Welcome to
Allatoona High School’s
Honors/AP Showcase
Tuesday, Feb 15, 2011
Honors/AP Showcase Goal
Students, parents, and faculty members will
encourage and support enrollment in higher
level courses, which include Honors and AP.
Student Learning Priority
Increase critical thinking skills in all content
areas.
What are the Benefits of Taking an
Honors or AP Course?
What Will I Have to do to Succeed in
an Honors or AP Course?
College Admissions Counselors
Report Course Rigor is
A Predictor of Success
College admissions counselors report that
the best indicator of student success in
college is the rigor of coursework
undertaken in high school.
The Tool Box Revisted: Paths to Degree Completion from High School Through
College (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, 2006), Clifford Adelman
Factors that Are Used
in Making Admissions Decisions
“Admissions officers are increasingly weeding out applicants who take it easy in
high school by giving more weight to grades in tougher classes.”
“8 Big Changes to College Admissions in 2010 and 2011,” Kim Clark, November 15, 2010, U.S.News & World
Report
Why Honors and AP Courses?
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Research has documented that rigorous
coursework in high school is essential for
success in college.
At the same time, we know that far too few
students are taking the challenging courses
they need to be prepared for college-level
work.
Preparing Students for Success in College, American Association of State
Colleges and Universities, Volume 2 ◆ Number 2 ◆ February 2005
What is the relative importance of
specific academic factors in
admission decisions?
According to UGA and Georgia Tech:
 Rigor of secondary school record: Very important
 Class rank: Not considered
 Academic GPA: Very important
 Standardized test scores: Important
 Application essay: Considered
http://www.eduers.com
What is the relative importance of specific
academic factors in admission decisions?
According to UGA:
“GPA and rigor of curriculum weigh roughly three to
two to standardized tests in predicting academic
success at UGA. Effectively, this means that a
student with a 4.0 GPA in a superior curriculum of
Advanced Placement (AP) or International
Baccalaureate (IB) courses might be admitted
with an SAT score at or below 1000.”
UGA Freshman Admission Statistics:
Class of 2014

Total number of applicants: 17,659
Total number of Accepted Freshmen: 9,965
Mid-50% range for GPA: 3.72-4.03
Mid-50% range for the SAT CR and M: 1220-1400
Mid-50% range for the SAT Writing: 580-680
Mid-50% range for the ACT: 27-31

Average number of AP/IB courses: over 5.5
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Georgia Tech
AP Credit… An Outcome of Success
“Advanced Placement can be beneficial to students who are
already well prepared in basic course requirements in
chemistry, physics, math, English, social sciences, and
humanities.
By demonstrating knowledge of a subject, students may
exempt designated courses for academic credit or
advanced class standing.”
“We not only factor APs into the recalculation of a high
school GPA but also do Rigor Counts, which is a raw
number of AP, IB, or Dual Enrolled courses a student has
taken during their high school career.”
Georgia Tech
FALL 2010 FRESHMAN INFO
*0.5 points given for each AP, IB, or College Course a student has taken

Avg # of AP/IB/College Classes taken through 11th grade: 3.2
Could College Credit Be In Your
Future Before You Even Get There?
At the University of Georgia:
An English Literature score of “4” or “5” earns a
student six credit hours
(English 1101 and 1102)
At Georgia Southern:
A Chemistry score of “3”
earns a student six credit hours
(Chemistry 1146 and 1147)
AP and College Success™
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.
70
61
60
45
50
40
29
30
20
Source: Camara, Wayne (2003).
College Persistence, Graduation, and Remediation. College
Board Research Notes (RN-19). New York, NY:
College Board
10
0
No AP
One AP
Two+ AP
Characteristics of Successful
Honors/AP Students
•They have a genuine love of learning and a
positive attitude.
•They have good time management skills.
•They are willing to put forth their best effort, and
are able to do homework on a daily basis.
Honors Courses Have…..
•More in-depth analysis of material
•More challenging projects and papers
•A faster pace
•A desire for excellence
What is the Advanced Placement Program?
The Advanced Placement Program,
administered by The College Board and
taught at local high schools,
allows students to participate in a
college level course and possibly earn
college credit while still in high school.
How to Be A Successful
Advanced Placement Student
1. Take advanced placement courses in subjects at which you have
already demonstrated ability.
2. Remember that advanced placement courses are taught at a college
level. This requires that students put forth more effort than mere rote
memorization and repetition of data.
3. Be well-organized. Organization enables students to develop and
maintain notes and to properly pace themselves in completing
assignments.
4. Be self-motivated. Be prepared to teach yourself some aspects of the
subject that the teacher has not taught.
AP classes…
● Are more challenging and stimulating
● Are more time consuming and require
more work.
● Require energetic, involved, and
motivated students.
Interested?
•Talk to your parents, counselors,
teachers, and other students.