Ann.without.an.e Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 If a student works through an Apologia Advanced Text, can I call that an AP Course? We are accustomed to using BJU and Apologia is new to me. Any experiences using the Advanced Texts? Can I use them in lieu of the standard (i.e. can dd use the Advanced Chemistry instead of the regular?). I know that you would typically complete a regular Chemistry course first, but (just my opinion) Apologia looks quite a bit "lighter" than BJU. DD will be in CC Challenge 1 in the fall and it looks like this... 9th - Apologia Physical Science 10th - Apologia Biology 11th - Apologia Chemistry 12th - Saxon Physics Can I just replace the regular texts with the Advanced versions for Biology and Chemistry? DD is a math and science gal and I want her to be challenged. Also, does anyone have actual experience using the Apologia Advanced Texts to prep for the AP Test. Edited to add: DD is a very gifted mathematician and her aim is to get a scholarship based on mathematics. While I like the idea of CC, I am afraid it will make her appear "weak" in those areas if I don't add in some AP Courses somewhere. DH really wants her in CC though, so I can't mess with that :) Thanks ya'll :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 The only courses that can be called "AP" courses are those which have a syllabus that the College Board (owner of the AP trademark) approves. One way around this is to called your course Biology, Chemistry, etc. and then report the student's AP score on his transcript. This suggests that the course, while not AP approved, has met the rigor of an AP sanctioned class. Also note that AP is supposed to equate to a college level course. Most high school texts won't cut it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann.without.an.e Posted February 24, 2013 Author Share Posted February 24, 2013 Thanks, Jane. My oldest will be 9th and I feel so completely ignorant. That is very helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kendall Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 I think each Apologia subject should be judged separately. I have only used Advanced Physics. The regular Physics was fine, the Advanced was not a good fit for us. And this was with a math loving child who went on to get A's in all 6 or so physics classes he had to take for his EE major. Apologia Advanced physics made him doubt his desire to go into engineering. Apologia Advanced Chemistry and Biology might be great. I think it is true for all of them that the Advanced book is not a harder version of the regular, instead it has additional harder topics that weren't included in the regular and.or extensions of the topics in the regular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Thanks, Jane. My oldest will be 9th and I feel so completely ignorant. That is very helpful. We have all been there, Charleigh. You are actually quite wise to put AP on your radar now even if your student will not take an AP course for a couple of years. There is some nuance to the whole thing: College board approved or not? How to choose a text? Should we use an outside class? What about testing sites? What is a good first AP? I suggest that you follow threads on this board to help fill you in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowbeltmom Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Just one more thing to consider is that I have read that some colleges will not accept science credit if the Apologia books are used. I have not verified this myself, but it has been mentioned a few times on other homeschooling lists I belong to. There are many colleges that will accept Apologia books, but I thought I would mention it since you are at the point where you could change textbooks if needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Just one more thing to consider is that I have read that some colleges will not accept science credit if the Apologia books are used. I have not verified this myself, but it has been mentioned a few times on other homeschooling lists I belong to. There are many colleges that will accept Apologia books, but I thought I would mention it since you are at the point where you could change textbooks if needed. Unless you are in CA where, as I understand, textbook lists must be submitted, how would colleges have any idea what textbook was used for a course? It would simply say "Physics" or "Biology" on the transcript. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowbeltmom Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Unless you are in CA where, as I understand, textbook lists must be submitted, how would colleges have any idea what textbook was used for a course? It would simply say "Physics" or "Biology" on the transcript. All of the schools on my son's list have said that in addition to the transcript, they want a list of all textbooks used as part of the application packet. None of the schools on my son's list is in CA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justkeepswimming Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 I don't believe there is an advanced Apologia Physical Science text? For Apologia Biology to be "honors-level" you'd need to work through the regular Biology Book first semester, and then the Advanced Biology book for the 2nd semester. The Advanced Bio book is Anatomy/Human Body only. This would come to completing about 1 module per school week. :) I *think* you can take the Advanced Chemistry instead of the regular Chemistry if the student has the math to support it. But, I have no experience with the Apologia Chem book. Only courses approved by the AP board can be called an AP course on the transcript, but you can certainly put together your own course of AP-level work and have your dd take the AP exam when the time comes... :) If a student works through an Apologia Advanced Text, can I call that an AP Course? ... Can I use them in lieu of the standard (i.e. can dd use the Advanced Chemistry instead of the regular?). I know that you would typically complete a regular Chemistry course first, but (just my opinion) Apologia looks quite a bit "lighter" than BJU. DD will be in CC Challenge 1 in the fall and it looks like this... 9th - Apologia Physical Science 10th - Apologia Biology 11th - Apologia Chemistry 12th - Saxon Physics Can I just replace the regular texts with the Advanced versions for Biology and Chemistry? DD is a math and science gal and I want her to be challenged. Also, does anyone have actual experience using the Apologia Advanced Texts to prep for the AP Test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFwife Claire Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Apologia biology, advanced or not, is not anywhere near enough to prepare for the bio AP exam. In fact, there is not very much anatomy and physiology on the newly redesigned test--the only systems covered are the nervous, immune, and endocrine. Knowledge of the other systems is presumed and can be used as examples, but the main focus is more on cellular communication and signaling, as well as scientific reasoning. Even BJU biology, which is much more difficult than Apologia, isn't enough detail for the AP. When we were planning this school year at our little high school co-op last spring, we decided we would do DIVE biology with BJU and have the boys take the SAT II. Then over the summer we decided we would in fact also prep for the AP test (I think we were temporarily insane, LOL), but we would continue the plan of using DIVE and just add Campbell and Reece Biology (the college text for majors one). That way I would not have to develop tests, since I was pregnant with #9, and I wouldn't have to bother with getting the syllabus approved by the College Board . Well--I still have the boys read the BJU text as an overview of what we are discussing, but we spend 99.999% of our class time on Campbell, and the class has turned out to be tons of work for me, LOL. And keeping with the DIVE has actually been burdensome, because it does cover stuff like the other body systems, which are really not needed. So during those "lighter" weeks, I gave them tons of assignments to review the stuff that was actually really important and emphasized--genetics, evolution, biochemistry, etc. We'll see how it all turns out after May 13 . . . it has been quite a year for me though. I will not be sorry to be done with biology, even though it has been very rewarding! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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