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Advanced Placement

WHAT IS ADVANCED PLACEMENT?

The Advanced Placement (AP) Program is a cooperative educational endeavor between secondary schools and colleges and universi­ties. It allows high school students to undertake college-level academic learning and gives them the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of the advanced material by taking AP exams. Students can receive credit, advanced placement, or both from thousands of colleges and universities that participate in the Advanced Placement Program.

The AP Program has been administered since 1955 by the College Board, and procedures are deter­mined by member institu­tions (public and independent schools, col­leges, and universities). AP’s operational services are provided by Educational Testing Service (ETS)

For more information about the Advanced Placement Program and the College Board, visit the College Board website.

 

WHAT AP COURSES ARE OFFERED AT NMSHS?

English Language Arts 
  • L77 AP English Language & Composition
  • L88 AP English Literature & Composition
Mathmatics
  • M65 AP Calculus AB
  • M69 AP Statistics
Science
  • S69 AP Environmental Science
  • S102 AP Physics 1
 
Social Studies
  • T54 AP World History
  • T38 AP US History
  • T81 AP Psychology
Visual & Practical Arts
  • A86 AP Art Design
  • D85 AP Computer Science
World Languages
  • F85 AP Spanish 5

HOW ARE STUDENTS AWARDED COLLEGE CREDIT FOR AP CLASSES?

NMSHS students enrolled in AP courses learn as much, or more, than students taking the same courses in college, so students who do well in AP may receive college credit. When the evidence of that achievement is a satisfactory grade on a rigorous national examination, the case for credit is even stronger. Many colleges and universities give credit to students transferring from other colleges, usually crediting courses in which students have a grade of C or better. An AP exam score of 3 or higher is better validated and probably represents a higher standard than these transfer grades. Individual colleges award credit for AP classes in accordance to their own guidelines. Contact universities directly for more information.

DO AP TEACHERS RECEIVE SPECIAL TRAINING?

Yes. All NMSHS AP teachers have participated extensively in AP teacher training. AP teacher professional development workshops of one day and up to three weeks are offered year-round at sites in the United States and abroad. They are organized and run by College Board offices and/or independent educational institutions. Each workshop focuses on an AP subject, specialized training in a particular discipline, or management of an AP course.

HOW ARE MHS STUDENTS PREPARED FOR AP CLASSES?

AP classes at NMSHS are open to any student who meets the necessary prerequi­sites. Some AP classes have no prerequisites, such as AP Language & Composition, AP Literature & Composition, and AP US History. Any student interested in pursuing a challenging, rigorous, college-level course while in high school can simply register for these classes. Other AP classes at NMSHS have prerequisites that follow a logical content-specific sequence. For example, students who wish to take AP Calculus must first success­fully complete Pre-Calculus. Students who wish to take AP Spanish 5 must first complete Spanish 4. Most AP classes currently taught at NMSHS are taken by juniors and seniors who, with adequate planning, can take any AP class offered that they desire. For more information about the Advanced Placement Program and the College Board, visit the College Board website.