AP (Advanced Placement) 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. Armstrong offers more than 24 AP courses. 

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. 

Process for enrolling in AP classes: 

Armstrong offers more than 24 AP courses. Students interested in registering for AP Classes should indicate so during the registration process. Acceptance to an AP course is not guaranteed and some courses require prerequisite summer coursework. Students will be notified of their acceptance into their AP classes in late spring. 

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, he or she will not be able to drop the class. 

Dropping Classes

Students are expected to take and stay in all classes for which they have registered. Students may request a class change within the first 5 school days of each semester. After that time, courses cannot be dropped. The only exceptions being for medical reasons with doctor’s note verification or in consultation with the teacher and principal if the student is incorrectly placed in an AP course. 

Explanation and Benefit of AP Courses 

AP is a cafeteria 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 Armstrong 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 one AP course during high school, or they may choose to take up to nine or ten. Typically we recommend strong students take one AP course during 10th grade, 2 during 11th grade, and 3 during 12th grade, but ultimately it is a decision the student and family must make together based on considering a student's skill level, work ethic, GPA goal, and time availability. 

AP courses require a significant amount of time outside of school for studying and students are typically successful with reading scores of 70% or higher, in the district standardized test, such as MAP or FAST. Students with lower reading scores absolutely may take AP courses but should plan for additional time to complete assignments and seek out additional support. For instance, a student with reading scores in the 75th percentile for reading may take AP courses during each academic year, while a student in the 40th percentile in reading might wait until senior year to take an AP course as an elective class, when it is less likely to influence their GPA or necessary credits to graduate. 

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 (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 

- 4 Additional AP Courses & Exams of Student's choice (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