Post on 08-Jul-2020
Washington High School“Excelling”
Advanced Placement
Program
Information Night
Our Administration
Carol Lippert – Principal
John Pierzchala – Asst Principal Student Services
Brian Fitzgerald – Asst Principal Op. & Res.
Michelle Reed – Asst Principal Attend/Discipline
About Our School
3years as an ―Excelling‖ school
Featured in U.S. News and World Report
A population of approximately 1750 students
Over 70 different clubs, sports, and activities
A wide variety of elective programs
A focus on 9th grade transition (LINK)
School wide Advisory Program
About Our School
Highly qualified and trained teachers
Award-winning Fine Arts programs
A focus on technology and literacy
A personal connection with parents,
students, and the community
A learning system emphasizing student
achievement and preparedness for college
Rigor/Relevance Framework
RELEVANCE
R
I
G
O
R
Apply
knowledge in
one discipline
Apply
knowledge to
real-world
situations
Student
Thinks & WorksD
Student
WorksBTeacher
WorksA
Student
ThinksCProject-Based Learning
Internships
Presentations/Exhibitions
Low
Memorization
Guided Practice
Games
Community Service
Demonstration
Simulation/Role Playing
Compare/Contrast
Debate
Experiment
High
High
The Advanced Placement Program
The Advanced Placement Program offers
students the opportunity to take rigorous
courses during their high school years in
order to gain college credits as well as
prepare them for the challenges of higher
education.
College graduates vs. high school only
According to the Census
Bureau, over an adult's
working life, high school
graduates earn an
average of $1.2 million;
associate's degree
holders earn about $1.6
million; and bachelor's
degree holders earn about
$2.1 million (Day and
Newburger, 2002).
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
After
20 yrs
After
40
years
high school
AA degree
Bachleors
The Benefits of the Advanced Placement Program
Provides students with a head start on college.
Assists students in obtaining college admission.
Allows students the opportunity to earn college credits.
May enable placement in upper-level courses in college.
The Benefits of the Advanced Placement Program
Allows students to:
– Fulfill a foreign language requirement
– Save money on college
– Earn academic scholarships and awards
– Experience college-level exams
– Increase chance for success
Why Take AP Classes?
College credit can allow you to move into upper-level
college courses sooner, pursue a double major, and
gain time to study and travel abroad.
―As a freshman, I was able to skip general ed
requirements and head straight into the higher-level
classes I wanted to take. Taking AP exams literally
saved me semesters of time.‖—Brent Wiese, University of Iowa
Why Take AP Classes?
A U.S. Department of Education study found that the strongest predictor of college graduation is something students do before they ever go to college:
Participate in rigorous, college-level courses in high school—and AP courses in particular.
Clifford Adelman, Answers in the Tool Box: Academic Intensity, Attendance Patterns, and Bachelor’s Degree Attainment (1999), U.S. Department of Education.
Save money
If you earn a qualifying grade on an AP Exam, you can receive credit for the equivalent course at thousands of colleges and universities:
―I took AP throughout high school because it was the most interesting and well-taught program offered. When I reached college, I realized that I had accumulated a year’s worth of credits. I graduated from Michigan’s undergraduate business school a full year early, saving $30,000 and a year’s time.‖
—Nikki Baker, University of Michigan
Standing Out in the Admission Process
―One of the best standard predictors of
academic success at Harvard is
performance on Advanced Placement
Examinations.‖—William R. Fitzsimmons
Dean of Admissions
Harvard University
Cost of Taking AP Courses
There is an $82 fee for each AP Exam, which
the College Board uses to:
1) develop, print, ship, and score the exams
2) subsidize teacher training
3) develop classroom resources
4) support educational initiatives
GUHSD covers the cost of this exam.
Dual Enrollment
Students have the opportunity to earn college credit
while completing the high school requirement. Dual
enrollment courses are offered through many AP
classes.
Many of our Career and Technical Ed classes also
offer the opportunity to gain dual credit.
Dual enrollment credits cost approximately a third of
community-college tuition – including books.
Dual Enrollment Core Courses
AP English – 6 credits
AP Government – 6 credits
Honors Pre-Calculus – 5 credits
College Algebra – 4 credits
AP US History – 6 credits
AP French – 8 credits
AP Spanish – 8 credits
AP Physics – 6 credits
What’s the cost of taking a Dual Enrollment Course?
Each credit costs $71. For a 3 credit course
that would be $213.
A 3 credit course at ASU would normally
costs about $1671.
Financial assistance is available for those
who qualify.
Student Selection
Student selection for the Honors/AP program is
based on the following:
1. Student grades and performance
2. Performance on state mandated tests
3. Performance on placement exams
4. Teacher recommendation
5. Parent and student desire
Typical Honors/AP Track
Freshman Year: Honors English 1-2 Honors Algebra 1/Geometry
Honors Biology
Physical Education
Spanish 1-2, French 1-2, Japanese 1-2 or Elective
Elective of your choice
Sophomore Year: Honors English 3-4
Honors Algebra 2
Honors Chemistry
Honors World History
Spanish 3-4, French 3-4, Japanese 3-4 or Elective
Elective of your choice
Typical Honors/AP Track
Junior Year: Honors English 5-6
Honors Pre-Calculus
AP Biology
AP US History
Honors Spanish 5-6, Honors French 5-6Japanese 5-6 or Elective
Elective of your choice
Senior Year: AP English
AP Calculus
AP Physics
AP Government
AP Spanish, AP French, or AP Japanese Elective
Elective of your choice
Graduate Recognition
―Standard of Excellence‖ seal on the
diploma.
Top graduates speak at graduation and
march at the front of the class.
Medallions and cords are awarded for
academic achievements.
Honors and Awards ceremony honoring
student accomplishments.
Importance of Meeting to EXCEED on the AIMS Test
Graduation recognition
Looks great on the transcript
Opens up other scholarship possibilities
Honors and Awards
Pride in your school and community
ABOR – AIMS Scholarship
3 Criteria to receive the scholarship:
1) 1’s and 2’s in all core classes
2) GPA of 3.5 or better
3) Exceed on all 3 AIMS exams
Currently worth around $7,500/year or $30,000
AP Classes and the ABOR Scholarship
Students who do not exceed on all 3 exams
can still get the scholarship.
By passing 2 AP exams and exceeding on 2
AIMS Tests, students can still gain the
scholarship.
Earn academic scholarshipsor awards
Some of the most competitive scholarship awards value AP Exam grades:
―Having the AP Exam grade can make the difference when it comes down to awarding precious scholarship dollars.‖
—Edwina Harris Hamby, Dean of AdmissionFisk University
Why should I take the AP class?
Stand out in the admissions process
Earn academic scholarships and awards
Experience a college-level test and coursework
Save money
Be a step ahead
Increased chance for success
Commitment
Please check the courses and make any changes.
AP exams are paid for ahead of time.
By signing this form you are making a commitment
to remain in and pass the class for the 2010-2011
school year. Dropping the class is not an option.
Thanks for Attending!
Questions?
Visit us at:
Washington.guhsdaz.org