................... Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 this is for my very academic and somewhat advanced son who also has good study skills...I would like him to take one AP class and one AP test next year to determine how he feels about the rigors and testing, which will determine from there which route he will choose for high school. (It's a CA thing...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 Well, in what subject is he ready for work on the introductory college level? Not trying to be flippant, but AP is supposed to be college level work, and it can be overwhelming for students who aren't ready for it yet. AP foreign languages are usually taken as the 4th or 5th year of language study or by students who speak the language at home. AP Biology seems to presume an earlier high school level course in biology. There are now 4 different AP Physics courses. Two are algebra based (Physics 1 and 2) and two are calculus based (Physics C - Mechanics and Physics C Electricity/Magnetism) My middle son took AP US Government and AP Comparative Government as a 9th grader. We were living in DC during the US Government course and has has long had an interest in politics and international affairs. The free response questions on these tests are a little easier, in that they are short explanations rather than full essay responses (as US History or European History would have). My older son did an online AP Computer Science course. I think a student with an interest in CS could do very well on this as a 9th grader. But a student who wasn't interested might well flounder. Have you looked at sample tests in study guides or at the sample questions on the College Board site? http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/exam/exam_information/index.html 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 This is the AP Computer Science course my ds took. Algebra 1 was a pre-requiste and Algebra 2 was recommended. https://edhesive.com/apcs 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mckive6 Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 My daughter took AP US History at PA Homeschoolers in 9th grade. It is a very fast paced class. She really wanted to try a rigorous class. She did well and really enjoyed it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjbucks1 Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 My ds took AP Computer Science in 9th grade, along with AP Chemistry (he had already taken regular high school level chem and bio). I have put together an AP Human Geography class for dd this year (9th grade). I think it mainly depends on your student's strengths. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodGrief Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 I'd caution you to identify a potential testing location for the specific test you are considering before you purchase curriculum. Not all schools offer all tests, and we ended up in a bind one year when none of the local schools were offering the AP World History exam after my daughter had spent the year on an expensive AP World History course. I had no clue that it would be such a problem to find that particular subject, but it turned out that the local schools only offered AP World History on alternating years. This year we had a terrible time finding an AP Music Theory testing location, though in that case we eventually prevailed. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 My 9th grader is taking AP Human Geography. It starts next week, so I don't yet know if it was a good idea! I read somewhere that around 50% test takers are 9th graders for AP Human Geography. Sorry, I don't remember the source for that statistic so take it for what it is. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 Around here advanced 9th and 10th graders (I know of at least one 8th grader) take AP World History. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted September 5, 2015 Author Share Posted September 5, 2015 Thanks. He likes history so I was thinking history and he already computer Harvards Edx comp a I course so **if** he would be willing to learn Java (he hates Java) he could pass AP comp sci with studying the prep book and a class for sure. But that's a good caution about testing locations!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 Thanks. He likes history so I was thinking history and he already computer Harvards Edx comp a I course so **if** he would be willing to learn Java (he hates Java) he could pass AP comp sci with studying the prep book and a class for sure. FYI The College Board is creating an additional AP Computer Science course that will probably not be Java based. So you may want to wait for that. https://secure-media.collegeboard.org/digitalServices/pdf/ap/ap-computer-science-principles-curriculum-framework.pdf The AP World History course is being revised for the May 2017 exam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 It depends upon your child's background and interests. AP Human Geography is often one that is done by 9th graders, and I could honestly see most of the history/social science ones being "doable" -- for a motivated/interested student. A student with a long background in music or art, could probably self-study for the Music Theory/Art history course. A student with a strong math/science background may be ready for an AP science course. Similarly, if your child can speak a 2nd language fluently/read/translate -- an AP language isn't out of the question. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.