ADVANCED PLACEMENT

COMO PARK SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

What is the Advanced Placement Program?

The Advanced Placement (AP) Program, sponsored by the College Board, is a national non-profit educational association of colleges, universities and high schools.  The program monitors introductory level college curricula, and offers these courses to high schools, along with support materials and professional development.  The AP program also designs and administers national examinations that measure the knowledge and skills acquired by students who have taken Advanced Placement courses.  Because AP courses are introductory college level courses, the program promotes college and university policies that grant college credit and/or advanced placement to students who have successfully completed AP work.  Research has shown that such success is generally indicated by an AP Examination grade of 3 or higher.

What are the benefits of the Advanced Placement Program?

For students:

-         It motivates students to undertake  more challenging work in both high school and college.

-         It develops the analytical and study skills required to succeed in college courses.

-         It provides college credit for courses taken in high school.

-         It provides direction in selecting college majors.

For high schools:

-         It enhances the quality of their curriculum.

-         It challenges their academically capable students.

-         It gives their college preparatory program a reputation for high quality and standards.

-         It provided opportunities for their best faculty to teach capable, motivated students in demanding courses.

For colleges and universities:

-         It identifies and attracts highly motivated students who have succeeded in rigorous, college level courses and demonstrated their ability through demanding national exams.

-         It provides admissions officers with an excellent predictor of student success in college.

Facts about Advanced Placement

Advanced Placement is one of only two national standards of excellence in American Education.

About 60% of American high schools offer AP courses averaging five courses per school.  Nineteen AP classes are offered at Como Park for grades 10, 11 and 12.

Only about 18 percent of the more than 1.3 million high school students in 16,000 secondary schools worldwide who took AP Exams performed at a sufficiently high level to merit the recognition of AP Scholar. (See Como Park’s AP Scholar link)

College admissions officials regularly check high school transcripts to see if potential students have taken AP courses and use this as a positive variable in student admissions.

AP credit earned in high school allows students additional time during college to explore additional subjects, participate in internships or study abroad.

Advanced Placement Courses at Como Park High School

Como Park High School offers the most comprehensive Advanced  Placement program in the St. Paul  Public Schools. A total of nineteen courses are currently offered in all the major disciplines.  Over 500 Advanced Placement exams are given in May. The following is a list of the courses offered at Como Park High School:

          AP Macro Economics

          AP Art History

          AP Studio Art

          AP English Literature and Composition

          AP English Language and Composition

          AP Calculus (AB)

          AP Calculus (BC)

          AP Biology

          AP Chemistry

          AP Physics

          AP Human Geography

          AP Environmental Science

          AP U.S. History

          AP U.S. Government

          AP European History

          AP French Language

          AP French Literature

          AP Spanish Language

          AP Spanish Literature

Prior to taking Advanced Placement classes there are established pre-AP classes to prepare students for the academic rigor and challenges they can expect in AP classes.

There are syllabi available for viewing as well as links to AP and pre-AP teachers web pages.

Advanced Placement Scholars

Each September, the College Board recognizes the many high school students who have distinguished themselves academically by announcing AP award recipients. There are several types of awards, granted for various levels of achievement.  The students receive a certificate and their achievement is acknowledged on any subsequent AP Grade Reports sent to colleges.  Award recipients not only gain recognition from colleges, but also the admiration of their peers, families, and communities. (See link to AP Scholar Listing)