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BMAH & Advanced Courses

Advanced Placement Classes

Advanced Placement provides college-level course work in high school. Glen Burnie High School is proud to offer 26 different Advanced Placement courses. BMAH students are encouraged to take the most rigorous classes possible.

Students who earn a C or better in the course, also earn advanced weighting toward their GPA. A student with a B (80-89), earns a 3 for their unweighted GPA, but with an AP level course, this becomes a 4 (weighted).

*Reminder- all BMAH students must maintain an unweighted GPA of 2.5.

All BMAH students are required to take AP Seminar (11th) and AP Research (12th), which form the AP Capstone program.

AP Capstone Program in BMAH

AP Capstone consists of two courses, AP Seminar and AP Research. These classes teach research and writing skills to better prepare students for college and careers. These two classes are mandatory for all BMAH students.

AP Seminar is a three part class.

Team Project & Presentation (20% of total score)

Team Research & Report: Groups of 3–5 students investigate a real-world issue, with each student producing a written report (1,200 words max).
Team Presentation & Oral Defense: The team delivers an 8–10 minute multimedia presentation, followed by an oral defense where you answer individual questions from your teacher.

Individual Research-Based Essay & Presentation (35% of total score)

Source Material: You will choose a research question based on stimulus materials provided by the College Board, and incorporate at least one of these sources into your argument.
Individual Written Argument (IWA): A 2,000-word academic paper.
Individual Multimedia Presentation (IMP): A 6–8 minute presentation followed by an oral defense against teacher questions.

3. End-of-Course Exam (45% of total score)

Taken during the May AP testing window, this 2-hour exam consists of four questions:
Three short-answer questions analyzing and evaluating a single argument provided in a source.
- One essay question requiring you to synthesize multiple sources (typically four) and build an evidence-based argument.

AP Research

Prerequisite Requirement

AP Seminar: You must first successfully complete both the AP Seminar course and its corresponding performance tasks/exam before taking AP Research.

Core Project Requirements

To successfully complete the course and earn a score, you must meet the following performance tasks:

Academic Paper: A 4,000–5,000 word thesis that includes an introduction, literature review, methodology, results, conclusion, and a bibliography in the appropriate disciplinary style.
Presentation and Oral Defense: A 15 minute multimedia presentation covering your research question, methodology, and findings, followed by answering 3-4 questions from an expert panel.
Process and Reflection Portfolio (PREP): You must maintain a log to document your inquiry process, communications with expert advisors, and reflections on your research journey.

AP Capstone Certificate & Diploma

Students earning a passing score (3+) on AP Seminar and AP Research are awarded the AP Capstone Certificate.

Students earning a passing score (3+) on AP Seminar and AP Research AND passing scores (3+) on four additional AP courses will be awarded the AP Diploma.

Early College Access Program (ECAP)

What is ECAP?

Anne Arundel County Public School (AACPS) and Anne Arundel Community College (AACC) are joint sponsors of the Early College Access Program (ECAP) which allows students to dually enroll in AACC college credit courses at a discount. Additionally, eligible students may dually enroll at no cost under the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future (“Blueprint”) statute, which provides funding for students who have met the eligibility requirements (see ECAP Eligibility section below). Note: Students must meet AACC Admissions criteria and all course prerequisites to enroll in the college courses.

ECAP is designed to allow eligible students to explore college-level coursework in a variety of academic areas that align with a college degree or certificate. It also includes opportunities for students interested in a noncredit career certificate or license program. ECAP allows students to invest in their future. Not only do students develop college success habits, but they can also get a jumpstart on their certificate, degree, and/or career.

See the AACPS ECAP page: https://www.aacps.org/o/aacps/page/early-college-access

All BMAH students must be approved by the DC/Coordinator/Counselor to take ECAP classes due to the very rigorous nature of the program.

Students and Families must sign the BMAH/STEM ECAP Course Contract to ensure they understand how classes work and how a failing score can negatively impact students.

Eligibility requirements to take AACC courses at no cost:

Students must be 16 or older unless they are identified as Gifted & Talented.
Students in 11th or 12th grade, designated College and Career Ready (CCR), may take a maximum of four college courses per academic year at no cost.
1. - - Winter term courses are not covered and 12th graders are not eligible for funding for summer term after graduation.
Students in 11th or 12th grade, not designated as CCR, BUT with a minimum cumulative unweighted GPA of 3.0, may take one college course per semester, maximum of 2 per academic year, at no cost.
AACPS students in 8th- 10th grade, who are identified by AACPS as Gifted and Talented, and meet the AACC criteria, may take one college course per semester, maximum of 2 per academic year, at no cost.
1. - See the ECAP GT page for more information.

Eligibility when students do not pass a course at Anne Arundel Community College:

AACPS will not approve funding for additional college classes for students who do not achieve a grade of "C" or higher in a completed college class unless the student can demonstrate extenuating circumstances.
Similarly, students who withdraw from AACC classes after the drop period will not receive funding from AACPS for any further classes unless the student can demonstrate extenuating circumstances. In such cases, the student and their family must submit a formal appeal.

Dual Credit

Important Note

Only students in 11th grade (beginning fall term) or 12th grade may take AACC courses to earn high school credit (dual credit).
The course must be approved by AACPS for dual credit.
The student must obtain consent from the school counselor and principal through the ECAP process, before registering for the college course.
Gifted & Talented 8th-10th grade ECAP students are not eligible for dual credit. Prior to fall term of 11th grade, students can not substitute AACC courses for AACPS courses, or use college credits earned for high school credit.

Dual Credit Grading Policy

Designated courses approved by AACPS for dual credit may allow students to earn both college and high school credits at no cost. If a student seeks to earn dual credit, a student must obtain consent from the school counselor and principal through the ECAP process, before registering for the college course.

Grading Criteria:

Students who receive an Anne Arundel Community College (AACC) course grade of 'A', 'B', 'C' or 'D' on their college transcript will be awarded the corresponding letter grade on the high school transcript.
An AACC course grade of 'F', 'FX' or 'I' will be converted to an Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) grade of 'E' on their high school transcript.
Students must complete AACC credit courses with a letter grade of a 'C' or better to be deemed successful in a college course.
High school transcripts will reflect high school credit for passing grades and no credit will be granted for 'F', 'FX', or 'I' or 'W' grades. Grades for these courses will be factored into the student's high school GPA. Students who fail to complete an AACC course successfully will not have earned credit towards high school graduation requirements through dual credit.
Grades earned in AACC college courses for dual credit will be calculated into the high school transcript as a weighted grade on a 5.0 scale. The additional quality point will be awarded, equivalent to the weighting of Advanced Placement (AP), Post AP, and International Baccalaureate (IB) course grades.

Understand Advanced Weighted Grading

Approved dual credit courses allow students to earn high school credit when they successfully complete a college course. In our school system, some rigorous courses—such as Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB)—carry additional weight on a student’s GPA. Instead of the standard 4.0 scale, these advanced courses are weighted on a 5.0 scale. Since approved dual credit courses require college-level rigor, students now also receive the additional quality point and advanced weight through the dual credit process.

This means:

An A in a standard high school course = 4.0 quality points
An A in an advanced (AP, IB, or approved dual credit) course = 5.0 quality points

Why does this matter?

Students are rewarded for taking more rigorous coursework.
Dual credit can boost overall GPA, making students more competitive for college admissions and scholarships.
If a student is NOT successful in an AACC college class taken for dual credit, it will also impact the high school GPA and transcript.

If you’d like to see how this weighting will impact you, talk with your school counselor.

When Students Do Not Pass a Course at Anne Arundel Community College

If the student requested dual credit for the college course, the grade earned in the college class will be the grade that appears on the high school transcript. Students will not receive ECAP funding from AACPS for any further class who:

Do not achieve a grade of "C" or higher in a completed college class ('Y' for noncredit program courses).
Withdraw from AACC classes after the drop period.

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