AP© NIGHT
Thursday, November 5th, 2015
What is the Advanced Placement Program?
The AP© Experience: This is your college-level class.
• AP is about having the experience of a college student,
today. In AP courses, you’ll tackle challenging topics
head on and investigate issues that matter to you. You’ll
learn about exciting subjects in depth, and your AP
teacher and your classmates will help you learn and get
the most out of AP.
The College Board says…
Set yourself apart for college.
• Let colleges know that you’re serious about your
education — with AP on your transcript, you’ll show
that you’ve challenged yourself with rigorous course
work.
• Earn college credit and potentially skip introductory
courses if you do well on the AP Exam. This can save
tuition costs. (Approx. $100 for AP Exam vs. $300 $500+ per course PLUS books!)
• Experience college level coursework while you are still
in high school.
Comparing AP Students to Students with Comparable Academic
Profiles
How much more likely were AP students to graduate from college?
40%
35%
30%
34%
33%
28%
AP Exam Grade of 3-4-5
AP Exam Grade of 1-2
28%
Took AP Course, but not Exam
26%
25%
22%
22%
23%
20%
19%
20%
17%
16%
15%
12%
10%
10%
12%
5%
0%
African
Americans
Hispanic
White
Low Income
Not Low
Income
Source: Bill Strickland
2010 College Board AP Summer Institute
What does this tell me?
• The point is,
regardless of who
you are, just
participating in
the AP program
increases your
chances of
graduating
college.
Georgia AP Classes are Trending…
• Over the last 4 years, Georgia’s public school
students’ participation has increased 26%.
• In May 2014, 54% of Georgia’s AP exams received
scores of a 3, 4 or 5.
• Georgia’s total AP exam takers increased 9.2% since
2013, compared to 6.2% nationwide.
• Georgia’s African American AP exam takers increased
9.7% from 2013 to 2014. (African American Students
scoring 3 – 5 increased 11.9%.)
• Georgia’s Hispanic AP exam takers increased 15.5%
from 2013 to 2014. (Hispanic Students scoring 3 – 5
increased 9.4% since 2013 and 62% since 2010.)
How does FCHS compare to other
Forsyth County Schools?
• County-wide rankings of
AP Students scoring a
3 – 5 on all AP Exams
for the 2014 – 2015
School Year.
100
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Lambert (80.3%)
South Forsyth (73.9%)
West Forsyth (68.7%)
North Forsyth (65.7%)
Forsyth Central (64.7%)
80
60
40
20
0
SFHS
FCHS
LHS
WFHS
NFHS
% Students Making a 3 - 5
Schools of Interest
What is the Admissions Office looking for?
UGA
• Avg. # of AP courses 6.5
• SAT 1800 – 2060
• ACT 28 – 32
Georgia Tech
• # of AP/IB Courses 6 – 11
• SAT 2050 – 2240
• ACT 30 – 33
Most colleges look for increased rigor throughout a student’s
high school career!
UGA Course Equivalencies
http://www.reg.uga.edu/creditFromTe
sting/advancedPlacement/uga_ap_cre
dit_equivalencies
GA Tech Course Equivalenices
http://www.catalog.gatech.edu/student
s/ugrad/geninfo/advplacement.php
What Counts in College Admissions?
“...grades in college prep courses, strength of curriculum and grades in
all courses—in that order—are among the top factors that colleges
consider in making admission decisions (along with admission test
scores, which rank third). Although overall GPA serves as an
indicator of a student’s academic success in high school, strength of
curriculum—and particularly grades in college prep courses—are
better indicators of a student’s likelihood of succeeding in college.
College prep courses—which include Advanced Placement (AP),
International Baccalaureate (IB), dual enrollment, and other
advanced coursework—are designed to approximate college-level
work.”
- 2011 NACAC Survey of College Admission Officials
AP College Credit
• Students taking AP exams are awarded exam scores
between 1 and 5 by the College Board, with 5 being the
highest score awarded and a minimum of 3 being required
for credit.
• Students must take the AP exam in each course for which
they wish to be considered for college credit. Students are
awarded possible college credit based on EXAM scores,
NOT AP course grades.
• Colleges & universities have their own policies for awarding
college credit—please check with individual colleges for
that information using the following link:
https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/creditandplacement/se
arch-credit-policies
©
Placement
Is Advanced
the right choice for me?
Am I ready to take an
©
AP
course ?
Pick an AP class that’s right for you.
• Start with your interests — what do you enjoy?
• What do you want to learn more about?
Explore the AP courses offered at your school,
and see how they can get you started on a path
to many college majors and careers at
exploreap.org.
• Ask your counselor or teacher how you can get
ready for AP. This might include courses you
need to take before an AP course.
AP Course
Offerings
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
AP Language/Composition
AP Literature
AP Calculus AB
AP Calculus BC
AP Statistics
AP Biology
AP Chemistry
AP Environmental Science
AP Physics C
AP Physics 1
AP Human Geography
AP European History
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
AP World History
AP US History
AP Macroeconomics
AP Government/Politics: US
AP Psychology
AP French Language
AP Spanish Language
AP German Language
AP Computer Science
AP History of Art
AP Studio 2D: Design Portfolio
AP Studio 3D: Design Portfolio
AP Studio: Drawing Portfolio
Should I Take an
©
AP
Course ?
Students & parents should make this decision after
considering ALL of the following:
•
•
•
•
•
Past & current academic performance
Student academic readiness
Teacher recommendation
Student (not parent) interest & motivation
Demands on time & competing interests
©
AP
or Dual Enrollment?
Research Finding #1
• AP Participation has
a much more
positive impact on
college graduation
rates than dual
enrollment
participation.
Source: College Board, “AP and Dual
Enrollment: Options for Schools
and Students”, 2009.
©
AP
or Dual Enrollment?
Research Finding #2
• Not all AP and dual enrollment students deserve college credit; college
credit is only warranted by students demonstrating a significant level
of content mastery, such as demonstrated by AP students earning
qualifying AP Exam scores.
Source: College Board, “AP and Dual Enrollment: Options for Schools and Students”, 2009.
Is AP© the right choice for me?
Students who are successful in AP© courses
tend to have:
• High interest in learning the subject
• Strong communication skills (reading, writing, speaking,
listening)
• Ability to process & understand new information quickly
• A positive attitude about challenging academic work
• Ability to prioritize tasks & manage time effectively
Is AP© the right choice for me?
Students & parents should evaluate
readiness by looking at academic
performance and work ethic, not just
academic potential.
Your Contacts at
Forsyth Central High School
• Mrs. Kim Head
FCHS Assistant Principal/AP Coordinator
• School Counselors
–
–
–
–
–
Mrs. Ashley Kozee (A – DEC)
Mr. James Bond (DEE – JOI)
Mrs. Kyleigh Swanburg (JOJ – OL)
Ms. Grace Savage (OM – ST)
Mr. Rafael Santiago (SU – Z, ELL)