AP SUCCESS NIGHT2015-16

Welcome!

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF AP EXAMS• Welcome• General Session– Purpose of Success Night– AP at Brandeis– The Benefits of AP• Facts• College Readiness• AP Exams

– Resources and Strategies for Success• Teacher Comments• Breakout Session by Teacher

WHY ARE WE HERE?

Purpose:To equip parents and students with

vital information regarding the significance AP course enrollment.

THE BENEFITS OF AP

AP FACTS

• Since 1955, the AP Program has enabled millions of students to take college-level courses and exams, and to earn college credit or placement while still in high school.

2 Yr BHS AP SNAPSHOT vs 2015 Global Mean

Course 2014 #-BHS 2014 Mean 2015#-BHS 2015 Mean Global MeanBiology 54 3.46 23 3.09 2.91

Calculus AB 79 3.01 72 2.99 2.86

Env. Science 151 2.89 92 3.4 2.59

Music Theory 10 3.30 10 3.40 3.03

Physics 1 115 2.9 2.32

Psychology 22 3.50 22 3.36 3.12

Span Lang 27 4.33 22 3.86 3.12

Statistics 44 3.09 30 3.17 2.8

Stu Art Draw 6 3.50 7 4.14 3.28

Calculus BC 15 4.07 23 3.35 3.72

Chemistry 14 3.36 17 2.76 2.66

English Lang 114 2.96 165 2.61 2.79

English Lit 110 3.12 95 2.97 2.78

Phys C Mech 21 3.29 28 3.93 3.55

AP FACTS

• The AP Program offers more than 30 courses and exams.

AP FACTS

•More than 17,000 schools worldwide participate in the AP Program.

AP FACTS

• 26.5 percent of U.S. public high school students in the class of 2009 took an AP Exam at some point in high school. In 2009, nearly 1.7 million students worldwide took more than 2.9 million AP Exams.

AP FACTS

• More than 90 percent of the nation's four-year colleges and universities, and institutions in more than 45 countries, have an AP policy that grants incoming students credit, placement or both for qualifying AP Exam grades. In 2009, more than 3,600 colleges and universities accepted qualifying AP Exam grades for credit and/or placement.

AP FACTS• Each AP Exam, with the exception of AP

Studio Art, consists of dozens of multiple-choice questions that are scored by machine, as well as free-response questions (essays, translations, problems, oral responses) that are scored at the annual AP Reading by approximately 10,000 college faculty and AP teachers using scoring standards and rubrics developed by college and university faculty who teach the corresponding college courses.

COLLEGE READINESS

• The NISD Definition

• Emphasis on critical thinking skills such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.

COLLEGE READINESS

• A strong AP policy helps attract and appropriately place students

• Having a clear and equitable AP policy enables colleges and universities to attract a diverse group of motivated high school students. AP courses teach students important skills that can lead to college success including how to:

• Read texts critically • Solve problems analytically • Write clearly

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF AP EXAMS

• 100% of students should take the exams in May.

• The test represents the culmination of the year.

AP EXAM SCORING

The composite score for each AP Exam is converted to a grade of 5, 4, 3, 2 or 1. An AP Exam grade of 5 is equivalent to an A in the corresponding college course; a grade of 4 is equivalent to grades of A-, B+ and B; and a grade of 3 is equivalent to grades of B-, C+ and C

RESOURCES AND STRATEGIESFOR SUCCESS

http://www.collegeboard.org/

WEBSITE CONTENTS• Separate sections for students, parents,

and educators.• Scholarship information• AP review information by content area• College information• Reports and data• Cost calculators• Important dates and timelines• Newsletters

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

• READ the textbook and study its examples.

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

• Stay on top of homework, not doing the homework will affect comprehension and grades.

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

• Formulate specific questions before the next class meeting.

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

• GET TUTORING!!!

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

• Form a STUDY GROUP with other serious students.

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

•ORGANIZE AND PRIORITIZE!

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

The presence of AP courses on a student's transcript indicates that the student has challenged him or herself by taking rigorous college-level courses.

San Antonio Express NewsFebruary 10, 2008

“According to that study, taking difficult classes, especially math, may be the single most important predictor of how well a student will do in college. Of those students who took Calculus in high school, for example, 83 percent earned a bachelor’s degree, compared with 39% who only made it through Algebra II.”

WHAT COUNTS IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS

7

23

54

33

61

78

0 20 40 60 80 100

Work/School activity

Essay

Overall grades

Class rank

SAT scores

Courses selected

% citing "considerably important"2004 NACAC Survey College Admissions Officials