Advanced Placement Program
in Belton ISD
Past, Present, and Future
What is Advanced Placement?
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The College Board designed exams in
academic areas to allow high school
students to earn college credit for
courses.
The AP exams are developed by college
professors and high school teachers to
measure a student’s knowledge in
specific academic areas.
The History of AP in Belton
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Belton High School has offered AP courses to
students since the 1980’s to help prepare
students to perform well on AP exams.
The AP exams are scored on a number scale
of 1 through 5 with 5 being the highest
possible score.
Most exams are considered “qualifying for
college credit” with a score of 3 or higher.
AP Grade Explanation
according to the College Board
AP Grade
5
4
3
2
1
Qualification
Extremely Well Qualified
Well Qualified
Qualified
Possibly Qualified
No Recommendation
Student Interest in AP courses
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The AP courses have been offered as an
alternative to regular level classes in the core
academic areas such as English and math
since the 1980’s.
Student interest in more specific courses such
as European History, Physics B and C,
Calculus BC, and Statistics has propelled
Belton High School into creating and offering
these specialized courses.
Courses Presently Offered at
Belton High School
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AP
AP
AP
AP
AP
AP
AP
AP
AP
AP
AP
AP
AP
English Literature
English Language and Composition
Statistics
Calculus AB and BC
Government
U.S. History
European History
Biology
Chemistry
Physics B and C
French
Spanish
German
Students Scoring 3 or higher
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
% of Students
Number of Students Taking
the AP Exams
250
200
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
150
100
50
0
# of Tests Administered Per
Year
Students Taking AP Courses
Students Taking AP-Level Courses from 1999 to 2005
Year
Number of
Students
Enrolled in AP
Courses
Number of
Students
Enrolled in All
Courses
Percentage of
Students
Enrolled in AP
Courses
1999
280
8721
3.2%
2000
621
11568
5.4%
2001
675
11257
6.0%
2002
586
10814
5.4%
2003
791
10707
7.4%
2004
2728
26773
10.2%
2005
2700
27023
10.0%
What percent of BHS students are
enrolled in at least one AP level
course?
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Seniors – 45%
(based on AP Government and/or AP English IV)
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Juniors – 44%
(based on AP US History and/or English III)
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Sophomores – 43%
(based on Pre-AP English II, Pre-AP Chemistry, Pre-AP World History, and/or Pre-AP Algebra
II)
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Freshmen – 48%
(based on Pre-AP English I, Pre-AP Biology, and/or Pre-AP Geometry)
Growth of AP Program
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AP classes are steadily growing in
enrollment
AP test scores do not have much
fluctuation over the past 4 years
AP test takers fluctuate yet there is an
increase overall
Present Need for AP Program
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More students taking the AP exams after
completing the course
More students scoring 3 or higher
Common understanding of the purpose for
enrolling in the AP and Pre-AP courses to
take the exam
Common understanding of teachers as to the
ultimate goal of Belton students qualifying for
college credit on the AP exams
All subjects equally performing at high levels
Present Endeavors to Advance
the AP Program
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AP Audit
Vertical Alignment Collaboration
Sessions have been ongoing throughout
the 2005 Fall semester to align the PreAP coursework offered at middle
schools as well as the high school to the
AP exam requirements specific to the
academic area taught.
Present Endeavors to Advance
the AP Program (cont.)
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Pre-AP teachers are attending training
designed for vertical alignment in
conjunction with the College Board and
its affiliates, AP Strategies Organization.
Discussions with various districts are
ongoing focused on past and present
experiences with AP Programs.
Future Aims for the AP
Program
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Using the BISD curriculum guides and AP
resources, create a vertical alignment for PreAP and AP classes that ensures student
success on the AP exams while remaining
focused on increasing TAKS scores.
Have a unified goal for Pre-AP and AP
students and teachers that is appropriate for
individual grade levels while keeping the end
in mind (i.e. the AP exams).