Advanced Placement (AP) Courses

Frequently Asked Questions about AP courses

What is an AP course?

An AP course is comparable to a course taught at any college or university. AP courses are much more rigorous than high school college prep courses. In all AP courses, students learn how to think critically and write clearly.

Committee members, sponsored by the College Board, put together a set of topics and objectives for each AP course. Our AP teachers use these topics and objectives as a guideline for their curriculum. The AP exams which are administered during the first weeks of May are comprised of problems from these objectives. If a student passes an AP exam, then he/she may receive college credit.

In order to be permitted to use College Board's AP designation, all Parkview AP teachers have submitted syllabi for their courses, which have been approved by College Board

Should I take an AP course?

AP courses are more demanding than other college preparatory courses taught in high school. They move rapidly and cover a great deal of material. If you are a strong student in a particular subject area, then you will probably do well. Your current teacher can advise you.
Since AP courses are more demanding than other college-prep courses, AP students receive 10 points added to their average (in each AP course) at the end of each semester to balance any grade discrepancy. (Note: The 10 points is not used in calculating GPA for Hope Scholarship eligibility. See your counselor for details on how your GPA is calculated for Hope.) Students who excel may have higher than a 100 average in the class.

Colleges look favorably on students who succeed in AP courses. The presence of AP courses in a student's transcript indicates that a student took the most rigorous courses available

How do I register for AP exams?

Will my college accept AP credit?

AP Courses Offered at Parkview

AP Capstone Program (AP Seminar and AP Research)

The AP Capstone Diploma Program is a two-year program based on two AP courses, AP Seminar and AP Research. Students who fulfill the requirements can earn academic awards recognized by colleges around the world. This program is very challenging and should only be considered by students who have already taken several AP courses and earned passing AP scores in those courses. Students in AP Capstone must commit to a two year program:

10h grade: AP Seminar (includes 10th grade LA credit)
11th or 12th grade: AP Research (LA elective)

Open the AP Capstone video in a new window.

Course Name and Description	Prerequisite(s)	Grade(s) Taken
AP SEMINAR Develop and practice the skills in research, collaboration, and communication that you’ll need in any academic discipline. You’ll investigate topics in a variety of subject areas, write research-based essays, and design and give presentations both individually and as part of a team. Students taking AP Seminar will also earn credit for 10th grade LA.	9th Grade LA	10th
AP RESEARCH Build on what you learned in AP Seminar to deeply explore an academic topic, problem, or issue of individual interest. Through this exploration, you will design, plan, and conduct a year-long research based investigation to address a research question.	AP Seminar	11th or 12th

Fine Arts

Course Name and Description	Prerequisites	Grade(s) Taken	Course Information
AP STUDIO ART (Drawing, 2-D, and 3-D) The AP Art and Design Program includes three different courses: AP 2-D Art and Design, AP 3-D Art and Design, and AP Drawing. In each course, you’ll investigate materials, processes, and ideas. You’ll make works of art and design by practicing, experimenting, and revising, and you will communicate your ideas about art and design through written and visual expression.	Speak with your current art teacher for details	Any	Drawing & Painting and AP Studio Art

English

Course Name and Description	Prerequisite(s)	Grade(s) Taken	Course Information
AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION (AP Lang) Learn about the elements of argument and composition as you develop your critical-reading and writing skills. You’ll read and analyze nonfiction works from various periods and write essays with different aims: for example, to explain an idea, argue a point, or persuade your reader of something	10th Grade LA	11th	AP English Language and Composition (AP Lang) Video
AP ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION (AP Lit) Learn how to understand and evaluate works of fiction, poetry, and drama from various periods and cultures. You’ll read literary works and write essays to explain and support your analysis of them.	11th Grade LA	12th	AP English Literature and Composition (AP Lit) Video

Course Name and Description

Prerequisite(s)

Grade(s) Taken

Course Information

AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION (AP Lang)

Learn about the elements of argument and composition as you develop your critical-reading and writing skills. You’ll read and analyze nonfiction works from various periods and write essays with different aims: for example, to explain an idea, argue a point, or persuade your reader of something

10th Grade LA

11th

AP English Language and Composition (AP Lang) Video

AP ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION (AP Lit)

Learn how to understand and evaluate works of fiction, poetry, and drama from various periods and cultures. You’ll read literary works and write essays to explain and support your analysis of them.

11th Grade LA

12th

AP English Literature and Composition (AP Lit) Video

History and Social Sciences

Course Name and Description	Grade(s) Taken	Course Information
AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY Explore how humans have understood, used, and changed the surface of Earth. You’ll use the tools and thinking processes of geographers to examine patterns of human population, migration, and land use.	9th	AP Human Geography Video
AP WORLD HISTORY Study the cultural, economic, political, and social developments that have shaped the world from c. 1200 CE to the present. You’ll analyze texts, visual sources, and other historical evidence and write essays expressing historical arguments.	10th	AP World History Video
AP US HISTORY Study the cultural, economic, political, and social developments that have shaped the United States from c. 1491 to the present. You’ll analyze texts, visual sources, and other historical evidence and write essays expressing historical arguments.	11th	AP United States History Video
AP PSYCHOLOGY Explore the ideas, theories, and methods of the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. You’ll examine the concepts of psychology through reading and discussion and you’ll analyze data from psychological research studies.	11th/12th	AP Psychology Video
AP MACROECONOMICS Explore the principles of economics that apply to an economic system as a whole. You’ll use graphs, charts, and data to analyze, describe, and explain economic concepts.	12th	AP Macroeconomics Video
AP MICROECONOMICS Study the principles of economics that apply to the behavior of individuals within an economic system. You’ll use graphs, charts, and data to analyze, describe, and explain economic concepts.	12th	AP Microeconomics Video
AP US GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS Study the key concepts and institutions of the political system and culture of the United States. You'll read, analyze, and discuss the U.S. Constitution and other documents as well as complete a research or applied civics project.	12th

Math and Computer Science

For math prerequisites, please see the Choose Your Math Path course sequence document.

Choose Your Math Path - Math course sequence PDF
Choose Your Math Path Text Transcript
Accessibility: Click the A icon for download and accessibility options, or use the text transcript.

Course Name and Description	Grade(s) Taken	Course Information
AP CALCULUS AB Explore the concepts, methods, and applications of differential and integral calculus. You’ll work to understand the theoretical basis and solve problems by applying your knowledge and skills.	11th or 12th	AP Calculus AB Video
AP CALCULUS BC Explore the concepts, methods, and applications of differential and integral calculus, including topics such as parametric, polar, and vector functions, and series. You’ll perform experiments and investigations and solve problems by applying your knowledge and skills.	11th or 12th	AP Calculus BC Video
AP PRECALCULUS For more information about AP Precalculus, review the AP Precalculus Presentation Information.	10th, 11th, or 12th	AP Precalculus Video AP Precalculus Presentation Information
AP STATISTICS Learn about the major concepts and tools used for collecting, analyzing, and drawing conclusions from data. You’ll explore statistics through discussion and activities, and you'll design surveys and experiments.	11th or 12th	AP Statistics Video
AP COMPUTER SCIENCE PRINCIPLES Introduces students to the central ideas of computer science and develops computational thinking skills through working with data and the fundamentals of beginning programming.	10th, 11th, or 12th	AP Computer Science Principles Video
AP COMPUTER SCIENCE A Get familiar with the concepts and tools of computer science as you learn a subset of the Java programming language. You'll do hands-on work to design, write, and test computer programs that solve problems or accomplish tasks.	10th, 11th, or 12th	AP Computer Science A Video

Sciences

Course Name and Description	Prerequisites	Grade(s) Taken	Course Information
AP BIOLOGY Study the core scientific principles, theories, and processes that govern living organisms and biological systems. You’ll do hands-on laboratory work to investigate natural phenomena.	Successful completion of Biology and Chemistry	10th, 11th, or 12th (Elective)	AP Biology Video
AP CHEMISTRY Learn about the fundamental concepts of chemistry including structure and states of matter, intermolecular forces, and reactions. You’ll do hands-on lab investigations and use chemical calculations to solve problems.	Successful completion/concurrent enrollment in Physics	10th, 11th, or 12th (Elective)	AP Chemistry Video
AP ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE Explore and investigate the interrelationships of the natural world and analyze environmental problems, both natural and human-made. You’ll take part in laboratory investigations and field work.	Successful completion/concurrent enrollment in Physics	10th, 11th, or 12th (Elective)	AP Environmental Science Video
AP PHYSICS 1: ALGEBRA-BASED Learn about the foundational principles of physics as you explore Newtonian mechanics; work, energy, and power; mechanical waves and sound; and introductory, simple circuits. You’ll do hands-on laboratory work to investigate phenomena.	Successful completion of Biology and Chemistry	11th	AP Physics I Video
PHYSICS C: Mechanics (1st Semester) Explore concepts such as kinematics; Newton’s laws of motion, work, energy, and power; systems of particles and linear momentum; rotation; oscillations; and gravitation. You’ll do hands-on laboratory work and in-class activities to investigate phenomena and use calculus to solve problems. PHYSICS C: Electricity and Magnetism (2nd Semester) Explore concepts such as electrostatics, conductors, capacitors and dielectrics, electric circuits, magnetic fields, and electromagnetism. You’ll do hands-on laboratory work and in-class activities to investigate phenomena and use calculus to solve problems.	Successful completion of Physics and successful completion/concurrent enrollment in AP Calculus	10th, 11th, or 12th (Elective)	AP Physics C Video

AP World Languages and Cultures

Course Name and Description	Grade(s) Taken	Course Information
AP FRENCH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE Develop your French language skills and learn about the cultures in French-speaking parts of the world. You'll practice communicating in French and study real-life materials such as newspaper articles, films, music, and books.	11th or 12th	See your French teacher for more information
AP GERMAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE Develop your German language skills and learn about the cultures in German-speaking parts of the world. You'll practice communicating in German and study real-life materials such as newspaper articles, films, music, and books.	11th or 12th	See your German teacher for more information
AP SPANISH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE Develop your Spanish language skills and learn about the cultures in Spanish-speaking parts of the world. You’ll practice communicating in Spanish and study real-life materials such as newspaper articles, films, music, and books.	11th or 12th	See your Spanish teacher for more information

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