Gladstone Secondary School
Advanced Placement
and the
AP International Diploma
Programme
Give yourself credit
What is Advanced Placement?
Advanced Placement is a programme of university and college level
courses and examinations for high school students. It is administered
by the College Board, headquartered in New York
(www.collegeboard.com/ap) with a Canadian office in Victoria, BC. An
Advanced Placement course offers university level content to
students at a high school level. Advanced Placement courses are
administered by the American College Board and are taught in over
13,000 schools worldwide. Over 1.8 million AP exams in 19 subject
areas are administered and graded according to rigorous AP
standards by 6,000 university professors and experienced AP
teachers. Each AP exam is given a grade on a five point scale:
5 - extremely well qualified (credit given for first year
course)
4 – well qualified (credit given for first year course)
3 – qualified
2 – possibly qualified
1 – no recommendation
AP: A World-Class
Academic Experience
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Students who take AP courses and exams are immersed
in university-level learning while still in secondary
school. The Advanced Placement Program, a rigorous
academic program administered at secondary schools
worldwide, offers more than 30 university-level courses
and exams.
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AP is recognized by universities around the world as a
standard of academic excellence. Universities offer
advanced placement, credit, or both, and/or recognize
AP in their admission process.
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AP is more than just a class and an exam; it’s a
community of students and educators who are
passionate, curious, and committed to learning and to
academic excellence. In an AP classroom, the focus is
not on memorizing facts and figures. Instead, students
engage in intense discussions, solve problems
collaboratively, think critically and creatively, approach
key topics from multiple perspectives, and learn to write
clearly and persuasively — skills needed to succeed at
the university level and in today’s global society.
Why should students take AP?
enrichment, challenge, preparation, and recognition
Students in AP courses study topics in greater depth, enhancing
their intellectual development. The AP programme acts as an
international marker against which students can measure their
educational progress. Because AP courses teach first year
university material, students may achieve advanced academic
standing or equivalent credits at participating universities. Students
who achieve scores of 4 or 5 can receive credit at many universities
in Canada, the United States, and overseas. This head start not only
gives students the opportunity to complete their degree faster but
also save some tuition fees.
Facts about AP
•
AP is the most widely used academic program in the world,
with more than 17,000 schools participating in AP, including
more than 1,000 schools in 116 countries outside the United
States.
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AP goes beyond “advanced-level” or “honours” courses; AP
offers secondary school students university-level courses and
exams that are aligned with core introductory courses at
universities.
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AP Exams assess university-level concepts and skills
necessary for success in post-secondary studies.
•
AP courses and exams are developed and scored by university
faculty from around the world, and reflect the educational
practices of leading higher education institutions.
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AP is the only university-level program for secondary schools
supported by research conducted by various colleges,
universities, and organizations. Studies consistently show that
students who take an AP course and who receive a score of 3
or higher on an AP Exam typically experience greater academic
success and higher university graduation rates than their nonAP peers.
•
AP promotes global perspectives and competencies with
courses and exams in subjects such as world history,
environmental science, and comparative government and
politics, among others. In addition, courses such as AP Art
History and AP English Literature and Composition also
include and encourage global perspectives.
•
AP is modular. Students can take and benefit from just one
individual course or from multiple AP courses and exams.
•
AP is flexible. Internationally mobile students can take AP
courses and exams at schools around the world. There is no
need to complete a multi-year programme in one school.
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AP helps students qualify for scholarships. A recent College
Board survey showed that a substantial percentage of colleges
and universities look at students’ AP experience when
determining scholarships.
Universities worldwide value and recognize AP experience
Regardless of whether a student takes an AP Exam in California, Cameroon,
Canada, China or Colombia, in the eyes of an experienced admission officer or
university faculty, success on an AP Exam demonstrates mastery of university
level concepts and skills within a particular discipline.
•
AP is widely recognized. More than 3,600 universities around the world
receive AP Exam scores.
•
Students who achieve scores of 4 or 5 can receive credit at many universities
in Canada, the United States, and overseas.
•
All Canadian colleges and universities offer advanced placement, credit or
both for successful AP Exam scores. *
* For information about credits offered at various institutions in British Columbia, visit
bctransferguide.ca/advanced/. For information about credits offered at institutions
worldwide visit www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/intad.html.
Some benefits of an AP Programme:
for high schools:
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it enhances the quality of the curriculum
it challenges academically capable students
it gives the university preparatory programme a
reputation for high quality and standards
Some benefits of an AP Programme:
for students:
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it provides university credit for courses taken in
high school (and saves on tuition costs)
it develops the analytical and study skills
required to succeed in university courses
it motivates students to undertake more
challenging work
it sets students on a more likely path to
university graduation
How do students enroll in AP courses?
Once students decide to take an AP course, it’s
easy to enroll.
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Students can talk to an AP teacher, their
school counsellor, or the AP Coordinator
about the courses they want to take, the
course workload, and any preparation they
might need for these university-level courses.
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Students who are home-schooled or who
attend a school that does not offer AP can still
participate. Each year hundreds of students
participate through independent study and
take AP Exams in May. In addition, although
some schools do not offer AP courses, they
may provide students with the option to take
AP Exams.
•
AP Exams are ordered by and administered in
secondary schools around the world.
AP Courses and Exams
current Gladstone AP courses
future AP courses
Arts
Mathematics & Computer Science
Art History
Music Theory
Studio Art: Drawing
Studio Art: 2-D Design
Studio Art: 3-D Design
Calculus AB
Calculus BC
Computer Science A
Statistics
English
Sciences
English Language & Composition
English Literature & Composition
Biology
Chemistry
Environmental Science
Physics B
Physics C: Electricity/Magnetism
Physics C: Mechanics
History & Social Sciences
World Languages
Comparative Government
European History
Human Geography
Macroeconomics
Microeconomics
US Government & Politics
US History
World History
Chinese Language & Culture
French Language
German Language
Japanese Language & Culture
Latin: Vergil
Spanish Language
Spanish Literature
The Advanced Placement International Diploma
•
The APID is available as an option for all students who
participate in AP outside of the United States and U.S.based students who send a score report to an
international university.
•
The APID demonstrates to universities a student’s
global outlook and high academic achievement across
several disciplines.
•
Students can earn an APID by receiving a score of 3 or
higher on the required combination of five AP Exams.
»» Two AP Exams from two different languages
selected from English and/or world languages.
»» One AP Exam designated as offering a global
perspective: Comparative Government and Politics,
Human Geography, or World History.
»» One exam from the sciences or mathematics
content areas.
»» One (or two) additional exam(s) from among any
content areas except English and world languages.
English 12 Advanced Placement
Literature and Composition
A tradition of
Academic Excellence
Academic Enrichment
Give Yourself Credit
Advanced Placement
English Literature and Composition
Offered by Gladstone’s
English Department
Is this course for you?
Would you like to know more about it?
Some comments about AP English
by recent Gladstone graduates:
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In many ways, I feel as if English AP has given me an advantage over other
students in that I have had experience in writing at university standards. It
has also increased my ability to think critically about written works and as
an acting student, I find this extremely useful. I would recommend English
AP to anyone wanting to attend any form of higher education, no matter
what you’re planning to study.
Emily S. (University of Essex, England)
Being apprehensive about taking an AP course, I soon realized that this
course inspired me to continue learning outside the classroom. For me, the
course taught me to look at things in a new light. I’m really glad I took it.
Kim N. (UBC, Commerce)
I liked English AP not because of what it meant in terms of post-secondary,
but because it was informative and entertaining. I learned a lot.
Marisa L. (SFU, General Studies)
Even though I planned on pursuing a science degree at university, AP was a
great way of preparing me for my English requirements.
Jason K. (UBC, Science)
Most recent Gladstone AP English results -- 2012
Number of students writing exam globally: 369,285
Number of Gladstone students writing exam: 21
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Percentage receiving a mark of 3 (pass) or better:
Globally: 56.7%
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Gladstone: 85.7%
Over-all performance distribution:
Lowest fourth second fourth third fourth top fourth:
Gladstone
Global
9.5
25
19
25
33.3
25
38.2
25
Most recent Gladstone AP English results -- 2011
Number of students writing exam globally: 358,525
Number of Gladstone students writing exam: 38
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Percentage receiving a mark of 3 or better:
Globally: 57.1%
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Gladstone: 68.4%
Over-all performance distribution:
Lowest fourth second fourth third fourth top fourth:
Gladstone
Global
15.8
25
18.4
25
31.6
25
34.2
25
To succeed, AP English students must:
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be able to read with careful attention to detail
be confident in class discussions and oral expression
be able to listen and participate in the thoughtful exchange of ideas
take responsibility for reading and writing assignments without relying on
outside help
be able to accept and offer constructive criticism
be able to accept and offer questions for which there are no clear answers
possess writing abilities which demonstrate control of mechanics, grammar,
usage, organization, diction, and syntax
seek out challenges and new concepts
possess a respect and regard for literature, composition
demonstrate a passion for learning
be willing to have fun
Advanced Placement
Literature and Composition
at Gladstone Secondary
For further information, contact:
Ray Guraliuk, English Department Head (rguraliuk@vsb.bc.ca)