Advanced Placement Classes

1. Advanced Placement Classes Presented by: Stephenie Miller (GATE Coordinator) October 22, 2011

2. WHAT is AP? • AP stands for Advanced Placement • Governed and audited by the College Board (the same folks who run the SAT exam). • All AP courses are first-year college-level material, but taught at the high school campus by highly-qualified instructors.

3. WHO can take AP? • AP is not the same as Honors. You have to qualify for the GATE program to take Honors courses – but anyone can take AP! • Each AP course has slightly different requirements to ensure that students enrolled will be able to be successful - but if you meet those requirements, you’re in! • But… • keep in mind that full-time college students take 4 courses, but you take 6 every day…plus cheer, sports, band, clubs, etc.

4. WHEN can I take AP? • By the time you are a Sophomore, Junior and/or Senior, you could be ready for AP! • Depending on what subjects you love, you could take multiple AP courses by the time you graduate Alta Loma High School. • So…I can talk to my friends here, but what do other students say about AP?

5. MOVIE CLIP one moment please...

6. A Local Testimonial... • “I started in Geometry (as a freshman) and decided to take AP Calc BC in my senior year. I took the AP test, but really thought I was going to bomb it. I was just hoping to not get a 1. When I found out I got a 3, I was dancing all over the place! Plus, UCR gave me credit for (two semesters of) math which means I don’t need to take any math in college! Woo-hoo!” - Cameron T. English major at UC Riverside ALHS Graduate, Class of 2009

7. WHY should I take AP? • Impress that college or university you’ve got your eye on. • Colleges and universities want serious students who are willing to take challenging courses. • Serious students are more likely to graduate and make that college/university look good. • Taking any AP course shows colleges you are up for the challenge that their coursework will present.

8. WHY should I take AP? • Better chance of GRADUATING from that college or university you got accepted to. • Studies have shown that students who took at least one AP course in high school had a 25% greater chance of graduating college in four years. • If they took both the course AND the AP Exam for that course, the student had a 40% greater chance of graduating college in four years.

9. WHY should I take AP? • Develop College-Level Academic Skills • Students that take ANY AP course improve their writing and problem solving abilities. This means you’ll be more prepared to think like a college student when you get to college!

10. WHY take AP? • Save Money by Possibly Earning College Credits Many colleges will award students with college credits, reducing the number of classes you have to take while at the institution, helping you to graduate sooner. • Remember Cameron? • Cameron took 5 AP exams while at ALHS and passed 4 out of the 5. • He started his freshman year at UCR with 28 credits. That’s like almost entering as a sophomore! This means he saved his parents almost a year of college tuition!!

11. WHY take AP? • Save Money by Possibly Earning College Placement Colleges may not grant you any units (or credit) but instead start you at a higher level course. • Cameron, Part 2 • Because he did well on his AP English exam, UCR decided to place him in English 103. What does that mean to you? More time to take elective courses or add a major/minor to your list of degrees!

12. WHY take AP? • Bonus high school GPA Point This is usually the reason most students want to take the AP course in the first place. This is the wrong reason though!! • Like any honors course, you get an extra GPA point for a grade of an A, B, or C. But ONLY for an “A”, “B”, or “C”. (D’s don’t get it done.) • That means that instead of the “A” being worth 4.0 points, it’s worth 5.0 points. “B” = 4.0 (instead of 3.0), “C” = 3.0 (instead of 2.0).

13. HOW do I Enroll in AP? • Now that you’re educated about the Who-What-Where-When-and-Why of AP, it’s time to discuss how to responsibly sign up for AP! • STEP ONE: Know your Interests and Strengths. • Pick a subject that you are interested in learning about on your own. • Maintain high grades in that subject (Success is earning A’s and B’s every grading period in that subject)

14. HOW do I Enroll in AP? • STEP TWO: Be on the look-out and listen-up for the AP Open House coming in January. It is a MANDATORY first step to signing up for AP courses for Fall 2012. During that Open House, you’ll get to meet the teachers of the AP courses offered here on campus and talk with them in person about the class. • At the AP Open House in January, you’ll receive an application.

15. HOW do I Enroll in AP? • STEP THREE: Find a Healthy Balance! • When you register for next year’s classes, be sure to think about your whole day, not just your school day. • What other activities are you in? • How much time for homework do you truly have? Are you excited? Want to know what AP courses you could take at ALHS?

16. AP's at ALHS Advanced Placement Languages: • AP English – Language (Junior year) • AP English - Literature (Senior year) • AP Spanish – Language (a.k.a. Span IV) • AP Spanish – Literature (a.k.a. Span V) • AP French – Language (a.k.a. French IV)

17. AP's at ALHS Advanced Placement Social Sciences: • AP World History (Sophomore Year) • AP United States History (Junior year) • AP Government (Senior year) • AP Economics (Senior year) • AP European History (Junior/Senior Year elective)

18. AP's at ALHS Advanced Placement Science: • AP Biology • AP Chemistry • AP Environmental Science

19. AP's at ALHS Advanced Placement Humanities: • AP Computer Science • AP Studio Art (portfolio-based application) • AP Art History

20. AP's at ALHS Advanced Placement Mathematics: • AP Calculus - AB • AP Calculus - BC There’s TWO Calculus Courses?? Do I have to take them both?? What’s the difference?

21. Still Have Questions? • Ask your teachers for advice and info • Feel free to stick around and ask me • Refer to the website: www.collegeboard.com/apcentral Have a Great Weekend!