September, 2013
Dear AP Biology Students and Parents:
Welcome to an exciting year of science inquiry in the field of Biology! I am fortunate to have so many
students interested in my favorite subject.
As most of you know, the Advanced Placement Program allows high school students to obtain college
credit and/or advanced placement in college. Remember, however, that it is a program of credit by
examination. In order to receive college credit or advanced placement, you must take the AP Biology
Examination, which will be offered this school year on Monday, May 13, 2013. There is a fee of
approximately $87 for the test, which is paid by the student. Fee reductions are available to qualified
students; contact your school counselor for more information. Grades on this multiple choice and
essay exam are assigned on a 1 to 5 scale, with a “3” considered a ‘passing’ (equivalent to a college
grade of C) grade. (5 is highest, 1 is lowest.) Most of the exam questions are based on content, and
about 25% are laboratory-based questions.
Because this is a college level course, it is inherently difficult and challenging, because colleges expect
students to have taken a course that is equivalent to their own freshman biology courses. While most
colleges have accepted a 3 or better in the past, few colleges will now accept a 3 for credit or advanced
placement for science majors. Most colleges do accept a 4 or 5 for science majors. If you do not intend
to major in science, you may find that the college of your choice will accept a 3 for credit. The tougher
standards have been enacted for several reasons, the most important of which is that there has a been
a considerable upgrade in the quality and quantity of subject matter taught in introductory college
courses over the past 10 years. In addition, colleges are placing a greater emphasis on laboratory
experiences, and may teach many concepts in the lab rather than in lecture as has been traditional in
the past.
A significant part of the AP Biology course is the required completion of the 12 labs designed by the
American College Board. You will receive, as part of your course materials, the American College Board
AP Biology laboratory manual. If you choose to write in this manual, you will be assessed a fee of
$23.00. The text used is Biology, 8th Edition, by Campbell and Reese. You will also be issued a Study
Guide, AP Test Prep book, and CD to complement the text. If you choose to write or highlight in the
text, AP Test Prep book, or study guide, you will be assessed $125.00 for the text, $26.50 for the study
guide, and $16.50 for the AP test prep book. If you should lose or damage your CD, you will be assessed
$16.50.
With all this in mind, it is important for you to consider why you are taking AP biology. If your primary
reason is simply to gain high school science credit, or to broaden your store of biology knowledge, this
course can meet your needs but will be extremely challenging. If your goal is to obtain college credit for
biology, you should find out what AP scores are required by your prospective college to gain credit, and
you must take the AP Biology exam. It would be in your best interest to contact the biology department
of the college you plan to attend to gain information about their credit/placement policies. Additionally,
some college credit policy information may be found on the College Board website
http://apps.collegeboard.com/apcreditpolicy/index.jsp.
The most difficult challenge of any AP course is the requirement to maintain a consistent effort
throughout the year. Seniors especially may have difficulty in that area (‘senioritis’). If you are not sure
that you can maintain a high level of effort until May 14th (the date of the AP Biology exam), you should
analyze your reasons for taking this course.
Attached to this letter is my syllabus for this year’s AP Bio course. This will give you an idea of the pace
of the course. You will note that this syllabus is aligned with the American College Board’s syllabus. The
number of days we spend on any given topic will directly relate to the percentage assignment by topic
on the College Board syllabus. This syllabus is posted on the class wiki, which can be accessed via this
path: BPS websiteparent/student tabstudent linkswikispacesSeaholm HSwichersAP. You
will want to bookmark this site on your home computer.
In keeping with the college format, grading will be as follows:
Trimester Grade:
Tests and quizzes
Laboratories, and
other written work
Final Trimester Grade:
Trimester grade
Final exam
60%
40%
80%
20%
Because of the tremendous volume of material to be covered in this course, not all will be covered in
the classroom. As in college, students will be responsible for all material assigned, whether or not it was
discussed in the classroom. We will cover the entire textbook before the AP exam in May, which
represents an enormous reading load. I will expect every student to keep a journal, which will consist of
notes taken in class, and while reading. Taking notes is a necessary and important skill for a college
student, and absolutely necessary for success in this class. Again, if this is not what you anticipated,
please rethink your reasons for taking this course.
Tests will be structured much like the AP exam itself, to offer students practice in advance of the actual
exam. The AP exam has been restructured. The first 90 minutes will consist of 63 multiple choice
questions and 6 ‘grid-in’ questions. The final 90 minutes will consist of two long free response
questions, and 6 short free response questions. During the first week of May, I will give a ‘practice’ AP
exam, based on tests given in prior years. This will be the final exam for the third trimester.
I am looking forward to this year of exciting biological discoveries. If you should have any questions,
please email me at biowicks@wtw.waveform.net. In addition, I am available to students during X
blocks, and many days early in the morning.
Sincerely,
Linda Wichers
AP Biology Instructor
Seaholm High School
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