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All about Advanced Placement (AP) courses and exams

Page 2 of 2
By GreatSchools Staff
 

Questions to ask at your high school

  • Find out what AP courses are offered at your high school. Ask what prerequisites are required to take these courses.
  • Ask what scores students have received on particular tests, and if the same teachers are teaching these AP courses. Beware of a large number of low scores on a particular test. It may indicate that students are not being sufficiently prepared to pass the AP exam.
  • If your child is interested in a particular course, have her talk to the teacher ahead of time to find out what the workload is and what preparation will be necessary to take the course. Some teachers require that students complete work (summer reading, for example) prior to taking the course.
  • If your child is interested in a subject offered by the AP program but the course is not offered at your school, find out what support he can expect to receive at the school to prepare for the test. Some states also offer online AP courses.
  • Check to make sure that your school is offering the AP curriculum aligned with the AP test. Beware of courses labeled AP Philosophy, AP Astronomy or AP Botany. These subjects are not part of the College Board Advanced Placement program. You can find out which subjects are part of the official AP program here.
 
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Comments from GreatSchools.org readers

06/25/2009:
"Homeschooled children can take the AP Computer Science test by contacting the College Board. They will arrange for your child to visit a local school to have the test proctored. http://www.hscompsci.com"
05/11/2009:
"How can I get my district to provide the AP curriculum alignment information? I have asked for similar information in the past and have been unsuccessful. "
05/4/2009:
"I had a question, if im in world history honors in 9th grade, when will i be able to give the AP exam. "
05/1/2009:
"I believe this is great for students to know they can move ahead quicker. there is so much time and money wasted on these prep courses in the colleges. why not just do it in high school. this day and age i believe that college general education should just be part of free schooling to kids coming out of high school. "
04/29/2009:
"Based on past experience, children that are exposed to 'very early' learning will do better throughout their lifes. They will be better in their schooling, careers and personal lifes. Rita (from Colorado) "
04/29/2009:
"I teach middle level full-time gifted and talented and am in the process of writing curriculum for reading and language arts. Would you please direct me to where I can locate the standards, benchmarks and the topics for grades 6,7,8th so that I can prepare my students for high school AP classes? Thanks so very much. Warmly, Karen"
04/29/2009:
"How does one become an AP College Board teacher? "
04/29/2009:
"Can a student take an AP course on-line in the state of Florida?"
04/29/2009:
"Many public libraries offer a free online test prep service for the AP Calculus, Biology, Chemistry, History and English exams. Students can take timed practice tests from their home computers, and get feedback on where they need to improve. The service is called Learning Express Library; look for it on your local library's website (use publiclibraries.com to find it)."
12/10/2008:
"The AP Program is a sham, along with the College Board and their so-called 'educators'. Fort Bend ISD (State of Texas) is particularly obsessed with promoting this ridiculous program, since district funding is systematically linked to the number of AP classes offered by the district's schools. Our children continue to suffer greatly, due to the district's greed in conjunction with their inadequate teaching and administrative capabilities. Overall, most colleges and universities ignore and totally disregard the AP program and their contrived, manufactured tests and grading systems. Again, the AP program should be permanently dissolved. Instead, high school classes and school districts nationwide should focus on solid curriculum, appropriate for 14-18 year old development. Of course, their are always exceptions, but the overwhelming increase in the percentage of AP classes being offered, clearly illustrates that the system is seriously flawed and the College Board continues t! o shine as a bogus, harmful institution, which warrants a thorough investigation. Recommendations from local teaching organizations, counselors, physicians, psychologists, psychiatrists, and pediatricians in our community, strongly advise keeping children out of any AP class whatsoever. If the College Board's AP Program is shunned and opposed, the quality of teaching will have to change. "
06/2/2008:
"thanks this is very helpfull"
05/2/2008:
"I am moving to NC from CA and I have tried to find out what date school starts at Independence for 2008/2009 school year(s). I have yet to get a reply. Can anyone help me? "
04/29/2008:
"My school doesn't weight by difficulty either, or publicly rank - but does use a pointless 5.5 scale instead of the standard 4.0, without publishing a way to easily convert them. "
04/29/2008:
"In my high school, the valedictorian did not take AP classes because she wanted to maintain her status and high GPA. Those who took the challenging AP classes received lower grades thus jeopardizing their top positions in the class. I had to fight the principal to get the AP classes weighted to make everything fair. Otherwise, no one would take the more difficult AP classes because it was well-known that most AP teaches never gave out more than a B+ for a grade."
04/29/2008:
"Not all AP classes are equal even in our own school district. My son got a D the first semester in a class with a teacher who had nothing but a ego. He got a ** 5 ** on the exam. All it did was mess up his GPA. We have another teacher who takes a full class so he can offer the class. Then proceeds to weed kids out so by the time the AP test comes around he has only the cream of the crop take the test. Then goes around the school with posters bragging about his high percentage of passes. We have seniors that are very bright. Have to repeat the class their senior year because of a bad grade on a core subject. What is worst. Our school knows that this is done and allows it. AP - Think twice. What good are they if they bring down your GPA and prevents you from getting into the class of your choice."
04/29/2008:
"My son is homeschooled, 9th grade, how can he take advntage of this program?"
04/17/2008:
"Would like to get information regarding testing for my middle school child. How would a student prepare for these AP classes?"
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