Introduction to Advanced Placement

Advanced Placement (AP) classes are a part of a program designed not only to prepare high school students for college but also provide them with the opportunity to earn college credit while in high school. Designed by College Board, the program promotes high-order, problem-solving skills along with study skills and strategies needed for success in post-secondary education.

According to the National Math and Science Initiative, “The AP curriculum is the best indicator available of whether students are prepared for college-level work.  Students who master AP courses are three times more likely to graduate from college. For minority students, that multiplier is even greater: African American and Hispanic students who succeed in AP courses are four times more likely to graduate from college.”

• Students who take at least two AP courses and pass the AP exams with a 3 or higher still qualify for the distinction accolade upon graduating provided they meet other state requirements.
• Strength of schedule (the student’s classes taken in high school) is more important to a college for not only admission but also scholarship opportunities than grade point average (GPA).
• Students who take AP courses tend to have higher ACT/SAT scores than those students who do not.
• Even if a student makes a 2 on the AP exam for a class, his or her chances of graduating college within five years are higher than a student with no AP courses.