Transcript Document

The AP® Program
Broughton High School
The Basics
Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) courses are
college-level courses offered in high school. AP
courses reflect what is taught in top introductory
college courses.
At the end of each course, students take AP
Exams—standardized exams that measure how
well students have mastered college-level course
work.
Students who do well on AP Exams can earn credit
and/or placement into advanced courses in college.
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The Benefits of AP Courses
AP courses can be challenging,
but it’s work that pays off.
•AP
courses are often the most
interesting and fulfilling courses a
student takes in high school.
•AP
teachers are among the most
prepared, dedicated, and inspiring
teachers at their schools.
•Students
develop confidence and learn
the study habits and time management
skills essential for success in college.
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Study Habits and Time Management
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Schools encourage students to take AP courses
and participate in extra-curricular activities
(church, clubs, sports, community), but there is a
need for good study habits and time management
skills
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Resources available through school but also need
help from home on supporting these skills
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Agendas/calendars scheduling long-term assignments,
study groups, etc
AP and College Admission
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Colleges rank “Grades in
college prep courses” and
“Strength of curriculum” as the
top two factors in the
admission decision.*
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85% of selective colleges and
universities report that a
student’s AP experience
favorably impacts admission
decisions.**
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* 2009 State of College Admission, NACAC
** Unpublished institutional research, Crux Research Inc. March 2007
“We look favorably on
students who have
taken AP courses. The
presence of AP courses
is a sign that a student
has chosen to
challenge him/herself.”
—Admission Officer
Grades and expectations
•
Remember the rigor in these courses and the
experiences your child may have already had in
AP courses. Expectations are a little different in
each teacher’s course, but all are preparing for
the AP exams!
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There is a lot of stress on the “A”, but remember
that these are not academic or honors level
courses.
•
Article on teen stress accessible through Ina
Nyko’s site. (Carolina Parent article March 2012)
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AP Courses Offered at Broughton:
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English: English III and English IV
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Math: Calculus AB, Calculus BC and Statistics
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Science: Environmental Science, Biology,
Chemistry and Physics
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Humanities: U.S. History, World History,
Government, Psychology, European History and
Human Geography, Economics
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World Languages: Spanish, German and French
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What Are AP Courses Like?
AP courses demand more of students than
regular or honors courses.
•Classes
tend to be fast-paced and cover more material
than typical high-school classes. (example: 2 months in an
honors course can equate to the first few weeks in an AP course)
•More
time, inside and outside of the classroom, is required
to complete lessons, assignments and homework. (Study
habits and time management!)
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What Are AP Courses Like?
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Students need to be prepared every day with their
required assignments and readings
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AP teachers expect their students to think
critically, analyze and synthesize facts and data,
weigh competing perspectives, and write clearly
and persuasively.
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Critical thinking in courses like MATH…math is not just
computation
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Application questions
AP at Broughton
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Do not register for an AP course thinking you can
“try it before you buy it”. Next year’s schedule is
very tight!
•
You may be able to drop from the AP course, but
remember that you have missed material from the
course you would be adding, and it will be very
hard to catch up.
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Use the available resources through school and
the community!
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AP Exams
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AP Exams are administered
worldwide on set dates each
May. All AP teachers encourage
students to take the AP tests!
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Exams usually last around three
hours.
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Multiple-choice questions
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Free-response questions (essay,
problem-solving, oral response)
APWH Sample Questions
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Before 1870, the European presence in Africa was characterized
primarily by:
A Military conquests of large territories administered as military states
B Intense colonization and settlement of large areas
C Active international interaction through trade and diplomacy
D Coastal enclaves for trade and a few settlements
E frequent coastal raids along with racial segregation imposed on
conquered people
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Essay: Analyze the similarities and differences of the political systems
of TWO of the following Classical civilizations.
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Han China (206 BCE – 220 CE)
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Mauryan/Gupta India (320 BCE – 550 CE)
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Roman Empire (31 BCE – 476 CE)
Biology Sample questions
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A species of malaria – carrying mosquito lives in a forest in
which two species of monkeys, A and B coexist. Species B is
immune to malaria but species A is not. The malaria–carrying
mosquito is the chief food for a particular kind of bird in the
forest. If all of these birds are eliminated suddenly by hunters,
which of the following would be the immediate observable
consequence?
a) emergence of malaria – sensitive strains in monkey B
b) emergence of malaria –resistant strains in monkey A
c) increased mortality in the malaria –carrying mosquitoes
d) increased mortality in monkey species A
e) increased mortality in monkey species B
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Biology
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Which of the following is probably the best explanation for the fact
that Antarctic penguins cannot fly, although there is evidence that
millions of years ago their ancestors could do so?
a)
penguins live on land and feed in the water, therefore they have no
need to fly
b)
the Antarctic home of penguins is flat and barren, therefore there is no
place to fly
c)
ancestral penguins without large wings were better able to swim and
feed in the water, therefore they passed their genes for shorter wing
structure on to their offspring
d)
ancestral penguins did not use their wings for long periods of time,
therefore today's penguins have only tiny, nonfunctional wings
e)
the cold and wind of Antarctica make flight impossible, therefore
penguins that live there have lost the ability to fly
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APES exam
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Look on ELMO!
AP Exam Fees
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AP Exam fee for 2012 is $87 per exam.
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For students with financial need, the College Board
provides a $26 per exam fee reduction.
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See the College Board website for information on
how to apply for a fee reduction.
- also see Melanie Raynor in guidance
- www.collegeboard.com/apfeereductions
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Why Take AP Exams?
Most two- and four-year colleges and universities
in the United States offer credit or advanced
placement for qualifying AP Exam scores.
•Credit:
Students earn credit toward their college degrees.
•Advanced
placement: Students can skip introductory
courses and move directly into higher-level classes, and/or
fulfill general education requirements.
•Not
every college gives credit for all degree programs
•Check
the College Board website or specific college/university
website
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AP Credit Expands Students’ Options
College credit earned through AP
Exams allows students to move
into upper-level college courses
sooner, pursue a double major,
and gain time to study and travel
abroad.
“As a freshman, I was able to skip general
education requirements and head straight
into the higher-level classes I wanted to
take. Taking AP Exams literally saved me
semesters of time.”—Brent Wiese,
University of Iowa
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AP Credit Policy Information
Information about AP credit and placement policies at many colleges
and universities is available at www.collegeboard.org/apcreditpolicy.
1.
2.
Search by college or
university name or by letter
of the alphabet
You will see two things for
each school:
A link to the college’s own
Web page that details its AP
credit and placement
policies.
• A statement by the college
or university about its AP
policy.
•
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AP Helps Students Graduate on Time…
Students who take AP courses and exams are
much more likely than their peers to complete a
college degree on time.
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Only one in four students who enter college complete a bachelor’s
degree in four years.*
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A recent study** showed that students taking AP courses and exams
were much more likely to earn a college degree in four years.
For example, AP English Literature students had four-year college
graduation rates that were 62% higher than students that had not
taken AP English Literature.
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* IPEDS database, 2008
** Linda Hargrove, Donn Godin, and Barbara Dodd, “College Outcomes Comparisons by AP and
Non-AP High School Experiences.” The College Board, 2008.
… and Save Money
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Students who take five years or more to graduate
can spend $8,000-$27,000 for each additional
year in college.
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The typical college cost per year for a four-year public
institution is $8,142 for in-state students and $19,670
for out-of-state students.*
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Students attending private institutions might expect to
incur $27,389 for each additional year it takes to earn a
bachelor’s degree.*
* Costs include tuition, fees, and books and supplies only, and do not include room, board, and
other living expenses. Average Estimated Undergraduate Budgets, 2009-10 (EnrollmentWeighted). The College Board, ”Trends in College Pricing,” 2009.
AP Boosts Eligibility for Scholarships
31% of colleges and
universities consider a
student’s AP experience
when making decisions about
which students will receive
scholarships.*
“Having the AP Exam score can
make the difference when it
comes down to awarding
precious scholarship dollars.”
—Edwina Harris Hamby, former
Dean of Admission, Fisk
University
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* Unpublished institutional research, Crux Research Inc. March 2007
AP and College Success
A recent study* showed that students
who earned a 3, 4, or 5 on the AP
Exam had higher first-year college
grade point averages and were
more likely to return for the
second year of college than nonAP students of similar ability.
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“One of the best standard
predictors of academic
success at Harvard is
performance on Advanced
Placement Examinations.”
—William Fitzsimmons,
Dean of Admissions &
Financial Aid, Harvard
University
*Krista Mattern, Emily Shaw, and Xinhui Xiong, “The Relationship Between AP Exam
Performance and College Outcomes” (2009), The College Board.
Learn More
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See Melanie Raynor for more information about
the AP program at Broughton High School.
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For more information about AP courses and
exams visit www.collegeboard.org/apstudents.
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