Advanced Placement (AP)* Visit College Board on the web
Questions and Answers
What is Advanced Placement? According to 704 KAR 3:510, a school may designate a course as Advanced Placement only if it meets all of the following criteria:
• The course is identified as an Advanced Placement course by The College Board.
• The course includes the content as described in The College Board overview, description, and recommended course syllabus for the appropriate course.
• The course is aligned with Kentucky's Academic Expectations as established in KRS158.6451 and Kentucky's Program of Studies as established in 704 KAR 3:303.
• The course prepares a student to take and be successful on the appropriate Advanced Placement examination administered by The College Board.
Why would students want to take an Advanced Placement class? Based on their performance on rigorous AP Examinations, students can earn credit, advanced college class placement, or both, for college. Also, research conducted by the U.S. Department of Education has found that completing a solid academic core in high school was more strongly correlated with a student's attainment of a bachelor's degree than high school test scores, grade point average, or class rank. Current research also indicates a direct positive correlation between AP classes taken in high school and the likelihood of earning a college degree.
How many AP courses are available? 35 and growing
What are they? Art History, Studio Art (drawing), Studio Art (2-D design), Studio Art (3-D design), Biology, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Chemistry, Computer Science A, Computer Science AB, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, English Literature, English Language, Environmental Science, French Language, French Literature, German, Comparative Government & Politics, United States Government & Politics, European History, United States History, World History, Human Geography, Italian Language, Latin Literature, Latin: Virgil, Music Theory, Physics B, Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism, Physics C: Mechanics, Psychology, Spanish Language, Spanish Literature, Statistics, Russian Language (start TBA), Japanese Language (starts 2006-07), and Chinese Language (starts 2006-07).
How can a student qualify to take an AP class? Schools and districts determine prerequisite requirements. Some common criteria are: grades, teacher recommendation, PSAT and other test scores, and student desire. Many schools utilize an application process. The College Board encourages, but does not require, a non-exclusive admittance policy. Senate Bill 74 supports this philosophy by stating that each secondary school–based decision making council " . . .recognizes that all students have the right to be academically challenged and should be encouraged to participate in these (AP) courses."
Download Senate Bill 74
Are high schools in Kentucky required to offer AP classes? Until now, schools have not been required to offer AP classes. However, AP classes are one way for schools to fulfill the requirements of Senate Bill 74.
What must a teacher do to be certified to teach an AP class? According to 704 KAR 3:510, each secondary school-based decision making council, or the principal if none exists, shall establish a policy that provides for AP teachers to be certified in the appropriate content area and prepared through professional development to teach the AP course. Western Kentucky University and Morehead State University offer summer week-long institutes. One-day workshops are conducted by The College Board consultants throughout the year.
What are the AP Course Audits? Beginning with the 2007-2008 school year, courses must be licensed by the College Board in order to carry the AP trademark. The AP Course Audit procedure will determine licensure. Each school and AP teacher must complete an audit form and submit a course syllabus to the College Board for examination. The deadline for audit document submission is June 1, 2007. Schools may opt out of the audit and still give AP exams, but the AP trademark can not appear on course documents or on student transcripts in that circumstance.
Learn more about the AP Course Audits
What if enrollment is too small for an AP class? Students have the opportunity to take AP classes and receive credit through the Kentucky Virtual High School.
Visit the KVHS website
What AP courses are offered through KVHS? Calculus AB, Chemistry, English Literature, English Language, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Psychology, Statistics, U.S. Government and Politics, U.S. History, French Language, German Language, Spanish Language, Latin Literature, Physics B, and Biology.
How does the curriculum of an AP course differ from the "normal" high school course? AP courses provide the equivalent of first-year college introductory courses. Students are given the responsibility to reason, analyze, and understand for themselves. AP courses include the content as described in The College Board overview, description, and recommended course syllabus.
What is an AP exam? AP exams, developed by Educational Testing Systems (ETS), are administered every spring. The purpose is to assess a student's achievement in a particular course and, with a high enough score, allow the student to earn college credit, advanced class placement, or both, for college.
What is a "high enough score"? The highest score possible is a "5." A score of "3" is considered average and most colleges and universities will grant credit or advanced placement, or both, with this score. In fact, Senate Bill 74 requires all public colleges and universities in Kentucky to accept a "3" for credit. Be careful, however, as private and out-of-state institutions set their own credit-granting policies. Check with the individual schools to be sure.
Who scores the exam? High school teachers and college professors from across the United States and around the world grade the free response questions on most exams. When invited, teachers from each discipline meet at a designated location and spend a week scoring the AP exams for all students who took the exam. Experienced readers serve as question and table supervisors for the work.
How do students know their scores? The summer following the spring in which the exam was taken, ETS mails scores to students, their high schools, and colleges and universities the students designate.
Is a fee required to take an AP class? Fees for classes, if required, are at the discretion of the individual schools and/or districts.
Is a fee required to take an AP exam? Yes. The fee for 2008 is $84.00. Students on free and reduced lunch qualify for AP exam waivers through a federal grant program. Check with your school's AP Coordinator for more details on the fee waiver program.
Are AP professional development programs available for middle school teachers? Yes. Vertical Teaming and Building Success are programs designed for teams of middle and high school teachers.
What is Vertical Teaming? Vertical teams are content-based teams of teachers from high schools and the feeder middle schools in the subjects of language arts, social studies, and math. AP Vertical Teams develop a continuum of skill building from one grade level to the next and focus on vertical alignment of the curriculum.
What is Building Success? Building Success is a two-day workshop for schools serving students traditionally underrepresented in the college-bound and Advanced Placement Program populations. The workshops are designed to assist English and history teachers and curriculum coordinators in redesigning curriculum for grades seven (7) and above. The focus is on giving students more opportunities to engage in active questioning, analysis, and the construction and communication of arguments. To ensure a successful team, it is important to involve high school teachers as well as the feeder middle school teachers.
What must teachers do to be trained in Vertical Teaming or Building Success? With the help of the principals, teachers should try to organize a team of high school and middle school teachers, and contact the Department of Education or The College Board directly to schedule a workshop.
Is funding available for these workshops? Yes. Certain guidelines apply. Contact the Advanced Placement Consultant at KDE, 502-564-4772.
Do AP courses provide any special advantage for schools? The fact that Senate Bill 74 mandates a core curriculum that may involve Advanced Placement for 2003-2004 speaks volumes for the value of AP courses in schools. In addition, schools that offer AP demonstrate their commitment to academic excellence. Their participation strengthens the links between secondary and higher education, encourages student achievement, and raises teaching standards.
*AP and Advanced Placement Program are registered trademarks of the College Entrance Examination Board, which was not involved in the production of this Web site.