Advanced Placement
and Honors Courses
Everything you need to know to make
the best course selections for the
2015-16 school year
March 12, 2015
Should I Take Honors/AP Courses?
Clues to your honors potential:
 Are you a strong student? You need to have
achieved a B or better in an Honors Class or have
an A average in a standard class.
 Do you do more than the minimum amount of
work required?
 Do you look for challenges outside of class?
 Are you organized and always prepared?
Honors Courses
Honors Level Courses are available in the following
academic areas:
 English
 Math
 Science
 Social Studies
 Art/Music/Drama
 World Languages
Honors Courses
Increased COURSE RIGOR:
 Students use higher level thinking and reasoning
skills.
 Students learn to make connections to the “bigger
ideas/concepts.”
 Students have some additional work.
***Rigor does not just mean MORE WORK***
AP Courses
 AP stands for Advanced Placement.
 They are college-level classes taught at
the high school.
 Students receive credit on the high
school transcript.
 Students can receive college credit
based on the AP exam score.
AP Course Information
 All AP courses are offered on a year-long
schedule.
 All AP courses, except science lab courses,
meet every other day for 90 minutes on an A
day/B day schedule.
 AP Biology, AP Chemistry, and AP Physics
courses meet every day for 90 minutes.
 Students earn one credit for each AP course.
Suggested Guidelines for
Honors/AP Courses
1. Grade of B(85-92) in a prerequisite
honors course OR
2. Grade of A(93-100) in a prerequisite
regular course
3. A separate WAIVER may need to be
signed by both parent and student if
prerequisites are not met.
Quality Points for Honors
and AP Courses
 Taking honors and AP Courses can positively
impact the GPA.
 Honors courses receive 1 Quality Point for
current students and .5 point beginning with
the freshman class of 2015-2016.
 AP Courses receive 2 Quality Points for current
high school students and 1 point beginning with
the freshman class of 2015-2016.
Benefits of AP Courses
 A 2008 study found that AP students had
better four-year graduation rates than
those who did not take AP.
 For example, graduation rates for AP
English Literature students were 62
percent higher than graduation rates for
those who took other English courses.
Linda Hargrove, Donn Godin, and Barbara Dodd, "College Outcomes
Comparisons by AP and Non-AP High School Experiences." The College
Board, 2008.
More Benefits of AP Courses
 Taking AP also increases eligibility for
scholarships and makes candidates more
attractive to colleges.
 31 percent of colleges and universities consider a
student's AP experience when making decisions
about which students will receive scholarships.
 85 percent of selective colleges and universities
report that a student's AP experience favorably
impacts admissions decisions.
-Unpublished institutional research, Crux Research, Inc. March 2007
AP Exam Information
 Exams are administered by school personnel
in May. The calendar is set by The College
Board, www.Collegeboard.com .
 This school year the state is paying the exam
fees for all students.
 Individual colleges determine amount of
college credit awarded based on student score.
 Ms. Jennifer Elliot coordinates AP testing at
Hopewell.
English AP Courses
AP Language and Composition
-Fulfills graduation requirement for English III
AP Literature and Composition
-Fulfills graduation requirement for English IV
Mathematics AP Courses
AP Statistics
AP Calculus AB
AP Calculus BC
Science AP Courses
AP Biology
AP Chemistry
AP Environmental Science
AP Physics
Social Studies AP Courses
 AP US History
-Fulfills graduation requirement for one social studies
 AP European History
 AP Government
 AP World History
 AP Psychology
 AP Human Geography
Art AP Courses
AP Studio Art
 2-D
Design
 3-D Design
 Drawing
Info from Hopewell Students…
 Kaelyn Alexander  Luke Sandry
 Gianna Glass
 Matt Walker
 Timer Colen
 Morgan Wolfkill
 Mia Greene
CTE Academies and Clusters
 Academy of Engineering
 Academy of Hospitality & Tourism
 Arts, A/V Technology & Communications
Cluster
 Health Science Cluster
 Marketing Cluster
***Project Lead The Way (PLTW)
courses receive extra quality points and
can help students earn college credit
in Engineering.
Career and College Promise - CPCC
 For Juniors or Seniors
 Minimum Weighted GPA of 3.0
 Allows students to earn both high school
and college credit
 Courses earn 1 extra quality point
 See Ms. Ann Wayland, Career
Development Coordinator at
at Hopewell, for information.
More Information
Teachers are one of the
best sources of information
to help students determine
course selections.
DISCUSSION and REFRESHMENTS
CAFETERIA
Light Refreshments
AP/Honors Teachers available
for questions/ information