The Advanced Placement Program

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The Advanced Placement Program

• Spring Valley High School

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• Advanced Placement Program (AP) courses give
  you a head start on college.
• Taking the end-of-course AP Exam sends a
  powerful message to colleges and universities
  that a student is ready for them, and can enable
  students to gain admission, college credit, and
  placement into advanced courses.

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Prepare Now to Succeed in College

• A 1999 U.S. Department of Education study found
  that the strongest predictor of college
  graduation is something students do before they
  ever go to college
• Participate in rigorous, college-level courses in
  high schooland AP courses in particular.
• Clifford Adelman, Answers in the Tool Box
  Academic Intensity, Attendance Patterns, and
  Bachelors Degree Attainment (1999), U.S.
  Department of Education.

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AP and College Success
Students who take AP courses and exams are much
more likely than their peers to complete a
bachelors degree in four years or less. Source
Camara, Wayne (2003). College Persistence,
Graduation, and Remediation. College Board
Research Notes (RN-19). New York, NY College
Board.
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Whats the differencebetween AP and honors?

• AP courses are designed and updated annually to
  reflect whats being taught in cutting-edge
  college courses.
• Students receive an external evaluationthe AP
  Examwhich is scored by college faculty from
  around the world who verify that the student has
  mastered college-level studies.

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Whats the differencebetween credit and
placement?

• Some colleges award credit for qualifyingAP
  Exam grades. This means you actuallyearn points
  toward your college degree.
• Others award advanced placement. This means you
  can skip introductory courses,enter higher-level
  classes, and/or fulfillgeneral education
  requirements.

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Increase your options

• College credit can allow you 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 ed
  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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Why should I take the AP Exam even if Im not
looking to earn credit or placement?

• Stand out in the admissions process
• Earn academic scholarships and awards
• Experience a college-level test
• Be a step ahead

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Factors InfluencingAdmission Decisions2001
NACAC Admission Trends Survey, 2001
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Earn academic scholarshipsor awards

• Some of the most competitive scholarship awards
  value AP Exam grades
• Having the AP Exam grade can make the difference
  when it comes down to awarding precious
  scholarship dollars.
• Edwina Harris Hamby, Dean of AdmissionFisk
  University

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Experience a college-level test

• The intensity of college exams catches far too
  many freshmen by surprise
• Students who have prepared for and taken the AP
  Exams adapt more easily to taking college essay
  exams, and are especially skilled in including a
  thesis and a well-developed argument. They are
  also less intimidated by sophisticated,
  college-level multiple-choice questions that seek
  to test understanding over memorization.
• Robert Blackey, Professor of HistoryCSU, San
  Bernardino

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AP courses offered by Spring Valley

• Government Politics
• Human Geography
• European History
• World History
• Music Theory
• Physics B
• Statistics Probability
• Studio Art
• US History

• Biology
• Calculus AB
• Calculus BC
• Chemistry
• Micro Economics
• Psychology
• English Language Composition
• English Literature Composition
• Environmental Science
• Latin, Vergil

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What are the requirements to take an AP course?

• Solid skills PSAT scores are highly correlated
  with success in AP courses.
• Solid preparation in feeder courses

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AP Exam fees

• In South Carolina, the state pays the test fees
  for all students enrolled in Advanced Placement
  courses.
• All students must take the exam.

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Interested?

• Contact your childs feeder course teacher or
  guidance counselor.

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Spring Valley results

• AP pass rate 84 (national rate 56)
• ACT average score 21.9 (national 21.0)
• SAT average score 1530 (national 1509)
• Class of 2010 33,526,756 in scholarships

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USC latest information

• SAT average 1160
• GPA 3.9
• Honors College Freshmen
• SAT average 1410

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Clemson University

• SAT Average 1215
• GPA 3.99