The Advanced Placement Program

1
The Advanced Placement Program

• Dublin Coffman High School
• February 9, 2009

2
What is Advanced Placement? (AP)

• The College Board partners with colleges and
  universities to create courses and assessments of
  college-level learning (the AP exams) in 37
  subjects. Dublin Coffman High School offers 17
  of these.
• The College Board supports the training of high
  school teachers to develop curriculum of high
  academic intensity to model college level
  coursework.

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What is AP cont

• This coursework, as well as the score of the AP
  exam, can assist the student in earning college
  credit and/or placement into higher level college
  coursework.

4
Why Advanced Placement?

• Gives you a head start on college.
• Sends a powerful message to colleges and
  universities that the student is ready for them.
• Assists in gaining admission to college.
• Earn placement into advanced courses.
• Earn college credit while still in high school.

5
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.

6
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.

7
The AP Exam

• An assessment is given at the end of the AP
  course.
• The exam consists of multiple choice questions
  and a variety of essays, translations, and
  problems depending on the specific exam.
• The non-multiple choice portions are graded by
  trained college faculty and expert AP teachers.

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The AP Exam cont

• A composite score of the exam is issued with a 5
  through 1.
• A score of 3 is equivalent to a mid-level B to C
  in corresponding college coursework and tends to
  be the cut point for earning college credit

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Why should a student take the AP Exam?

• Colleges and universities give credit for
  qualifying AP Exam grades, not AP course grades.
• The confirmation that college-level learning
  took place is in the published results. The AP
  Exam grade is a national standard that I can
  understand and rely upon.
• Joellen L. Silberman, Dean of EnrollmentKalamazo
  o College

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Why the AP Exam cont

• Most of the nations colleges and universities,
  plus colleges and universities in 30 other
  countries, grant students admission, credit,
  and/or placement for qualifying AP Exam grades.
• For example, at Princeton, students can use
  qualifyingAP Exam grades to
• Graduate in three or three-and-a-half years
• Enter upper-level courses
• Fulfill a foreign language requirement

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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
• Save money

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Stand out in the admissions process

• One of the best standard predictors of academic
  success at Harvard is performance on Advanced
  Placement Examinations.
• William R. FitzsimmonsDean of Admissions,
  Harvard University
• AP Exams affirm the rigor of a students course
  work. Though admissions policies vary, if I were
  a student, I wouldnt assume that the college of
  my dreams didnt care about AP Exams in the
  admissions process.
• Bruce Walker, Director of Admissions University
  of Texas at Austin

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Why the AP Exam cont.

• Earn Academic Scholarships and 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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Why the AP Exam cont.

• 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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Why the AP Exam cont.

• Be a step ahead!
• I received a 3 on my AP English Exam, but since
  I love English and hope to take all the English
  courses that I can possibly get my hands on, I
  decided to take English 111 in college. My
  college class is covering the same material I
  studied in AP English. Thanks to my experience
  preparing for the free-response questions, my
  frequent essay exams are a breeze. By taking AP,
  Im a step ahead of the others in my class. I
  know the material and I know the process.
• Anne Elliott, University of Connecticut

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Why the AP Exam cont.

• Save money!
• If you earn a qualifying grade on an AP Exam, you
  can receive credit for the equivalent course at
  thousands of colleges and universities
• I took AP throughout high school because it was
  the most interesting and well-taught program
  offered. When I reached college, I realized that
  I had accumulated a years worth of credits. I
  graduated from Michigans undergraduate business
  school a full year early, saving 30,000 and a
  years time.
• Nikki Baker, University of Michigan

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Whats the difference between credit and
placement?

• Some colleges award credit for qualifying AP
  Exam grades. This means you actually earn points
  toward your college degree.
• Others award advanced placement. This means
  you can skip introductory courses, enter
  higher-level classes, and/or fulfill general
  education requirements.

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AP Credit and PlacementPolicy Information

• Go to www.collegeboard.com/ap/creditpolicy
• Type in the name of the college or university
  whose AP policy you want to view (or browse by
  letter of the alphabet).
• You will see two things for each school that has
  provided their AP credit policy info
• A link to the colleges 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 Exam Fees

• There is NO fee to take an AP course.
• There is an 86.00 fee for each AP exam
• For students with financial need, the College
  Board reduces the exam fee.
• In Ohio, additional federal and/or state funding
  provide these additional fee subsidies.
• See your counselor for Dublin City School
  District aid information.

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Who Should Take AP Courses and Exams?

• Dublin Coffman High School uses the AP Programs
  official policy for AP enrollment, which
  indicates that all willing students should be
  considered for admission to AP courses.

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AP Equity Policy Statement
The College Board and the Advanced Placement
Program encourage teachers, AP Coordinators, and
school administrators to make equitable access a
guiding principle for their AP programs. The
College Board is committed to the principle that
all students deserve an opportunity to
participate in rigorous and academically
challenging courses and programs. (continued)
22
AP Equity Policy Statement
All students who are willing to accept the
challenge of a rigorous academic curriculum
should be considered for admission to AP courses.
The Board encourages 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. Schools should make every effort
to ensure that their AP classes reflect the
diversity of their student population.
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AP Growth at DCHS

• Last year alone, over 70 of Coffman High School
  students received a score of 3 or higher on the
  AP test.

2008/2009 1125 Enrolled
2007/2008 416 students took 659 tests
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AP Courses at DCHS

• Art History
• English Literature
• English Language
• Biology
• Chemisty
• Physics B
• Physics C
• Environmental Science
• Computer Science A

• Statistics
• Calculus AB
• Calculus BC
• U.S. History
• U.S. Government and Politics
• European History
• World History
• American Studies

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Interested?

• Please talk to your classroom teachers or your
  Guidance Counselor as soon as possible!