AUBURN RIVERSIDE HIGH SCHOOL
501 ORAVETZ ROAD
AUBURN, WA 98092
David L. Halford, Principal
Nola Wilson, Assistant Principal
Frank Ramirez, Assistant Principal
Shawna Leonard, Assistant Principal
John Erickson, Dean of Students
253-804-5154 - Main Office
253-804-5165 - Attendance
253-804-5161 - Counseling
253-804-5159 - Athl/Activit
253-804-5168 - Fax
May 20, 2015
Dear Future AP Biology Student and Parents,
Hope you will enjoy or are enjoying your summer vacation. I am very pleased to have you as a member of
what promises to be an excellent class. I want to welcome you to a great year of learning. You may or may
not be familiar with the AP Biology course, so I am sharing some information in this letter that will enhance
your success and understanding of the course.
The Advanced Placement Program of the College Board is designed to let students in high school obtain
college credit. This is a program of credit by examination. The College Board hires the Educational Testing
Service (ETS) to write and grade the AP Biology Exam. Grades are assigned on a basis of 1-5 with a 3 as a
‘passing’ score. Most of this year’s exam will be based on a conceptual approach, which covers all subject
parts of biology with a mesh of unifying themes. At least 25-40% of the exam is based on the laboratory
experiences that we will do during the year. The College Board has suggested a number of labs that we will
perform during the year. Many of these labs will depend on your own knowledge, curiosity, and skills in
biology.
We will be spending at least 40% of our class time in the laboratory. We use biotechnology equipment that
ARHS Science Department has purchased as well as loaner equipment from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research
Center and UW Genome Center to enhance your knowledge and skills. By the end of the year, each AP
biology student will be able to use the scientific process, acquired laboratory skills, and knowledge to perform
self-design labs to solve a problem. You will be a scientist in the true sense of the word.
This course is a college course taught in the high school. Colleges expect a student to have an “equivalent”
experience to their freshman course, including laboratories, and to have mastered its content. Many colleges
give credit for a score of 3, 4, or 5. There are a few colleges which only give credit for a 4 or 5. The AP
Biology Exam is usually the second Monday morning in May, which is May 9, 2016. The AP exam is not a
requirement of the class, but is highly encouraged.
Each student and parent should not be surprised by course requirements that are in excess of what you expect
from a normal advanced course. It is not unusual for a student to be responsible for several levels of
assignments all at the same time. For example, there will be regular reading assignments, labs to write up,
study guides to complete, an occasional article to be read & summarized, book reviews, and daily reviewing of
notes.
In my estimation, the greatest challenge is for the students to remain consistent throughout the year. Students
will need to study regularly for this course. The strategy of catching up with a strong last minute push, does
not work in AP Biology.
Although extracurricular activities should be chosen wisely, past AP biology students have been able to
participate fully in athletics, student government, drama, clubs, and student publications, but they had to plan
their time carefully.
The priority you give the course is important because I know that you may be taking more than one AP
course. Please communicate with me if you foresee any conflicts. Some accommodations can be made if
enough advance notice is given. To help in this area, I hope to give you an advance schedule of topics of
study, reading assignments, laboratory days (some needing early start days, during “0” hour), due dates for
special assignments, and tests. A few times during the year we meet during the “0” hour for lab procedures
that require more than a 55 minute period to complete. In past years, the early lab occurred about 4-5 times
during the year. About half of the tests are in the form of take-homes. The tests are designed to prepare you
for the AP Exam.
A couple times a year, we attempt to have “Book Review Sessions”. Each student reads a book, fiction or
non-fiction, which is of interest to him or her. One review occurs in the fall/winter, and the other in late
spring. (Schedule and time permitting) I have included page, a brief list of possible books of interest on the
swift page AP website. [Sorry, the booklist is not the most current, but all these selections are good.] You are
not limited to these selections. You are encouraged to get a library copy of one of these books now while you
may have more leisure time to read. The format for a book review is also included on the website. You are
obligated to find a book that you want to read and that is related to biology.
Another good optional item to pick up this summer is a AP Biology review book. Cliff’s Notes, Princeton
editions, and Barron’s How to Prepare for the AP Biology book & flash cards are three references that
former students have found useful. Our textbook is Biology, 9th edition by Campbell. If you are interested in
acquiring your textbook, CD and on-line information for using the reference/textbook, please contact me and I
would be happy to get a copy ready for you to pick up at the main office. jshaw@auburn.wednet.edu
I highly recommend, if you have not taken a chemistry class, that you check out a chemistry textbook and
review through the first 4-5 chapters of the book. If you would like to borrow a chemistry textbook as a
resource for the review this summer, please send me an email jshaw@auburn.wednet.edu with such a request
and I will have a book ready for pick up in the main office.
Once you have read this letter carefully, please print out a copy, sign it and have your parent(s) sign it below
and show it to me on the first day of school. It is worth 5 points. Parents, if you have any question or
concerns, please contact me at school (253-804-5154) or email – jshaw@auburn.wednet.edu .
I look forward to working with you this year. I am sure that we will all learn a great deal. Enjoy your summer
and I will see you in the fall.
Yours truly,
Judy Shaw
AP Biology Teacher
Science Department Chair
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