YORK CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
ST. JOAN OF ARC CATHOLIC
HIGH SCHOOL
ADVANCED
PLACEMENT (AP)
PROGRAM
What is Advanced
Placement?
 The Advanced Placement program is a
highly academic international program
which was established by the College
Board in 1955. It is currently administered
by the College Board and taught at local
high schools.
 AP allows students to participate in
university-level courses and possibly earn
university credits while still in high school.
 Secondary schools and universities
cooperate in this program to give students
the opportunity to show mastery in
university-level courses by taking the AP
exam.
YORK CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD:
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING INSPIRED BY
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What is AP? Continued…

The College Board sets up the curriculum and
organizes the examinations

AP course descriptions and exams are developed by
committees composed of university professors and
experienced AP teachers

There are approximately 38 AP courses offered by the
College Board

In Canada (2014), 17,410 students wrote 26,678 AP
Exams

In Canada (2014), 571 high schools ran AP Programs

In May 2015, 2.5 million students wrote 4.5 million
AP Examinations worldwide
YORK CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD:
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Description of a Successful Advanced
Placement Learner
 Students who are self-directed and enjoy
hard work
 Students who consistently achieve
outstanding academic results (Level 4+)
 Students who are intellectually curious and
critical thinkers
 Students who show a high degree of
interest and motivation
 Students who like to analyze, derive, probe,
abstract , investigate and create
YORK CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD:
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Description of a Successful Advanced
Placement Learner Continued…
 Students who are identified as gifted learners through the
Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC)
process
 Students who are not identified as “gifted,” but who are
consistently achieving Level 4+ results in Mathematics,
English, Science, Geography and History as indicated on
their Grade 7 and current Grade 8 report cards
 Students who have excellent Learning Skills and Work
Habits as indicated on their report cards
Advantages of AP
 Alongside like-minded students, AP offers a rich, rigorous, and
thoughtful university level curriculum
 Increase eligibility for scholarships
 Universities look favourably on students who take AP courses
 Former AP students speak of their easy transition from high school
to university owing to the strong academic skills, knowledge, and
academic confidence gained through participation in the AP program
 Students do not have to write the AP examination
 The main objective of the course is to provide students with an
excellent preparation for University
YORK CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD:
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 Students who successfully complete an AP examination have the
opportunity to receive university credit or advanced standing
depending on the policy of the specific university.
 Some of the distinguished Canadian universities that recognize AP
credits include:
 McGill University
 Ryerson University
 University of Toronto
 University of Ottawa
 University of Waterloo
 Queen’s University
 Western University
 York University
Alignment of AP with the
Ontario Curriculum
 The AP curriculum and the Ontario High School curriculum
overlap to a very large extent
 Students in Pre AP courses complete Academic (9/10) or
University (11/12) curriculum with appropriate extensions
designed to prepare the student for writing the AP exams
 Preparation for the exams are built into the program from
Grades 9-12
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The Grade 9 Pre-AP
Program
Mathematics (MFM1DY)
English (ENG1DY)
Science (SNC1DY)
Geography (CGC1DY)

Courses are designated with a “Y” in order
to identify that it is an AP course
YORK CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD:
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Curriculum Extensions
Depth of
Materials
Breadth of
Materials
• Opportunities for further
skills development
•Additional Content drawn from
the next course in sequence or
from the AP curriculum
YORK CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD:
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Assessment and Evaluation
 Students will be evaluated according to the Ministry’s assessment and
evaluation policy documents
 Students will be evaluated on the appropriate grade level curriculum
• i.e. students in Grade 9 will be evaluated on the Grade 9 Ontario
curriculum
 The examination for these students will parallel the structure and
outcomes of the regular Academic or University Level course and will
reflect the differentiated content of the Pre AP/AP course
 Eg. The ENG1DY exam will have the same structure and
outcomes as the ENG1D1 exam but will be based on
reading materials covered in the ENG 1DY course
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AP Exam Score
 AP SCORING:
 Each AP Exam written is in grade 12 grade and is a weighted combination of
the student’s scores on the multiple-choice section and the free-response
section.
 The final grade is reported on a 5-point scale:
 5 = extremely well qualified
 4 = well qualified
 3 = qualified
 2 = possibly qualified
 1 = no recommendation
* The AP College Board Examination Fee is $92 U.S.
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For Additional Information
 AP college board website
is:http://apcentral.collegeboard.com
 The site also links to specific websites for students & parents
 Provides information regarding AP exams, AP course
outlines and resources, AP colleges/universities credit policy,
research regarding student achievement and the AP on-line
registration
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For Further Additional Information. . .
 A Canadian website is www.ap.ca
 Lists the credits granted by specific Universities in
Canada
 The schools participating in the AP program
 Data regarding the participation of students
throughout Canada
Admission Criteria
 Submission of completed application form by:

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

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Friday December 11th 2015
Copy of final Grade 7 and most recent Grade 8 report cards
Students identified as gifted through the IPRC Process will have
a direct entry to the AP program but are required to complete
the application package
Level 4+ results in Mathematics, English, History, Geography &
Science
Excellent Learning Skills and Work Habits: Responsibility,
Organization, Independent Work, Collaboration, Initiative &
Self Regulation
$50 application fee (non-refundable)
$150 annual enhancement fee
Questions?