Why should my child enroll in Pre-AP and AP courses? Westside High School Advanced Placement

What is Advanced Placement (AP)? Sponsored by The College Board Cooperative endeavor between secondary schools and colleges and universities Provide students with the opportunity to take college-level courses while still in high school Students gain college-level skills May earn college credit

AP and College Success “One of the best standard predictors of academic success at Harvard is performance on Advanced Placement Examinations.” Bill Fitzsimmons Dean of Admissions & Financial Aid Harvard University

NACAC Admission Trends Survey, 2001 Factors Influencing College Admission Decisions

Student Group AP Exam Grade of 3, 4, 5 AP Exam Grade of 1, 2 Took AP course, but not exam African-American 28% higher 22% higher 16% higher Hispanic 28% higher 12% higher 10% higher White 33% higher 22% higher 20% higher Low-Income 26% higher 17% higher 12% higher Not Low-Income 34% higher 23% higher 19% higher Source: Chrys Dougherty, Lynn Mellor, and Shuling Jian, The Relationship Between Advanced Placement and College Graduation (National Center for Educational Accountability, 2006) Impact of AP on 5-Year College Graduation Rates

University of California Research (2004) After creating a pool of “similar” students by removing differences of GPA, school quality, parental education level, and family income: This study “emphatically supports the conclusion that AP Examinations are among the very best predictors of college performance.... The subject-specific, curriculum-intensive AP exams are the epitome of ‘achievement tests,’ and their validity in predicting college performance should not be surprising.” “The Role of Advanced Placement and Honors Courses in College Admissions,” by Saul Geiser and Veronica Santelices (2004).

Why AP?? Rigor ous curriculum Potential to earn college credit Extra point towards GPA “Strength of schedule” on college applications

Pre-AP Classes at Westside English 1 and 2 World Geography Algebra 1 Geometry Algebra 2 Pre-CalculusBiologyChemistry Computer Science Spanish 2 and 3 French 2 and 3 German 2 and 3 Latin 2 and 3 Art 1, 2, and 3

English Language English Literature Human Geography**** World History European History U.S. History EconomicsGovernmentPsychology Calculus AB Calculus BC Art History StatisticsBiologyChemistryPhysics Environmental Science Computer Science A and AB Spanish Lang and Lit French Lang and Lit Chinese Lang and Culture Japanese Lang and Culture German Language Latin Lit and Vergil Studio Art AP Classes at Westside

The AP Exams Each year in May – two weeks Dates and times set by the College Board Registration in early February Given in the gyms Cost - $54 ($5 if the student is on free/reduced lunch)

Westside’s AP History Year # Students Taking AP Exams Number of Exams Given Number of AP Scholars

How does my child get into PAP/AP classes? Westside has adopted the College Board’s policy of open enrollment in AP/PAP courses A student simply indicates the course(s) on the course selection sheet AP Potential

Questions? Westside AP Coordinator Stephanie Matlock