What is Advanced Placement?

1. Gladstone Secondary SchoolAdvanced Placementand theAP International DiplomaProgrammeGive yourself credit

2. What is Advanced Placement? Advanced Placement is a programme of university and college level courses and examinations for high school students. It is administered by the College Board, headquartered in New York (www.collegeboard.com/ap) with a Canadian office in Victoria, BC. An Advanced Placement course offers university level content to students at a high school level. Advanced Placement courses are administered by the American College Board and are taught in over 13,000 schools worldwide. Over 1.8 million AP exams in 19 subject areas are administered and graded according to rigorous AP standards by 6,000 university professors and experienced AP teachers. Each AP exam is given a grade on a five point scale: 5 - extremely well qualified (credit given for first year course) 4 – well qualified (credit given for first year course) 3 – qualified 2 – possibly qualified 1 – no recommendation

3. AP: A World-Class • Academic Experience • Students who take AP courses and exams are immersed in university-level learning while still in secondary school. The Advanced Placement Program, a rigorous academic program administered at secondary schools worldwide, offers more than 30 university-level courses and exams. • AP is recognized by universities around the world as a standard of academic excellence. Universities offer advanced placement, credit, or both, and/or recognize AP in their admission process. • AP is more than just a class and an exam; it’s a community of students and educators who are passionate, curious, and committed to learning and to academic excellence. In an AP classroom, the focus is not on memorizing facts and figures. Instead, students engage in intense discussions, solve problems collaboratively, think critically and creatively, approach key topics from multiple perspectives, and learn to write clearly and persuasively — skills needed to succeed at the university level and in today’s global society.

4. Why should students take AP? enrichment, challenge, preparation, and recognition Students in AP courses study topics in greater depth, enhancing their intellectual development. The AP programme acts as an international marker against which students can measure their educational progress. Because AP courses teach first year university material, students may achieve advanced academic standing or equivalent credits at participating universities. Students who achieve scores of 4 or 5 can receive credit at many universities in Canada, the United States, and overseas. This head start not only gives students the opportunity to complete their degree faster but also save some tuition fees.

5. Facts about AP • AP is the most widely used academic program in the world, with more than 17,000 schools participating in AP, including more than 1,000 schools in 116 countries outside the United States. • AP goes beyond “advanced-level” or “honours” courses; AP offers secondary school students university-level courses and exams that are aligned with core introductory courses at universities. • AP Exams assess university-level concepts and skills necessary for success in post-secondary studies. • AP courses and exams are developed and scored by university faculty from around the world, and reflect the educational practices of leading higher education institutions. • AP is the only university-level program for secondary schools supported by research conducted by various colleges, universities, and organizations. Studies consistently show that students who take an AP course and who receive a score of 3 or higher on an AP Exam typically experience greater academic success and higher university graduation rates than their non-AP peers.

6. AP promotes global perspectives and competencies with courses and exams in subjects such as world history, environmental science, and comparative government and politics, among others. In addition, courses such as AP Art History and AP English Literature and Composition also include and encourage global perspectives. • AP is modular. Students can take and benefit from just one individual course or from multiple AP courses and exams. • AP is flexible. Internationally mobile students can take AP courses and exams at schools around the world. There is no need to complete a multi-year programme in one school. • AP helps students qualify for scholarships. A recent College Board survey showed that a substantial percentage of colleges and universities look at students’ AP experience when determining scholarships.

7. Universitiesworldwide value and recognize AP experience • Regardless of whether a student takes an AP Exam in California, Cameroon, Canada, China or Colombia, in the eyes of an experienced admission officer or university faculty, success on an AP Exam demonstrates mastery of university level concepts and skills within a particular discipline. • AP is widely recognized. More than 3,600 universities around the world receive AP Exam scores. • Students who achieve scores of 4 or 5 can receive credit at many universities in Canada, the United States, and overseas. • All Canadian colleges and universities offer advanced placement, credit or both for successful AP Exam scores. * • * For information about credits offered at various institutions in British Columbia, visit bctransferguide.ca/advanced/. For information about credits offered at institutions worldwide visit www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/intad.html.

8. Some benefits of an AP Programme: for high schools: • it enhances the quality of the curriculum • it challenges academically capable students • it gives the university preparatory programme a reputation for high quality and standards

9. Some benefits of an AP Programme: for students: • it provides university credit for courses taken in high school (and saves on tuition costs) • it develops the analytical and study skills required to succeed in university courses • it motivates students to undertake more challenging work • it sets students on a more likely path to university graduation

10. How do students enroll in AP courses? • Once students decide to take an AP course, it’s easy to enroll. • Students can talk to an AP teacher, their school counsellor, or the AP Coordinator about the courses they want to take, the course workload, and any preparation they might need for these university-level courses. • Students who are home-schooled or who attend a school that does not offer AP can still participate. Each year hundreds of students participate through independent study and take AP Exams in May. In addition, although some schools do not offer AP courses, they may provide students with the option to take AP Exams. • AP Exams are ordered by and administered in secondary schools around the world.

11. AP Courses and Examscurrent Gladstone AP courses future AP courses ArtsMathematics & Computer Science Art History Calculus AB Music Theory Calculus BC Studio Art: Drawing Computer Science A Studio Art: 2-D Design Statistics Studio Art: 3-D Design EnglishSciences English Language & CompositionBiology English Literature & Composition Chemistry Environmental Science Physics B Physics C: Electricity/Magnetism Physics C: Mechanics History & Social SciencesWorld Languages Comparative Government Chinese Language & Culture European History French Language Human Geography German Language Macroeconomics Japanese Language & Culture Microeconomics Latin: Vergil US Government & Politics Spanish Language US History Spanish Literature World History

12. The Advanced Placement International Diploma • The APID is available as an option for all students who participate in AP outside of the United States and U.S.-based students who send a score report to an international university. • The APID demonstrates to universities a student’s global outlook and high academic achievement across several disciplines. • Students can earn an APID by receiving a score of 3 or higher on the required combination of five AP Exams. • »» Two AP Exams from two different languages selected from English and/or world languages. • »» One AP Exam designated as offering a global perspective: Comparative Government and Politics, Human Geography, or World History. • »» One exam from the sciences or mathematics content areas. • »» One (or two) additional exam(s) from among any content areas except English and world languages.

13. English 12 Advanced Placement Literature and Composition A tradition of Academic Excellence Academic Enrichment

14. Give Yourself Credit Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition Offered by Gladstone’s English Department Is this course for you? Would you like to know more about it?

15. Some comments about AP English by recent Gladstone graduates: • In many ways, I feel as if English AP has given me an advantage over other students in that I have had experience in writing at university standards. It has also increased my ability to think critically about written works and as an acting student, I find this extremely useful. I would recommend English AP to anyone wanting to attend any form of higher education, no matter what you’re planning to study. Emily S. (University of Essex, England) • Being apprehensive about taking an AP course, I soon realized that this course inspired me to continue learning outside the classroom. For me, the course taught me to look at things in a new light. I’m really glad I took it. Kim N. (UBC, Commerce) • I liked English AP not because of what it meant in terms of post-secondary, but because it was informative and entertaining. I learned a lot. Marisa L. (SFU, General Studies) • Even though I planned on pursuing a science degree at university, AP was a great way of preparing me for my English requirements. Jason K. (UBC, Science)

16. Most recent Gladstone AP English results -- 2012 Number of students writing exam globally: 369,285 Number of Gladstone students writing exam: 21 • Percentage receiving a mark of 3 (pass) or better: Globally: 56.7% Gladstone: 85.7% • Over-all performance distribution: Lowest fourth second fourth third fourth top fourth: Gladstone 9.5 19 33.3 38.2 Global 25 25 25 25

17. Most recent Gladstone AP English results -- 2011 Number of students writing exam globally: 358,525 Number of Gladstone students writing exam: 38 • Percentage receiving a mark of 3 or better: Globally: 57.1% Gladstone: 68.4% • Over-all performance distribution: Lowest fourth second fourth third fourth top fourth: Gladstone 15.8 18.4 31.6 34.2 Global 25 25 25 25

18. To succeed, AP English students must: • be able to read with careful attention to detail • be confident in class discussions and oral expression • be able to listen and participate in the thoughtful exchange of ideas • take responsibility for reading and writing assignments without relying on outside help • be able to accept and offer constructive criticism • be able to accept and offer questions for which there are no clear answers • possess writing abilities which demonstrate control of mechanics, grammar, usage, organization, diction, and syntax • seek out challenges and new concepts • possess a respect and regard for literature, composition • demonstrate a passion for learning • be willing to have fun

19. Advanced Placement Literature and Compositionat Gladstone Secondary It's a great choice! For further information, contact: Ray Guraliuk, English Department Head (rguraliuk@vsb.bc.ca)