Advanced Placement

AP Computer Science Principles offers a multidisciplinary approach to teaching the underlying principles of computation. The course will introduce students to the creative aspects of programming, abstractions, algorithms, large data sets, the internet, cybersecurity concerns and computing impacts. AP Computer Science Principles will give students the opportunity to use technology to address real-world problems and build relevant solutions. The AP Assessment for this course includes two performance tasks that will be integrated into class time and will be submitted electronically to the College Board, as well as a written end-of-course exam. Scores on each of these components will be used to determine the student's total AP score.

This is a college-level course with a purpose to enable students to read complex texts with understanding and to write prose of sufficient richness and complexity to communicate effectively with mature readers. These skills will allow students to read critically and write effectively in different modes in the college classroom and beyond.

Students will become increasingly more aware of how language works through the study of nonfiction in all its varied forms — essays, biographies, visual texts, letters, speeches, journalism, etc. Students will analyze what the writers say along with how they say it.

The writing will be formal and informal; it will primarily be responses to your reading, both analyzing it and emulating it, as well as creating original arguments and supporting them through logical development and appropriate style. Students will learn how to synthesize research materials and use proper MLA style.

This course will also offer students the opportunity to read American fiction and drama such as Fitzgerald, Salinger and Miller. ACT test prep will also be incorporated into the class.

Additionally, an important goal of this course is to help to prepare for the AP English Language and Composition exam given in May. The course will teach students the expectations of the AP examiners and will provide many opportunities for practicing writing and reading in the exam format. All students enrolled in Advanced Placement English Language and Composition are required to take the Advanced Placement exam in May.

This college-level dual-credit course is the equivalent of the first year of college rhetoric. It is based on the idea that many high school students can successfully complete college English while still in high school. This course will prepare the student to take and pass the AP test given in May; successful performance on this test will earn the student college credit.

This course includes extensive training in all modes of discourse, including exposition, narration, argumentation and literary analysis. In addition, the course includes extensive reading and analysis of demanding and challenging literary works such as "Crime and Punishment," "The Sound and the Fury" and "Hamlet."

The underlying approach to the study of literature is textual rather than historical. The selections reflect a concern for depth rather than breadth. The student completing this course can expect to be a fluent, capable writer and a perceptive, critical reader. All students enrolled in AP English Literature and Composition are required to take the AP exam in May.

As an AP art student, you will be asked to emphasize research, experimentation, discovery, inventive thinking, critical analysis and problem solving in your work. Your goal will be to create a portfolio of college-level work, and at the end of the school year submit it for evaluation. A qualifying portfolio score can earn college credit and/or advanced placement. You will submit a digital portfolio as well as actual artworks. Each portfolio has three sections: Quality (Selected Works), Concentration (Sustained Investigation), and Breadth (Range of Approaches). Drawing can be addressed through a wide range of media.

As an AP art student, you will be asked to emphasize research, experimentation, discovery, inventive thinking, critical analysis and problem solving in your work. Your goal will be to create a portfolio of college-level work, and at the end of the school year submit it for evaluation. A qualifying portfolio score can earn college credit and/or advanced placement. You will submit a digital portfolio as well as actual artworks. Each portfolio has three sections: Quality (Selected Works), Concentration (Sustained Investigation), and Breadth (Range of Approaches). Use the elements and principles of art in an integrative way in any two-dimensional process or medium.

As an AP art student, you will be asked to emphasize research, experimentation, discovery, inventive thinking, critical analysis and problem solving in your work. Your goal will be to create a portfolio of college-level work, and at the end of the school year submit it for evaluation. A qualifying portfolio score can earn college credit and/or advanced placement. You will submit a digital portfolio as well as actual artworks. Each portfolio has three sections: Quality (Selected Works), Concentration (Sustained Investigation), and Breadth (Range of Approaches). Students will explore 3-D Design issues through additive, subtractive and fabrication processes.

The AP Music Theory course is designed for the mature musician who is interested in enhancing their music ability through a rigorous study of music theory. The class will enable the student to understand theoretical and historical significance of harmonic structure as it relates to Western music. During the course of the class, students will develop the necessary technical skills used in analysis of music both structurally and harmonically. In addition, students will devote a significant amount of time developing their aural capabilities, such as sight singing, interval and chord recognition, melodic dictation and harmonic dictation. Ultimately, the class will prepare students for the AP Music Theory AP examination given in the spring, as well as entrance examinations given by schools of music for entering freshmen music majors.

Students in the Advanced Placement Spanish course will cover material equivalent to a third-year college course in advanced Spanish composition and conversation. This course will emphasize the use of Spanish for active communication, encompassing oral skills, reading comprehension, grammar and composition. Extensive training in the organization and writing of compositions and the expression of ideas orally will be an integral part of the course. This class will allow students to continue to build proficiency through a variety of interactive and non-interactive activities such as compositions, essays, oral presentations, skits, and in-depth studies of Spanish and Latin American literature, history and geography. All students enrolled in Advanced Placement Spanish are required to take the Advanced Placement exam in May.

This course will meet all the College Board topic requirements for an AB Advanced Placement Calculus class. The equivalent of one semester of college calculus, the course begins with functions and graphs and proceeds through limits, continuity, derivatives and their applications, integrals and their applications, and the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus. The use of the graphing calculator and computers as tools to assist in sound problem-solving techniques will be emphasized. The course will create the ideal environment for the integration of mathematics, science and technology. As a result of successfully completing the course, together with their performance on the AP exam, students may receive college credit and/or advanced placement in calculus at several colleges and universities. All students enrolled in AP Calculus AB are required to take the Advanced Placement exam in May.

Following the College Board's suggested curriculum designed to parallel college-level calculus courses, AP Calculus BC courses provide students with an intuitive understanding of the concepts of calculus and experience with its methods and applications, and also require additional knowledge of the theoretical tools of calculus. These courses assume a thorough knowledge of elementary functions, and they cover all of the calculus topics in AP Calculus AB as well as the following topics: vector functions, parametric equations and polar coordinates; rigorous definitions of finite and nonexistent limits; derivatives of vector functions and parametrically defined functions; advanced techniques of integration and advanced applications of the definite integral; and sequences and series.

This course will meet all the College Board topic requirements for an Advanced Placement Statistics class. It is the equivalent of one semester of college statistics. The course introduces students to the major concepts and tools for collecting, analyzing and drawing conclusions from data. Four broad conceptual themes are covered: (1) exploring data, (2) planning a study, (3) probability models and (4) statistical inference. As a result of successful completion of this course and performance on the AP exam, students may be able to receive college credit and/or advanced placement in statistics at numerous colleges and universities. All students enrolled in AP Statistics are required to take the Advanced Placement exam in May.

AP Biology is an introductory college-level biology course. Students cultivate their understanding of biology through inquiry-based investigations as they explore topics like evolution, energetics, information storage and transfer, and system interactions.

The AP Chemistry course provides students with a college-level foundation to support future advanced course work in chemistry. Students cultivate their understanding of chemistry through inquiry-based learning as they explore topics such as atomic structure, intermolecular forces and bonding, chemical reactions, kinetics, thermodynamics and equilibrium. Demonstrations and labs will help students develop explanations and predictions of natural phenomena. Students who enroll in this course should have a C or better in Chemistry I Honors and be proficient in algebra. All AP Chemistry students are required to take the Advanced Placement exam in May.

AP Physics 1 is an algebra-based physics course equivalent to the first semester of an introductory, algebra-based physics college course. Because this is a yearlong course, students have time to foster deeper conceptual understanding through student-centered, inquiry-based instruction. Students have time to master foundational physics principles while engaging in science practices to earn credit or placement in college. Course topics include Newtonian mechanics (including rotational dynamics and angular momentum); work, energy and power; mechanical waves and sound; and introduction to electric circuits. All students enrolled in AP Physics 1 are required to take the Advanced Placement exam in May.

AP Physics 2 is a continuation of AP Physics 1. Also algebra-based, it is a physics course equivalent to the second semester of an algebra-based physics college course. Because this is a yearlong course, students will again have time to foster deeper conceptual understanding through student-centered, inquiry-based learning. Students will master foundational physics principles while engaging in science practices to earn credit or placement in college. Course topics include principles of fluids, thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism, optics and topics in modern physics. All AP Physics 2 students are required to take the Advanced Placement exam in May.

Following the College Board’s suggested curriculum designed to parallel college-level comparative government and politics courses, this class offers students an understanding of the world’s diverse political structures and practices. The course encompasses the study of both specific countries and general concepts used to interpret the key political relationships found in virtually all national policies. Course content generally includes sources of public authority and political power, the relationship between states and society, the relationships between the political and institutional frameworks of citizens and states, political change, and comparative methods. All students enrolled in AP Comparative Government and Politics are required to take the Advanced Placement exam in May.

Advanced Placement Human Geography is a college-level course designed to introduce students to the systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding, use and alteration of the earth's surfaces. Students also learn about the methods and tools geographers use in their science and practice. Specific topics of the course include analysis of maps and spatial data, how political regulations, economics, values and tastes create particular cultural landscapes, how regions came into being and what they reveal about the changing character of the world we live, and how events and processes operating in one place can influence those in other places. All students enrolled in AP Human Geography are required to take the Advanced Placement exam in May.

Following the College Board's suggested curriculum designed to parallel a college-level psychology course, AP Psychology introduces students to the systematic and scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of human beings and other animals. The course exposes students to each major subfield within psychology and enables students to examine the methods that psychologists use in their science and practice. All students enrolled in AP Psychology are required to take the Advanced Placement exam in May.

AP United States Government and Politics introduces students to key political ideas, institutions, policies, interactions, roles and behaviors that characterize the political culture of the United States. The course examines politically significant concepts and themes, through which students learn to apply disciplinary reasoning, assess causes and consequences of political events, and interpret data to develop evidence-based arguments. Students will also be required to take and pass the Constitution Test during the course. This course fulfills the civics requirement. All AP U.S. Government and Politics students must take the Advanced Placement exam in May.

The principal aim of this course is to provide students with the background, knowledge and pride in their American heritage that will prepare and motivate them to discharge their duties and preserve their rights as citizens. The course includes a study of the contributions of various ethnic groups to the growth and development of this state and nation. The depth of study is greater than that of the United States History course, with frequent use of readings outside the text. All AP United States History students must take the AP exam in May.

This course provides a broader and more in-depth analysis of the content studied in World History. There is also considerable in-depth study and reading outside the required textbook. Students may also be offered opportunities for field trips as part of their enrichment in the social sciences. All AP World History students must take the AP exam in May.