AP Information

Advanced Placement, a program sponsored by the College Board, gives high school students the opportunity to take college-level courses in high school. Based on scores of AP Exams, given in May of each year, students may earn college credit, advanced placement in college, or both. 

AP tests are scored on a 1-5 scale: 

5 = extremely well qualified 

4 = well qualified 

3 = qualified 

2 = possibly qualified 

1 = no recommendation 

Although each college determines its own policy for awarding AP credit, most colleges give advanced placement for scores of 3 or better and most also give credit for scores of 4 or 5. 

Please note: All students who enroll in AP courses may be required to: 1) do all summer work associated with a course, 2) acknowledge, along with a parent or guardian, they have made an informed decision regarding enrollment in AP course(s), and 3) understand that the expectation is that if a student commits to AP, they will not be able to drop the class outside of the drop guidelines.

Explanation and Benefit of AP Courses 

AP is a program in which students can pick and choose which rigorous courses they would like to take. Students do not have to take a certain number of AP courses while at Cooper nor do they need to have had experience in high-level courses at the middle school level. All students considering applying to college after their high school careers should strongly consider taking at least one AP course because research indicates that students who do so have significantly more success in college and have higher rates both in graduating from college and graduating from college in four years. Students may opt to take as many or as few AP classes as they would like to throughout their high school career.

Recognition by College Board for participation in Advanced Placement (AP)courses 

Students may earn recognition from the College Board for their participation in AP courses and exams in many ways: 

AP Scholar—Score of 3 or higher on 3 or more AP Exams 

AP Scholar with Honor - Score of 3 or higher on 4 or more AP Exams with the average score for all AP Exams 

at 3.25 or higher 

AP Scholar with Distinction—Score of 3 or higher on 5 or more AP Exams with the average score for all 

AP Exams at 3.5 or higher 

AP Capstone Diploma Program 

This program signifies outstanding academic achievement and attainment of college-level academic and research skills. It is a rigorous research-based program that develops critical thinking skills, such as understanding multiple perspectives, researching a hypothesis and synthesizing an argument, and working with others to prepare and present information. Students may earn the AP Capstone Diploma or the AP Seminar and Research Certificate by completing the following requirements: 

AP Capstone Diploma: 

-AP Seminar I & II (2 credits) (with score of 3 or higher) 

• Team Project and Presentation 

• Research-Based Essay & Presentation 

• End-of-Course Exam 

-AP Research I & II (2 credits) (with score of 3 or higher) 

• Research Process Documentation 

• Academic Thesis Paper (20+ pages) 

• Presentation & Oral Defense of Thesis to Academic Panel 

- 4 Additional AP Courses & Exams of Student's choice throughout high school career (with scores of 3 or higher) 

AP Seminar and Research Certificate: 

-AP Seminar I & II (English) (2 credits) (with score of 3 or higher) 

• Team Project and Presentation 

• Research-Based Essay & Presentation 

• End-of-Course Exam 

-AP Research I & II (English) (2 credits) (with score of 3 or higher) 

• Research Process Documentation 

• Academic Thesis Paper (20+ pages) 

• Presentation & Oral Defense of Thesis to Academic Panel