Advanced Placement and Honors CoursesEverything you need to know to

make the best course selections for the

2015-16 school year

March 12, 2015

Should I Take Honors/AP Courses?Clues to your honors potential:Are you a strong student? You need to have

achieved a B or better in an Honors Class or have an A average in a standard class.

Do you do more than the minimum amount of work required?

Do you look for challenges outside of class?Are you organized and always prepared?

Honors CoursesHonors Level Courses are available in the following academic areas:EnglishMathScienceSocial StudiesArt/Music/DramaWorld Languages

Honors CoursesIncreased COURSE RIGOR:

Students use higher level thinking and reasoning skills.

Students learn to make connections to the “bigger ideas/concepts.”

Students have some additional work.

***Rigor does not just mean MORE WORK***

AP CoursesAP stands for Advanced Placement. They are college-level classes taught at the high school. 

Students receive credit on the high school transcript.

Students can receive college credit based on the AP exam score.

AP Course InformationAll AP courses are offered on a year-long

schedule.All AP courses, except science lab courses,

meet every other day for 90 minutes on an A day/B day schedule.

AP Biology, AP Chemistry, and AP Physics courses meet every day for 90 minutes.

Students earn one credit for each AP course.

Suggested Guidelines for Honors/AP Courses

1.Grade of B(85-92) in a prerequisite honors course OR

2.Grade of A(93-100) in a prerequisite regular course

3.A separate WAIVER may need to be signed by both parent and student if prerequisites are not met.

Quality Points for Honors and AP Courses

Taking honors and AP Courses can positively impact the GPA.

Honors courses receive 1 Quality Point for current students and .5 point beginning with the freshman class of 2015-2016.

AP Courses receive 2 Quality Points for current high school students and 1 point beginning with the freshman class of 2015-2016.

Linda Hargrove, Donn Godin, and Barbara Dodd, "College Outcomes Comparisons by AP and Non-AP High School Experiences." The College Board, 2008.

Benefits of AP Courses

A 2008 study found that AP students had better four-year graduation rates than those who did not take AP.

For example, graduation rates for AP English Literature students were 62 percent higher than graduation rates for those who took other English courses.

-Unpublished institutional research, Crux Research, Inc. March 2007

More Benefits of AP Courses

Taking AP also increases eligibility for scholarships and makes candidates more attractive to colleges.

31 percent of colleges and universities consider a student's AP experience when making decisions about which students will receive scholarships.

85 percent of selective colleges and universities report that a student's AP experience favorably impacts admissions decisions.

AP Exam Information

Exams are administered by school personnel in May. The calendar is set by The College Board, www.Collegeboard.com .

This school year the state is paying the exam fees for all students.

Individual colleges determine amount of college credit awarded based on student score.

Ms. Jennifer Elliot coordinates AP testing at Hopewell.

English AP Courses

AP Language and Composition -Fulfills graduation requirement for English III

AP Literature and Composition -Fulfills graduation requirement for English IV

Mathematics AP Courses

AP Statistics

AP Calculus AB

AP Calculus BC

Science AP Courses

AP BiologyAP ChemistryAP Environmental ScienceAP Physics

Social Studies AP Courses

AP US History-Fulfills graduation requirement for one social studies

AP European HistoryAP GovernmentAP World HistoryAP PsychologyAP Human Geography

Art AP Courses

AP Studio Art2-D Design3-D DesignDrawing

Info from Hopewell Students…

Kaelyn Alexander

Gianna GlassTimer ColenMia Greene

Luke SandryMatt WalkerMorgan Wolfkill

CTE Academies and ClustersAcademy of Engineering Academy of Hospitality & Tourism Arts, A/V Technology & Communications Cluster

Health Science ClusterMarketing Cluster

***Project Lead The Way (PLTW) courses receive extra quality points and can help students earn college credit in Engineering.

Career and College Promise - CPCCFor Juniors or SeniorsMinimum Weighted GPA of 3.0 Allows students to earn both high school and college credit

Courses earn 1 extra quality pointSee Ms. Ann Wayland, Career Development Coordinator at

at Hopewell, for information.

More Information

Teachers are one of the best sources of information to help students determine course selections.

DISCUSSION and REFRESHMENTS

CAFETERIALight RefreshmentsAP/Honors Teachers available for questions/ information