How to make informed
decisions about Social Studies
AP Courses
AP PSYCHOLOGY
AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
AP WORLD HISTORY
AP US HISTORY
AP AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
AP EUROPEAN HISTORY
AP MACRO ECONOMICS
Cynthia Lloyd – Social Studies Department Chair cynthia.lloyd@cms.k12.nc.us
or 980-343-6300 ext 40020237
starting with the Class of 2016 (9th graders in 2012-2013)
To be taken in this order, in consecutive years
9th GRADE
World History
Standard or
Honors
10th GRADE
Civics and
Economics
Standard or
Honors
11th GRADE
Amer. History 1
Standard or
Honors
11th/12th
GRADE
Amer. Hist 2
Standard or
Honors
11th GRADE
AP US History
(Advanced
Placement)
Please refer to the handouts identifying all electives and AP courses in
Social Studies that are offered at Butler.
Social Studies AP Courses
with no prerequisite…
 AP Psychology
 AP Human Geography
 AP World History (can count as the required World credit)
 In order to take these courses students will need to get an “AP
Profile” form from their 8th grade counselor, fill out it with their
parents and return it to their middle school next week.
 Students will meet with Mrs. Lloyd (SS Dept Chair) and/or Ms.
Ferguson (API) to discuss their choices and answer any
questions
 Student will be asked to complete a short writing prompt. We
will be able to use this to give students and parents feedback in
order to help them make informed decisions about these classes.
Most Honors Students must take….
 Honors World History
 Honors Civics and Econ
 Honors American 1
 Honors American 2
or
Most of the top students at
Butler will take 2 or 3 elective
AP Social Studies courses
during their 4 years.
AP US History
&
Another Elective or
AP course at some
point during the 4
years
AP Resources on your tables
 AP Textbooks – college-level
 AP syllabus for each course
 AP assessments –Free Response (FRQ) and
Document-Based Questions (DBQ)
College board website
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/courses
/teachers_corner/index.html
Data from our 1st year of
9th grade AP students
 9 current 9th graders taking AP classes at Butler
 1 dropped out of AP
 7 of 9 are performing adequately
 The high performing students all had A’s in Honors
LA and Social studies as 8th graders and scored a IV
on the EOGs.
AP Teachers
 AP Psychology – Scott Fernandez
 AP Human Geography – Stephen Lloyd
 AP World History – Kurt Wessler
I am ready for an AP course if…
 I am able to learn and master concepts by myself.
 I am able apply what I learn to new situations and not
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





just memorize facts.
I am able to organize my thoughts and communicate
them in written form.
I am able to develop a thesis and defend it.
I recognize success in an AP course may not be an A but
might be a C.
I am willing to work hard for the sake of learning and not
just a grade.
I am willing and able to commit the necessary amount of
time to be successful.
I am sophisticated enough to handle mature content.
I am willing to take a college level course as a 14 year old.
AP Courses
 AP courses challenge the very brightest students
 College-Level courses
 College credit is granted for scoring a minimum of a
3 out of 5 on the AP exam.
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3 out of 5 is anywhere between 40 and 70% of all students
Top colleges require a 5 which is roughly 15-20%
Butler High school AP students have consistently exceeded
local, state and national averages. In CMS’ last data release we
were ranked 2nd in CMS for AP scores.
Taking AP classes in 9th grade will decrease your child’s
chances of scoring a 5 or a 3 (credit for most colleges)
Survey given to my current AP Psych 10th
graders
(I have over 50 of the top 10th graders at BHS)…
Based on what you know now, do you think you would
have taken and could have handled this course in 9th
grade if it was available to you”. If no, please state
why?
 Survey results: 7 answered yes. Most common
reason given for why not was “9th grade is a
transition year for increased academic rigor,
individual responsibility for learning
material.”
AP Psychology
 AP Psych teachers Blog…
I entered a discussion question regarding 9th graders
taking AP
Out of 27 responses..
a) None had ever heard of freshman taking AP psych
b) 11 did not allow 10th graders to take it in their
districts other than CMS.
AP Psychology
 c) taking AP classes as a 9th grader is extremely rare.
 d) nobody thought it was a good idea.
 The most common reason was 1. “9th grade is a
transition year from middle school” and 2. they will
not get as much value out of the course because of
their age. 14 year old taking a course designed for a
19 year old.
What is AP Psychology
 Formally defined, Psychology is the study of
individual behavior and mental processes.
 30% of course is considered to be biologically based.
 Topics include but are not limited to:
Social Psychology
States of Consciousness
Personality
Motivation
Emotion
Neuroscience
Psychological Disorders
Memory and Cognition.
AP Human Geography
 What the HECK is Human
Geography?
 It combines history, sociology,
psychology, anthropology,
economics, political science AND
geography to focus on the topics
of:
 Human population
 Cultural and political organization
 Agriculture
 Economic development
 Urbanization
AP Human Geography
In general…..the stronger a student’s background in
World History (9th),
Civics and Economics (10th),
and US History (11th)
…the better able they are to understand and make
connections between historical and cultural themes
to abstract geographic concepts:
Globalization, migration, diffusion, distribution,
divergence, convergence, development
AP World History
 Will count as a student’s required World History
credit.
 If a student chooses to take Honors World as a 9th
grader, they may still take AP World later as an
elective credit.
 Course is for the historian not the social scientist
 Test differences: DBQ, change over time essay and
comparative essay with M/C
I am ready for an AP course if…
 I am able to learn and master concepts by myself.
 I am able apply what I learn to new situations and not







just memorize facts.
I am able to organize my thoughts and communicate
them in written form.
I am able to develop a thesis and defend it.
I recognize success in an AP course may not be an A but
might be a C.
I am willing to work hard for the sake of learning and not
just a grade.
I am willing and able to commit the necessary amount of
time to be successful.
I am willing to take a college level course as a 14 year old.
I am sophisticated enough to handle mature content.
FAQs
 Can I drop the course next fall after school starts?
Yes, within the first 10 classes, but you will have to go
into another A/B scheduled course which limits your
options. If you change to a 4x4 course your entire
schedule will most likely be affected
 Specific questions may be addressed with the teachers at
the tables in the 400 hall tonight.
 Mr. Leach is speaking in the auditorium at 6:00