Forgive my ignorance, but please explain to me exactly what is AP courses and

[mcmom4]

what makes a class/subject an AP course? A friend of mine told me today that her dd is doing AP classes and I asked what she is doing and she said Prentice Hall Biology, Singapore Algebra, AO History and Abeka Language Arts. She's 14 and in 9th grade. So what makes these classes AP?

[QueenCat]

Those are not AP courses. AP stands for Advanced Placement, and is an official designation from The College Board. They approve syllabuses/courses to be designated as official AP courses. They also sponsor AP tests and the SAT. AP tests can earn students college credits, depending on their score on the test, and the college they eventually attend.

 

 

what makes a class/subject an AP course? A friend of mine told me today that her dd is doing AP classes and I asked what she is doing and she said Prentice Hall Biology, Singapore Algebra, AO History and Abeka Language Arts. She's 14 and in 9th grade. So what makes these classes AP?

[mcmom4]

I looked up the AP courses on College Board and what she had mentioned certainly does not qualify. She said that the teacher's manual lists "extra work" the student can do to "make it an AP course". (?)

Thanks for clearing that up for me.

[QueenCat]

Even if she uses books typically used in an AP course, she can't designate it on a transcript as being AP unless she got approval from the College Board to do so. That involves submitting a syllabus and some other paperwork.

 

 

I looked up the AP courses on College Board and what she had mentioned certainly does not qualify. She said that the teacher's manual lists "extra work" the student can do to "make it an AP course". (?)

Thanks for clearing that up for me.

[Imprimis]

I looked up the AP courses on College Board and what she had mentioned certainly does not qualify. She said that the teacher's manual lists "extra work" the student can do to "make it an AP course". (?)

Thanks for clearing that up for me.

 

Even though she will not be able to call these classes AP on her transcripts, perhaps she means she will be having her dd take the AP exams for those subjects---which she can do even if she didn't complete an "official" AP course.

[Kareni]

Even though she will not be able to call these classes AP on her transcripts, perhaps she means she will be having her dd take the AP exams for those subjects---which she can do even if she didn't complete an "official" AP course.

 

It's true one can do as you state.

 

A friend of mine told me today that her dd is doing AP classes and I asked what she is doing and she said Prentice Hall Biology, Singapore Algebra, AO History and Abeka Language Arts. She's 14 and in 9th grade. So what makes these classes AP?

 

However, there is no AP Algebra exam. In the math realm, there are Calculus and Statistics AP exams. There is an AP Biology exam. There are also American, European, and World History exams which cover very specific materials. In the area of language arts, there are AP Literature and Composition exams. I suspect that your friend might be incorrect in her assertion.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[TXMary2]

Even though she will not be able to call these classes AP on her transcripts, perhaps she means she will be having her dd take the AP exams for those subjects---which she can do even if she didn't complete an "official" AP course.

 

Correct. If and when the child passes the AP test then the course on the transcript can be listed as AP because they will have the test score to back it up.

[Chez J]

Correct. If and when the child passes the AP test then the course on the transcript can be listed as AP because they will have the test score to back it up.

 

I didn't think this was legal. Don't you have to have an approved syllabus to call the course AP, whether or not the test is taken and passed?

 

Lesley

[Jane in NC]

I didn't think this was legal. Don't you have to have an approved syllabus to call the course AP, whether or not the test is taken and passed?

 

Lesley

 

This is my understanding, Lesley. We list the course as Biology and then indicate the AP score. Since I did not have my syllabus approved by the College Board, I cannot call the course "AP Biology".

 

That said, my son is currently taking an AP Latin course from an instructor with an approved syllabus. That course will be listed as "AP Latin".

[TXMary2]

I didn't think this was legal. Don't you have to have an approved syllabus to call the course AP, whether or not the test is taken and passed?

 

Lesley

 

I think that is technically correct. You don't indicate the course was AP, but technically if the student passed the AP test they get credit as if they took the AP course.