Swampscott High SchoolMarch 31: 730pm

An Introduction to the Advanced Placement Program®

Swampscott High School is committed to every student’s success.

We believe access to rigorous course work such as Advanced Placement® (AP®) plays an important role in that success.

Welcome

A letter from a 2014 graduate about AP

I am doing very well! I am in Chicago now, at Loyola, and I am really loving it here.

Anyways, yes APs have been EXTREMELY helpful for me. Unfortunately I was only able to take APs my senior year, but the ones I did take were all beneficial towards my college education. What most kids, including myself, didn’t/don’t realize is that basically every single college has a core program. Core, in a word, is annoying. Here we are, just having

graduated from high school, looking forward to studying things we are “actually interested in”, and then BAM core. Suddenly our freshman year becomes nothing but high school 2.0. I had to take philosophy, political science, writing, and sociology, all just to get ahead of core this year. I would suggest that kids in high school take AP Econ an/or AP

English at some point, because these seem the most ubiquitous core classes among majors. APs are also tremendous for learning more about a field you care about. I took AP Biology last year with Mrs. Yanofsky and it was awesome, maybe even part of the reason I am a Biochemistry major today. There are amazing teachers at SHS, although you may have heard horror stories about Mr. King’s Calculus class, I am currently in Calc 3 (only freshman in the class)

and because of what Mr. King taught me, I have an A. AP is about more than getting credit, sure it’s nice that I’ll never have to take Calc 1 or Intro to Bio, but it’s really about getting a strong base knowledge. Swampscott High School was

right to invest more in the AP curriculum, my only regret is that I wasn’t able to take more, who knows I could have graduated a year early from college. Thanks to the AP classes offered at SHS, I was able to come into my freshman year of college with 16 credits. Since most colleges do the order in which we pick classes based on our number of credits, I got first pick for my schedule among freshman. Finally, and also most importantly, I am getting to learn in

higher level classes right off the bat, and actually due to AP bio I will likely be able to do graduate level research as an undergraduate. I thanked them all at the end of the year, but again, thank you to all my AP teachers and the people

that make AP possible at SHS; you have certainly contributed to my ongoing success at college.

• What are Advanced Placement® Courses?

• The Benefits

• AP® Exams

• What Is It Like to Take AP?

• Q & A

What We’ll Cover

What Are Advanced Placement® Courses?

• AP® courses are college-level courses offered in high school

• Courses reflect what is taught in introductory college courses

• Students take AP Exams at the end of the course, measuring their mastery of college-level work

• A score of 3 or higher on an AP Exam can typically earn students college credit and/or placement into advanced courses in college

Advanced Placement ®: The Basics

AP® Myths & Realities

Myth RealityAP courses are for students who always get good grades.

AP courses are for any students who are academically prepared and motivated to take college-level courses. Utilize teacher recommendations and current course grade to help guide students in course selection.

AP courses are too stressful. It's no secret that AP courses are challenging. But the support you receive from your classmates and teachers can help you manage the work load.

I don't think I will score high enough on the AP Exam to get college credit.

You don’t need to score a 5. Many colleges grant credit — and placement as well — based on a 3 or higher on an AP Exam.

Taking AP courses could hurt my GPA. Taking AP courses shows colleges that you’re willing to challenge yourself academically.

I can’t take AP because no one has recommended me. If you think you’re ready to take an AP course, then you’re ready to advocate for yourself — just talk to a teacher or counselor.

• Arts: Art History, Music Theory

• English: English Language and Composition , English Literature and Composition

• History and Social Sciences: European History, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Psychology, United States History

• Mathematics and Computer Science: Calculus AB, Statistics

• Sciences: Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Physics B Year 1 and Physics B Year 2

• World languages: French Language and Culture, Spanish Literature and Culture

Our AP® Courses

Swampscott High School: Some quick facts

2014: 147 students, 284 Exams were taken last year 2014: 82% of all students who took exams earned a 3 or higher

2015: 116 students, 236 registered for this year’s exams2015: 56% of seniors take at least one AP class

AP® at Swampscott High

The AP Program offers several AP Scholar Awards to recognize high school students who have demonstrated college-level achievement through AP courses and exams.

Swampscott High School had a total of 31 scholars in 2014 –

AP Scholar AP Scholar AP Scholar with Honor with Distinction# of scholars 15 9 7

average score 3.83 3.92 4.03

AP Scholar is granted to students who receive scores of 3 or higher in three or more AP exams.

AP Scholar with Honor is granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams.

AP Scholar with Distinction is granted to students who receive an average score of 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams.

AP® Scholar Info at Swampscott High

AP®: The Benefits

• Students learn rigorous college-level content and skills

• Taking AP is valued in the college admission process

• AP courses are interesting and rewarding academic experiences

• Opportunity to earn valuable credit and placement in college

AP®: The Benefits

• Taking an AP course helps students build critical thinking skills, confidence, and the essential time management and study skills needed for college success

• Nationally, research shows that students who score a 3 or higher on an AP Exam typically earn higher grade point averages in college and have higher graduation rates than their non-AP peers*

*2009, The College Board, “The Relationship Between AP Exam Performance and College Outcomes"

AP®: Skills & Advantages that Last a Lifetime

AP® Expands Students’ Options

When students earn college credit through AP Exams, their options and opportunities expand:

•Move to upper-level college courses sooner

•Pursue a double major and/or a minor

•Gain time to study and travel abroad

AP® Exams

AP® Exams

____ ___ ____________ __ _______ _________ __ ___ _____ __ __ ____ ____

• ____ ___ _________ _____ ___ _______ • _______ ______ _________

• ___ ________ _____ ____ __ ______ _______ _______ ________ _____ _________ ___ ____ ________

AP Exams are administered by schools worldwide on set dates in May each year.

• Exams are typically 2–3 hours and include:• Multiple-choice questions

• Free-response items such as essays, problem solving, document-based questions and oral response

Each college and university has its own policies regarding AP® credit and placement. The College Board offers information about AP credit at thousands of college and universities at www.collegeboard.org/apcreditpolicy.

Credit and Placement Opportunities

• Search by school name or alphabetically

• Data for each school includes a direct link to that school’s Web page detailing AP credit and placement policies

• A statement from the college or university about its AP policy

Help your child prepare to talk to a teacher or counselor about AP. Here are some questions to encourage your child to think about:

What AP course is right for me? Before you talk to a teacher or counselor, think about what interests you:•Which courses do you enjoy most in school? In which subjects do you excel?•What college majors are you considering? What careers excite you?

Ask your counselor or teacher the following questions:•In which AP courses at our school am I likely to do well?• Do I I have the prerequisites for the AP course?•Are there other courses that can help me succeed in AP or prepare me for college and careers?

What steps do I need to take? •What is our school’s enrollment deadline?•May I speak with a student who has taken an AP course?•Are there study groups or people who can offer help if I need it?•What can I do next to help me prepare for AP?

AP®: Start the Conversation

________ ___ ______Questions and Answers

• AP information: apstudent.collegeboard.org

• College and Career Planning: bigfuture.org

• Personalized feedback, practice and college planning based on your PSAT/NMSQT® results: My College QuickStart™ www.collegeboard.org/quickstart

• AP credit policy information from colleges and universities: www.collegeboard.org/apcreditpolicy

AP®: Resources for Students and Families