Cocke County High School

Honors & AP Informational Night February 23, 2011 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.

About CCHS Honors Courses

 Honors courses provide students with opportunity for a more rigorous academic course that best prepares students for AP courses  Honors courses carry a .5 GPA boost for students entering CCHS beginning in 2010-11.  AP courses carry a 1.0 GPA boost for students entering CCHS beginning in 2010-11.

About AP Courses

 College-level courses offered in high school  Curriculum & Exams administered by the College Board ( http://www.collegeboard.com/ )  All AP teachers must have course-specific training & have their syllabi approved by the College Board  National exam for each course given in May (scored on scale of 1-5)  Payment of exam fees by families (Currently $87.00 or $57.00 for families that qualify for free/reduced lunch)

Why Take AP Courses?

 Possible college credit or advanced standing  Colleges like to see academic rigor reflected in student transcripts  AP courses provide opportunity to improve valuable academic & life skills  Completion of AP courses provides confidence boost & sense of accomplishment  CCHS AP program continues to grow

Why Take AP Courses?

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For every 100 ninth Tennessee 67 graduate from high school 43 enter college 29 return to college for their sophomore year 19 earn a bachelor’s degree within six years

Why Take AP Courses?

•Students who succeed on AP Exams are more prepared for College than matched peers Five-year college graduation rate differences between matched AP and non-AP students.

Student Demographic

African American Hispanic White Low Income Not Low Income

Students who earned at least one AP Exam Score of 3 or higher

28% higher 28% higher 33% higher 26% higher 34% higher

Source: Chrys Dougherty, Lynn Mellor and Shuling Jian. 2006. “The Relationship Between Advanced Placement and College Graduation,” (2005), National Center for Educational Accountability.

Why Take AP Courses?

AP Students are competitive with top performing students worldwide according to the TIMSS Report: International Student Achievement in Mathematics

Source: Eugenio J. Gonzalez, Kathleen M. O’Connor, and Julie A. Miles, (2001). “How Well Do Advanced Placement Students Perform on the TIMSS Advanced Mathematics and Physics Tests?” The International Study Center, Lynch School of Education, Boston College.

Estimated College Savings at CCHS 2009-2010

     Walters State…($111.00 C. Hour) $33,300.00 ETSU…($201.00 C. Hour) $60,000.00

UT Knoxville

…($248.00 C. Hour) $28,272.00

Tusculum…

($361.00 C. Hour)

Carson-Newman

…($577.00) $41,154.00 $65,788.00 

Some

schools only accept scores of 4 or 5 on the AP Exam for credit. TBR schools accept scores of 3,4, or 5. The AP Exam cost $86.00 with no other student fees. For our 38 students, that was a cost of $3,268.00 for the exams.

What AP Courses to Take?

 Students considering registering for AP courses for the upcoming school-year should reflect on the following:  What subject areas are you most interested in?  What subject areas are you most likely to use in your major/profession of interest?  What other activities/responsibilities require your time & energy?  What are the expectations for the course?

What AP Courses Do We Offer?

 AP Human Geography (NEW!)   AP Biology AP Music Theory  AP Calculus   AP English Language and Composition AP United States History   AP European History AP English Literature  Other courses will be offered if interest continues to grow.

Who Can Help Make Decisions About AP Courses?

 CCHS Counselors  AP Teachers  Curriculum Coordinator  Parents  Current or Former AP students

Additional Resources

     AP Central at College Board: http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/Controller.jpf

Choose AP Brochure (English): http://www.collegeboard.com/html/ap/docs/Choose-AP-Brochure.pdf

Choose AP Brochure (Spanish): http://www.collegeboard.com/html/ap/docs/Choose-AP-Spanish.pdf

AP and the Cost of College Article: http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/ap-exam-promo-flyer 2009.pdf

Curriculum Coordinator, Michael Short: [email protected]