The Advanced Placement Program
at
West Forsyth
High School
Dr. Tom Fowler
AP Coordinator
Coordinator
Mrs. Donna Duncan
Assistant AP
What is AP?
A challenging set of academic courses based on
college-level curricula.
Rigorous end-of-course examinations graded
against national standards.
Students will meet College Board’s curriculum
requirements, as well as Georgia’s.
Why Colleges Like the AP Program
Common curriculum across the nation.
Professional development institutes and
seminars for teachers in the program.
Standardized assessments each year that are
the same for all students.
Students are better prepared for academic rigor
of college
Benefits of the AP Program
For Colleges and Universities
– Students better prepared
– Students placed in appropriate courses
– Improves high school and college articulation
– Increases enrollment
Benefits of the AP Program
For High Schools
– Improves quality of the curriculum
– Keeps students motivated and challenged
– Enables teachers to present advanced
content
– Provides educators with nationally-normed
feedback
– Raises rigor of all academics
Benefits of the AP Program
For Students
– College credit
– Academic challenge
– Academic skills needed for college
– Increase in self-confidence, motivation, and
academic orientation
The Rewards of AP
Prepare for success in college by taking collegelevel courses while still in high school
– Explore advanced topics -- study in greater
depth
– Develop advanced skills -- form disciplined
study habits
– Build confidence in capability to succeed in
college
The Rewards of AP
Opportunity to earn college credit or advanced
placement
– Possible tuition savings
– Save money in unused textbooks
– Flexibility in college course choice
– Early entry to graduate/professional schools
Students who Participate…
outperform their peers when placed into
advanced courses.
are more likely to take advanced courses in their
AP subject areas.
are more likely to choose challenging majors.
are more likely to graduate with a double major.
are twice as likely to go into advanced study.
Sequence of Courses
9th grade – Human Geography, Biology,
Psychology
10th grade – World History, Biology,
Psychology, Human Geography
11th and 12th grade – any of 18 remaining
22 AP Courses offered at West
Computer Science is the newest course
Advanced Placement
International Diploma (APID)
Receive Certificate from College Board
Criteria:
1. earn a three or higher on at least five AP Exams in
languages (2), global perspective courses (1), sciences
or mathematics (1), any other content area except
English or world languages (1)
2. Submit scores to at least one university outside US
AP Capstone Program
An innovative that equips students with the independent
research, collaborative teamwork, and communication
skills that are increasingly valued by colleges.
Its foundation is a new, two-course high school
sequence—AP Seminar and AP Research—designed to
complement and enhance the in-depth discipline-specific
study provided through AP courses.
It cultivates curious, independent, and collaborative
scholars and prepares them to make logical and
evidence-based decisions.
https://secure-media.collegeboard.org/digitalServices/pdf/ap/apcapstone/ap-capstone-educator-brochure.pdf
What Counts in College
Admissions
82
Courses Selected
46
SAT Scores
42
Class Rank
39
Overall Grades
14
Essay
6
Work/School Activity
0
1992 NACAC Survey
College Admissions
Officials
20
40
60
80
% citing “considerably important”
100
AP and College Success™
70
61
60
50
45
40
30
29
No AP
One AP
Two+ AP
20
10
0
Source: Camara, Wayne. (2003). College Persistence,
Graduation, and Remediation. College Board Research
Notes (RN-19). New York, NY: College Board.
Students who take
AP® courses and
exams are much
more likely than
their peers to
complete a
bachelor’s degree in
four years or less.
West Forsyth by the Numbers
1022 students taking at least one AP Course
(340% increase since 1st year)
22 AP Courses offered at West
2001 AP Courses currently being taken at West
542 (53%) taking two or more AP Courses
164 taking three AP Courses
69 taking four AP Courses
25 taking five AP Courses
4 taking six AP Courses
West Forsyth by the Numbers
AP Merit School – 20% or more of students
take an AP Exam and at least half of
exams score a 3 or higher
Earned this distinction in 2007-08, 2008-09,
2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13
Will earn it again for 2013-2014
AP STEM School and AP STEM Achievement
school in those years
West Forsyth by the Numbers
AP Scholar Distinction
In 2013-2014, 272 West students earned an AP
Scholar Distinction (of 898 students who took AP – 29% vs.
20% nationally)
13 National AP Scholars (Avg. 4 or higher on all AP
Exams; score of 4 or higher on eight or more exams)
82 AP Scholars with Distinction (Avg. 3.5 or higher on
all AP Exams; score of 3 or higher on five or more exams)
51 AP Scholars with Honors (Avg. 3.25 or higher on all
AP Exams; score of 3 or higher on four or more exams)
126 AP Scholars (score of 3 or higher on three or more
exams)
West Forsyth AP Commitment
Contract
Must be submitted in order to take an AP
Course
Copies will be available online.
AP Resource/Study Center
Location: Room 2310
Hours of Operation:
7am – 8am Monday – Friday
3:45pm – 5pm Monday – Thursday
AP Contacts
AP Central
– http://apcentral.collegeboard.com
Colleges’ AP Credit Policies
– http://apps.collegeboard.com/apcreditpolicy/index.jsp
AP Student Resources
– www.collegeboard.com/?student
AP Parent Resources
– http://www.collegeboard.com/parents/
Contact WFHS AP Coordinators:
Dr. Tom Fowler
tfowler@forsyth.k12.ga.us
770-888-3470 Ext: 331027
Mrs. Donna Duncan
dduncan@forsyth.k12.ga.us
770-888-3470 Ext: 332903