An Introduction To The Advanced Placement Program

An Introductionto the AdvancedPlacementProgram Melissa Matsu, Dean of Instruction & AP CoordinatorCarnegie Vanguard HSOctober 2021

What We’ll Cover1What Are AdvancedPlacement Courses?2Benefits of Taking AP3Resources andSupports for StudentLearning4AP Exams5Questions and Answers2

What Are Advanced Placement Courses?What Are Advanced PlacementCourses?3

The Basics AP courses are college-level courses offered in high school. Courses reflect what is taught in introductory college courses. Students take AP Exams at the end of the course, measuringtheir mastery of college-level work. Students can earn college credit and/or placement intohonors or advanced courses when they score a 3 or higher onan AP Exam. Each exam is graded using a 5 point scale:5 – Extremely qualified 4 – Well qualified 3 – Qualified 2 – Possibly qualified 1 – Not qualified 4

AP Courses @ CVHS28 AP courses offered at CVHS AP Capstone : AP Seminar, AP Research Arts: 2-D Art and Design, 3-D Art and Design,Drawing, Art History English: English Language and Composition,English Literature and Composition History and Social Sciences: European History,Human Geography, Macroeconomics,Psychology, United States Government andPolitics, United States History, World History:Modern Mathematics and Computer Science: CalculusAB, Calculus BC, Computer Science A, ComputerScience Principles, Statistics Sciences: Biology, Chemistry, EnvironmentalScience, Physics 1: Algebra-Based, Physics C:Electricity and Magnetism, Physics C: Mechanics World Languages and Cultures: FrenchLanguage and Culture, Spanish Language andCulture, Spanish Literature and Culture914 students enrolled in AP (all grade levels)2987 exams will be taken this year5

AP Capstone6

AP Scores @ CVHS7

Benefits of Taking APBenefits of Taking AP8

A Head Start in High SchoolResearch consistently shows that APstudents are better prepared forcollege than students who don’t takeAP. They’re more likely to enroll andstay in college, do well in theirclasses, and graduate in four years.Get a Taste of CollegeGet familiar with college-level work—and boostyour confidence by tackling it.Develop College SkillsTime management, critical thinking, scholarlywriting—AP courses help you hone the skillsyou’ll need in college and career.Discover Your PassionStudying a subject in depth could give you newinsights and even put you on the path to a career.Boost GPAHISD offers a GPA boost to students who take AP coursesand/or exams. This helps students stand out on collegeapplications and stay motivated to take AP courses.9

An Edge in CollegeTaking AP courses inhigh school could giveyou an advantage incollege.Earn College CreditYour AP score could earn you college creditsbefore you even set foot on campus.Stand Out to Colleges“AP” on your high school transcript showscolleges you’ve tackled college-level work.Earn Placement in Advanced or Honors CoursesYour AP score can let you skip introductorycourses in college.Save Money and TimeEarning credit or placement can free up time onyour schedule or even let you graduate early.10

Credit and PlacementOpportunities Each college and university has its own policiesregarding AP credit and placement. Find colleges that grant credit, placement, orboth for AP Exam scores atcollegeboard.org/apcreditpolicy Search by course or college Data for each college includes a direct link tothat college’s website detailing AP credit andplacement policies A statement from the college or universityabout its AP policy11

Resources and Supports for Student LearningResources and Supports forStudent Learning12

AP Resourcesmyap.collegeboard.org AP Classroom is an online resourcethat helps students improve theirperformance all year long. It’s mobile friendly, so students canaccess it anytime, anywhere, oncethey’ve joined the class online. AP Classroom includes: AP Daily Videos Practice Questions Personal Progress Checks Progress Dashboard13

AP Daily Videos Short learning videos on every topicin every unit for targeted support tohelp students build knowledge andskills Roughly eight minutes in length Two or three videos for every topicand skill pairing within a given unit Led by expert AP teachers Accessible anytime from anywhereby students to get answers toquestions the moment they havethem14

Practice Questions Topic Questions provide students with practiceapplying the content and skills for each topic withina unit. Topic Questions give teachers and students just-intime feedback and insights into studentmisunderstandings. Students can complete these quick checks forunderstanding from their cell phone, a tablet, and acomputer. Responses give students and their teachers insightsinto how they’re progressing in the course.15

Personal Progress Checks Real-time feedback on the topics and skills in eachunit as the teacher unlocks progress checks Formative assessments of college-level knowledgeand skills designed to: gauge student progress over time highlight areas of strength identify areas students need to work on or getsupport for Personal Progress Checks are assigned at the endof each unit, after students have learned the unit’stopics and skills16

Student ProgressDashboard Enables students toview their progress,unit by unit Allows students tocelebrate successesand focus on areasof growth17

AP ExamsAP Exams18

About AP Exams Standardized exams that measure how well students havemastered the content and skills of a specific AP course Administered by schools IN SCHOOL worldwide every year inthe spring (May – June) Created and scored by teams of AP teachers and collegeprofessors19

About AP Exams HISD students that are currently enrolled in thecourse are paid for by HISD – no fee to thestudent ALL AP Exams will be administered in school onthe scheduled date CVHS has been approved to give 2 AP Exams inschool but in a digital format (on a computer): World History (Sophomores, grade 10) English Literature (Seniors, grade 12) These two exams will be the same format asthe paper and pencil exam20

AP Exam ScheduleLATE AP Exam ScheduleOnly for approved make-up reasons21

Questions and AnswersQuestions and AnswersMelissa Matsu, Dean of Instruction & AP Coordinatormmatsu@houstonisd.org22

What Are Advanced Placement Courses? 4 The Basics AP courses are college-level courses offered in high school. Courses reflect what is taught in introductory college courses. Students take AP Exams at the end of the course, measuring their mastery of college-level work.