Delaware City Schools

Delaware City Schools

Advanced Placement (AP) Program

2016-2017

The Advanced Placement (AP) Program offers college work in the comfort of a high school setting. AP students thus have the opportunity to study one or more college-level courses and then, depending on examination results, may receive advanced placement, credit, or both when they enter college.

Explanations of each course and necessary prerequisites are on the following pages. Students must apply for admission to any AP class by completing the application form which includes: student information and parent permission. Students will not be permitted to sign up for an AP course without a completed application. Those will be due to the Counseling Office byFriday, February 12th. It is recommended strongly that each student investigate thoroughly each course before completing the application process prior to scheduling. After admission and scheduling only under rare circumstances will a student be allowed to drop an AP course.

Hayes High School is proud to offer the following Advanced Placement courses:

Grades 11, 12English Language and Composition

Grades 11, 12English Literature and Composition

Grades11,12Calculus AB

Grades 11,12Calculus BC

Grades 11,12Statistics

Grades 11, 12European History

Grades 10, 11, 12U.S. History

Grades11, 12American Government & Politics

Grades 11, 12Biology

Grades 11, 12Chemistry

Grades 11, 12Physics 2

Grades 10, 11, 12Psychology

Grades 11, 12Environmental Science

Grades 11, 12Studio Art

Grades 10, 11, 12Art History

R. B. Hayes’ policy requires all AP students to take the College Board’s test in May, which cost $95.00 per course. Fee reductions are possible for students with acute financial need. The individual course examinations, administered in May, are approximately three hours in length each. Students taking an AP course are awarded a weighted grade of 5 on a 4 point scale. Beginning with the class of 2014, students must earn a C- or better to earn a weighted grade. However, please note that a student working to earn a Diploma with Honors must have a 3.5 unweighted GPA scale.

For more information please check with your counselor or go to the College Board’s AP site at:

Advanced Placement English Language and Composition

Student Profile

Advanced Placement English Language and Composition is for students who have an interest in language and strong writing skills they wish to improve and refine. In addition to intensive composition work, students are responsible for independent reading assignments, vocabulary and grammar and usage drills as needed. A 3.0 cumulative grade point average in English is suggested.

Course Details

Students read and analyze essays illustrating a variety of writing methods including argumentation, comparison and contrast, cause and effect, description, narration, and exemplification. Weekly writing assignments, timed or revised, demonstrate their skills in these modes of writing. In addition to weekly assignments students produce a researched argumentation paper and a literature-based research paper.

Vocabulary study, homework assignments based on reading, and AP multiple choice comprehension tests are included each term. Grammar review may be included if needed. Two novels are required summer reading.

Evaluation

Grades for each term are based on weekly compositions, homework checks, vocabulary quizzes, and research papers (1st and 3rd terms).

Advanced Placement Literature and Composition

Student Profile

The student who selects this course should be an able reader and active participant in discussions. He or she should be willing to write frequent essays and to be responsible for revisions. The ability to demonstrate responsibility and maturity should be present. High motivation and high interest are desirable; consequently excessive absence is not expected.

Course Details

Two novels and an analysis guide will be assigned for completion during the summer break before the class begins. Reading requirements will continue throughout the year, including novels, short stories, poetry, and plays. The class will study works from early British Literature through a variety of nations’ contemporary pieces. Essay writing based on the reading and discussions that follow will occur frequently in class, many under timed conditions. Vocabulary drill and multiple-choice testing experience will also enhance the student’s opportunity to score well on the AP exam in May and to succeed in college work.

Evaluation

The frequent essays are graded, with the privilege of raising the grade through revision. Short recapitulations of works studied will be required. A major research project on a novel of one’s choice will be completed during the year. A final three-hour AP exam created and graded by Educational Testing Service will result in an evaluation of college capability and possible college credit but will not affect the grade in this course.

Advanced Placement Calculus AB

Student Profile

Students who have completed Pre-Calculus with a grade of B or better are eligible to take AP Calculus AB. Since it is not a subject easily learned on one’s own, regular attendance and consistent study habits are extremely important. It is expected that students will set aside time each day for assignments rather than expecting to devote large blocks of time on an irregular, less frequent schedule. Persistence and the ability to cope with frustration when problems are not “exactly like the examples” is necessary. Most importantly, students should enjoy doing math, not only for the sake of its potential applications, but for the subject itself.

Course Details

Students will be introduced to the concepts of limits and two branches of Calculus known as differential and integral Calculus. New material is introduced almost daily, and lectures supplement rather than reiterate the text. The pace of the course is fast, though not as fast as college courses. As mentioned above, problems in homework assignments and on tests are often of a non-routine type requiring more in depth analysis, ingenuity, and persistence. (Often times the problems become quite long which then requires neat, organized work habits). Use of proper mathematical notation is stressed, and justification of procedures or conclusions requires writing explanations in complete sentences. Students will need a graphing calculator for this course. It is required for the May exam.

Evaluation

Grades will be determined by homework, quizzes, and tests. Many homework assignments are submitted online and graded for correctness. Tests follow the format of the AP exam, which students will take in May: part multiple choice, part free response.

Advanced Placement Calculus BC

Student Profile

Students who have completed AP Calculus AB with a grade of B or better are eligible to take AP Calculus BC. In addition, students who currently have a B or better in Pre-calculus can sign up for 2 periods a day of AP Calculus and learn both AP Calculus AB and BC during the course of 1 year. Students should not consider this option unless they can devote a significant amount of time to the course.

Course Details

Topics for Advanced Placement Calculus BC include functions, graphs, and limits; derivatives; integrals, and polynomial approximations and series. Derivatives will include the analysis of planar curves given in parametric, polar, and vector form including velocity and acceleration vectors. There will be a geometric interpretation of differential equations via slope fields and the relationship between slope fields and derivatives of implicitly defined functions. The course will also include numerical solution of differential equations using Euler's method. The concept of polynomial approximations and series will include the series of constants and Taylor Series.

Evaluation

Student Profile

Students who have completed Algebra 2 with at least a 3.0 cumulative grade average in math are eligible to take AP Statistics. Prospective students should be one of the following.

1) Taking this course as an alternative to taking the traditional pre-calculus/calculus track if their future college plans are not in mathematics/science fields.
2) Taking this course in addition to taking the traditional pre-calculus/calculus track if their future college plans are in mathematics/science fields.

Course Details

The collection, processing, interpretation, and presentation of numerical data all belong to the domain of statistics. This course will stress the development of statistical thinking, the assessment of credibility and the value of the inferences made from data, both by those who consume them and those who produce them. This course is not like a typical mathematics course in that it is not computationally driven, your calculator with do most of your calculations, but rather concept driven. The computer will be used to produce graphic displays of data as well as to complete many assignments. Ownership of a laptop with Excel would be very useful although not required for this course. Students will need a graphing calculator as it is required for the May exam.

Evaluation

Grades will be determined by labs, tests, and projects. Tests follow the format of the AP exam which students will
take in May: part multiple choice, part free response.

Advanced Placement European History

Student Profile

The first priority for students considering this course should be a great enjoyment and appreciation of history. In addition, a record of academic success in the subject area is expected. Due to the extensive amount and the nature of the material covered, reading, writing, note-taking and analysis skills - as well as good study habits - are important. Since many of the topics will be “unknowns” to students and the pace of the class is brisk, regular attendance is imperative. Both the test and primary source collections used are college level. Juniors and Seniors with at least 3.0 average in history may elect this course.

Course Details

European History covers that time period in modern Europe from 1450 into the 1980’s. The areas are varied and comprehensive: social/cultural and economic developments, as well as the usual politics and diplomacy are studied.

A tiny sampling of topics includes:

The Renaissance

The Reformation

Dynastic Development and Warfare: Valois, Tutors, Habsburgs, Bourbons

Revolutions; English, French, Russian, Industrial, Intellectual

Napoleonic Europe

Nationalism, Unification of Italy and Germany

New Imperialism: Asia and Africa

The Rise of Fascism

The Cold War

Evaluation

Grades for each term will be based on chapter exams, both essay and multiple-choice, reading quizzes, a homework packet, in class assignments, vocabulary definitions, a quarter notebook, and a quarterly timeline project. After the AP exam, class projects and other activities may be assigned as well.

Advanced Placement Psychology

Student Profile

The first priority for students considering this course should be a desire to earn a 4 or 5 on the AP exam, as earning college credit will be the goal of the course. Reading, writing, and analysis skills need to be proficient; the course text and supplement texts will be college level. A curiosity about human behavior and the human mind is beneficial to success in this course. Students need to be self-motivated, responsible, and be advocates for their own learning.

Course Details

The AP Psychology course introduces students to the systematic and scientific study of human behavior and mental processes. While considering the psychologists and studies that have shaped the field, students explore and apply psychological theories, key concepts, and phenomena associated with such topics as the biological bases of behavior, sensation and perception, learning and cognition, motivation, developmental psychology, testing and individual differences, treatment of abnormal behavior, and social psychology. Throughout the course, students employ psychological research methods, including ethical considerations, as they use the scientific method, analyze bias, evaluate claims and evidence, and effectively communicate ideas.

The AP Psychology course includes the systematic and scientific study of behavior and mental processes represented by the following topics, concepts, and key contributors to each field:

History and Approaches
Research Methods
Biological Bases of Behavior
Sensation and Perception
States of Consciousness
Learning
Cognition
Motivation and Emotion
Developmental Psychology
Personality
Testing and Individual Differences
Abnormal Behavior
Treatment of Abnormal Behavior
Social Psychology

Evaluation Methods

Student performance will be evaluated based on class assignments, experiments, projects, essays, quizzes, and AP-style multiple choice and written response exams. The midterm exam will emulate the AP Psychology exam.

Advanced Placement United States History

Student Profile

The first priority for students considering this course should be a desire to earn a 4 or 5 on the AP exam, as earning college credit will be the goal of the course. Writing skills will be paramount, as over half of the AP exam grade will be determined by performance on essays. Additionally, reading skills need to be above proficient, as the course text and primary sources will be college level. An enjoyment and appreciation of history, as well as a record of academic success in social studies and English, would also be beneficial. Finally, as the breadth of the content covered is quite extensive, students need to be self-motivated and able to be advocates for their own learning, as many topics will be read and learned outside of the classroom. Sophomores may elect to take this course in conjunction with Honors English 10.

Course Details

The content of AP United States History spans from pre-colonization to the 2000s. Obviously, to learn the social, political, and economic aspects of over 400 years of history requires a very fast-paced course, as well as an extensive time commitment outside of class. Students will develop as writers, readers, and improve in their ability to analyze primary sources. In addition, students will also have the opportunity to work in a small group setting for a variety of projects.

Evaluation

Grades will largely be determined by student performance on take-home essays, in-class essays, and AP-style multiple choice question tests. A fraction of the overall grade will be determined by a large, quarterly notebook project and smaller, topic specific projects. The midterm exam will seek to emulate the regular AP exam. There will be a mandatory Saturday morning exam in March as well. In lieu of a final exam, students will create a group film project.

Advanced Placement United States Government & Politics

Student Profile

The first priority for students considering this course should be a great enjoyment and appreciation of government and the political process. In addition, a record of academic success in the area of social studies is expected. Due to the extensive amount and the nature of the material covered, reading, writing, note-taking and analysis skills - as well as good study habits - are important. Since many of the topics will be “unknowns” to students and the pace of the class is brisk, regular attendance is imperative. Both the test and primary source collections used are college level. Juniors and Seniors with at least a 3.0 grade point average in history may elect this course.

Course Details

This course is about the American political system. We will discuss political ideology, the development of the political system and our democratic institutions. Students will be able to evaluate the role of the national government and its relationship to the concept of liberty in a pluralistic society. The discussions will emphasize the changing political culture of American society and its effect on voting patterns, trends and the processes of government. In doing so we will examine certain critical elections in American history as well as recent political movements. The main thrust of the course, however, is to be able to apply an understanding of our political system to contemporary events.

The following five major topics will be covered: (1) The constitutional underpinnings of American government, (2) political beliefs and behaviors, (3) political parties, interest groups, and media, (4) institutions and policy development and, (5) civil rights and civil liberties. At the conclusion of the course students should have a more sophisticated understanding of majority rule democracy, constitutionalism and civil liberties. Students will also be able to see the relationships and distinctions between formal and informal institutions and the public policies that are developed as a result of these relationships.

Evaluation

Student performance will be evaluated based on class assignments, political blog entries, quizzes, and AP-style multiple choice and written response exams.

Advanced Placement Biology

Student Profile

If you apply for this course, you should have a love and appreciation for science and have completed biology & chemistry. Students may be concurrently enrolled with Chemistry. A 3.2 cumulative GPA or better, though not required, is highly recommended.

Course Details

There are several required laboratories. At times these labs may involve student free time. At least 2 of these labs require after school participation. The pace of this course is accelerated.

The content is divided into three areas of study:

1.Molecular and Cellular Biology

a.Chemical Basis of Life

b.Cells and Cell Division

c.Enzymes

d.Photosynthesis/Respiration

e.Chemical Nature of the Gene

f.Origin of Life

2.OrganismalS Biology

a.Plant Structures and Function

b.Plant Reproduction and Development

c.Structure and Function of Animals - Dissection

d.Animal Reproduction and Development

3.Population Biology

a.Heredity - Breeding of Fruit Flies

b.Evolution

c.Ecology

d.Behavior

Evaluation

The grade average is based on lab work, quizzes and tests. Scientific essay writing is stressed. The quality of the work is evaluated at the college level. The AP examination is given in May.

Advanced Placement Chemistry

Student Profile

Students who enroll in AP Chemistry are highly motivated students who have been successful in previous science courses (B avg. or above) and have the desire to acquire a more in-depth knowledge of the chemical world around them. Anyone anticipating a college major or career in the sciences, pre-med, pre-vet, chemical engineering, among others, should enroll in AP Chemistry. A successful experience requires that students are willing to spend quality time outside of the classroom working challenging problems, reading the text to further their understanding of the topics presented in class, and writing lab reports. Concurrent enrollment or completion of Pre-calculus or above is the usual math level of a typical AP Chemistry student.