AP© NIGHTThursday, 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.

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Comparing AP Students to Students with Comparable Academic Profiles

How much more likely were AP students to graduate from college?

AP Exam Grade of 3-4-5AP Exam Grade of 1-2Took AP Course, but not Exam

Source: Bill Strickland2010 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.

1. Lambert (80.3%)2. South Forsyth (73.9%)3. West Forsyth (68.7%) 4. North Forsyth (65.7%)5. Forsyth Central (64.7%)

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Schools of InterestWhat 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

UGA Course Equivalencieshttp://www.reg.uga.edu/creditFromTesting/advancedPlacement/uga_ap_credit_equivalencies

GA Tech Course Equivalenices http://www.catalog.gatech.edu/students/ugrad/geninfo/advplacement.php

Most colleges look for increased rigor throughout a student’s high school career!

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/search-credit-policies

Is Advanced Placement© 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.

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.

AP© or Dual Enrollment?

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 HeadFCHS 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)