles, and behaviors that characterize the constitutional system and political culture of the United States. Students will study U.S. foundational documents, Supreme Court decisions, and other texts and visuals to gain an understanding of the relationships and interactions among political institutions, processes, and behaviors. They will also engage in disciplinary practices that require them to read and interpret data, make comparisons and applications, and develop evidence-based arguments. In addition, they will complete a required political science research or applied civics project. Near the end of the school year, students have the option of taking the Advanced Placement examination and qualifying for college credit. 

This AP level course is for students who have excelled in Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2/Trigonometry. It is meant for students expecting to take AP Calculus AB or AP Calculus BC  as their next math course and intended for students planning to attend a four-year college in a math-related field. 

The course takes aspects of geometry, algebra, and trigonometry and explores how they relate to each other. There is a focus on “why” certain steps are taken to solve problems in order to gain a deeper understanding of math. 

Advanced Placement (AP) courses give students the opportunity to take college level courses while in high school and potentially earn college credit.

Are you planning to continue your education after high school? Are you interested in a career in engineering, business, computers, or other math and science fields? Then taking calculus courses in high school may be for you! 

Calculus is the study of how things change and accumulate. In class we will use many of the concepts you have studied in your algebraic and geometry courses. You will learn how to analyze text, write equations, and interpret analytic, graphical, tabular data. 

Advanced Placement Calculus AB is a one credit course, equivalent to a first semester college calculus course and is usually taken by juniors and seniors after successfully completing AP Precalculus. Students wishing to take AP Calculus AB will enroll in a double period course (meeting two periods each day) and will complete Calculus AB during semester 1 and can also complete AP Calculus BC during semester 2 in one school year!  

Advanced Placement (AP) courses give students the opportunity to take college level courses while in high school and potentially earn college credit. 

Are you planning to continue your education after high school? Are you interested in a career in engineering, business, computers, or other math and science fields? Then taking calculus courses in high school may be for you! 

Calculus is the study of how things change and accumulate. In class we will use many of the concepts you have studied in your algebraic and geometry courses. You will learn how to analyze text, write equations, and interpret analytic, graphical, tabular data. 

Advanced Placement Calculus BC is a one credit course, equivalent to a second semester college calculus course and is usually taken by juniors and seniors after successfully completing AP Calculus AB. Students wishing to take AP Calculus BC will enroll in BOTH double period courses (meeting two periods each day) and will complete both Calculus AB and BC in one school year! 

Advanced Placement (AP) courses give students the opportunity to take college level courses while in high school and potentially earn college credit. 

In today’s world, we have to be educated consumers of data and need to be able to decipher the truth. Too often, people are misled by statistics or reports of studies that may or may not be done correctly. Whether you will be a consumer of data or collecting your own data through  research in your educational journey, AP Statistics can help you be better prepared.  

In AP Statistics, we study how to collect, organize and summarize data, both through surveys as well as experiments. We then learn how probability enables us to make inferences to populations based on the data from the surveys or experiments. 

To be best prepared to understand the concepts and mathematics applied in the course, it is best that students have completed at least Algebra 2/Trigonometry and are either a junior or senior. 

Advanced Placement (AP) courses give students the opportunity to take college level courses while in high school and potentially earn college credit.

AP Computer Science (Grades 10-12: 1 Credit/2 Semesters)This course uses the Java language and is comparable to an introductory programming course offered in colleges and universities. Students will  deepen their understanding of the basic programming structures and techniques. Students who have taken this course have often gone on into  careers in computer related fields, although anyone with an interest in programming is welcome. This course will prepare students to take the  Advanced Placement Computer Science exam. 

AP Computer Science Principles (Grades 10-12: 1 Credit/2 Semesters) In this course students will see how the principles of computer science allow people to change the world. Students will be introduced to the big ideas  of computer science: Creativity, Abstraction, Data, Algorithms, Programming, Internet, and Impact. Students in this course prepare to take the AP  Computer Science Principles exam in May, as well as the ‘Create’ and ‘Explore’ Performance Tasks. This course can count as a third credit of math  toward state and district graduation requirements but is likely to count as Computer Science, not Math, for college admissions purposes. 

Advanced Placement (AP) Language and Culture (Spanish & French): AP Language and Culture classes are equivalent to an intermediate-level college courses in the target language, applying advanced intermediate language in real life and academic situations. 

Advanced Placement (AP) Literature and Culture (Spanish): AP Spanish Literature and Culture is equivalent to a college-level introductory survey course of literature written in Spanish.  You will practice critical reading and analytical writing as you examine short stories, novels, plays, essays and poetry. 

Grades 10-12 (.5 Credits/1 Semester) Course # MUS4095 This AP course studies the basic concepts of theory including scales, note reading, clefs, chord, transposition, 4- part writing, formal analysis, and ear training. Computers are also used to explore the technology side of music theory. 

Grades 11-12 (1 Credit/2 Semesters) This course is designed to expand on students’ basic knowledge of chemistry and prepare students to take the Advanced Placement Chemistry exam for college credit and/or college placement. Credit awarded depends on exam score and college. Students will perform experiments, explain results with mathematical and molecular models and analyze and identify unknown chemicals. Topics covered will include: atomic theory and structure, bonding, oxidation-reduction and electrochemistry, thermodynamics, organic chemistry, kinetics, equilibrium, acid base theory and reaction writing .

Grades 11-12 (1 Credit/2 Semesters) This is a college-level, introductory environmental science course. The course will prepare interested students for the Advanced Placement Exam in Environmental Science, given in May and possibly resulting in college credit. This course will provide students with an understanding of how the natural world works, the interrelationships living things have with each other and with their environment, and how to identify environmental problems. Students will develop their understanding through a variety of laboratory experiences, including an independent research project. The La Follette Arboretum and other nearby natural areas will be used for field study. This course qualifies for the Global Scholars Program. 

Grades 11-12 (1 Credit/2 Semesters) This course is for students who have taken physics or AP Physics 1 who want to learn more physics. Topics include fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, electrostatics, electric circuits, magnetism, optics, and quantum, nuclear and atomic physics. The course prepares students for the Advanced Placement AP Physics 2 exam, possibly resulting in science credit at many colleges/universities. More information is available online from the College Board website. 

Grades 11-12 (1 Credit/2 Semesters) This is a college-level biology course.  Students develop their understanding of biology through inquiry-based investigations as they explore the following topics: evolution, cellular processes - energy and communication, genetics, information transfer, ecology, evolution, and interactions. The course prepares students for the Advanced Placement biology exam, possibly resulting in science credit at many colleges/universities. More information is available online from the College Board website.