Advanced Placement (AP) Coursework and Testing
Helpful Links To Understand AP
Teachers and students can watch AP Daily videos at any time, and on any device, through AP Classroom.
How AP works:
Each AP course is modeled on a comparable introductory college course in the subject. Each course culminates in a standardized college-level AP Exam.
AP Exams are given in May each year.
Schools must be authorized by the AP Course Audit to offer approved AP courses and use the AP designation.
AP Exams Assess Knowledge and Skills Learned in the Course
Each AP course concludes with an AP Exam. These assessments are designed by the same expert committee that designed the course.
The exams are scored on a scale of 1 to 5 by college and university professors and experienced AP teachers. Many U.S. colleges offer credit for AP Exam scores of 3 or higher.
Which Students Should Take AP?
The College Board and Vineland Public Schools encourage the elimination of barriers that restrict access to AP courses for students from ethnic, racial and socioeconomic groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in the AP Program. Vineland makes every effort to ensure that AP classes reflect the diversity of the student population.
Certain AP courses have prerequisites. For example, students taking AP Physics 1 should have completed geometry and be taking Algebra 2 or an equivalent course. Check the individual course pages to see this information.
Who Can Teach AP?
There are no formal requirements or mandatory professional development for teachers of AP courses, with the exception of teachers of AP Seminar and AP Research, who must complete a summer workshop and online training. Vineland teachers receive regular training from College Board and always receive training prior to starting to teach a new course.
Dual Credit/Dual Enrollment vs. AP:
Key Similarities and Differences
Dual credit courses are college-level courses taught by Vineland Public Schools’ faculty who have a Master’s degree in the content area they teach. Dual credit courses are approved through an agreement with Rowan College of South Jersey, Stockton University, and other institutions.
Dual enrollment courses are college-level courses taught by college professors. As of the 2022-23 school year, only AMSA students are enrolled in dual enrollment courses. They are bussed to Rowan College of South Jersey and are scheduled into dual enrollment courses.
It is important to understand how the process of dual credit/dual enrollment compares to AP.
Both dual credit and dual enrollment courses offer college credit to students still in high school. They give a high school student credit at the singular college or university with which Vineland Public Schools has an agreement. Typically the agreement covers an alignment between the instructor credentials (dual credit only), the course content, and the cost structure. The cost structure is determined by the college or university for each credit, and as of 2022-23 parents pay for the credits.
The primary difference between AP credit and dual credit/dual enrollment credit is in terms of the recognizability and applicability of the credits that students earn. Dual credit and enrollment offer credit at one school, with the potential to be applicable at others- specifically in New Jersey. AP courses are universally recognized at thousands of colleges and universities nation-wide as a result of having been carefully planned by a host of high school teachers and university professors. Students earn dual credit when they pass the class. AP credit is obtained when a student achieves a ‘passing’ score of 3 or higher out of a possible score of 5 on a test administered according to the College Board’s guidelines.
Vineland High School offers courses in English, Math, Science, Social Studies, Technology, Visual & Performing Arts, and World Languages.
Although we do not offer every course every year, we are approved by College Board to offer English Language & Composition, English Literature & Composition, Seminar (Capstone Course), Research (Capstone course), Calculus AB, Statistics, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Physics I, Physics II, Physics C (Electricity & Magnetism), Physics C (Mechanics), European History, Psychology, US History, US Government & Politics, World History, Computer Science A, Studio Art IID, Studio Art IIID, Drawing, Music Theory, Spanish, French, and Italian. We also sometimes offer German and Human Geography.
For questions or concerns, please contact the AP Coordinator for Vineland High School Mr. Ross Stanger. He can be reached at (856) 794-6700 ext. 2016 or via email at rstanger@vineland.org. The Assistant AP Coordinator is School Counselor Ms. Elise Storms, who can be reached via email at estorms@vineland.org.