AP (Advanced Placement) PROGRAM GUIDE

AP (Advanced Placement)

PROGRAM GUIDE

HillcrestHighSchool

AP Statistics

AP Physics

AP Chemistry

AP Biology

AP Environmental Science

Pre-AP English II

Pre-AP English I AP English III

AP English IV

Pre-AP Geometry

Pre-AP Algebra II

Pre-AP Calculus

Pre-AP World Geography

Pre-AP World History

AP U. S. History

AP Calculus AB & BC

AP Macroeconomics

AP French

Pre-AP Computer Science

AP Computer Science

AP Human Geography

AP European History

Pre-AP Chemistry

Pre-AP Spanish

Pre-AP French

Pre-AP Physics

Pre-AP Art

Pre-AP Biology

AP Music Theory

AP U.S. Government

AP Spanish

AP 2D Studio Art

Ronald K. Jones, Principal

Ann McNutt & Forrest Oliver, AP Coordinators

Hillcrest High School

9924 Hillcrest Road Dallas, Texas 75230 972-502-6800

AP World History

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=AP+College+Board+Studio+Art&Form=IQFRDR

HHS AP PROGRAM GUIDE Page 2

HHS AP Program Guide

What is the Advanced Placement (AP) Program?

Advanced Placement (AP) is a program of college-level courses and exams that gives high school students the opportunity to receive advanced placement and/or credit in college. Nationally, about 1.2 million students participate in the AP Program each year. Hillcrest High School is committed giving all students an opportunity to participate in rigorous and academically challenging curriculum that will prepare them for college and beyond. Students are highly encouraged to take AP courses. As students plan their schedules, they should consider the time commitments required in extracurricular and outside activities by carefully reviewing the course descriptions before making decisions. These courses are designed to prepare students for AP courses, but they also offer an excellent opportunity for students to enjoy a challenging, interesting course in areas where students exhibit strengths and curiosity.

What are AP courses?

AP courses will be more demanding than regular high school courses. They often require more time and work, but the AP courses give you greater depth. A student should realize that taking an AP class is a serious commitment. Students should give careful thought to which and how many AP courses to take in one year.

Why take an AP Exam?

Satisfactory grades on AP examinations offer many benefits which may enhance your applications for college admissions, placement, and scholarships. You may also receive college credit based on your AP scores. AP exams are administered each year in May. An exam contains both multiple choice and free response questions that require essay writing, problem solving, and other skills. Every examination receives an overall grade on a five-point scale. Scale: 5 – Extremely well qualified 4 – Well qualified 3 – Qualified 2 – Possibly qualified 1 – No Recommendation AP Grade Reports are sent in July to each student’s home address, high school, and, if the student has requested, to designated colleges. Each college decides how much credit to award for AP scores. You can find this information for the colleges you are interested in by using the AP Credit Policy search at: www.collegeboard.com/ap/creditpolicy.

*Some information was taken from the AP College Board Website.*


Pre-AP Program

Pre-AP is a set of courses with content-specific strategies designed to:

program

Pre-AP/AP Information for Students

Through college-level AP courses, students gain knowledge that may unexplored in a traditional high school curriculum; through AP Exams, students have the opportunity to earn credit or advanced standing at most of the nation’s colleges and universities.

Specific skills for success:

Why Participate?

AP offers something for everyone. The only requirements are a strong curiosity about the subject you plan to study and the willingness to work hard. Here are a few reasons to sign up:

Broaden Your Intellectual Horizon:

Gain the Edge in College Preparation:

-level work.

-solving

techniques.

course work. Stand Out in the College Admissions Process:

what college admissions officers look for on a high school transcript.

*Some information was taken from the AP College Board Website.*



Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can my student enroll in Pre-AP and AP courses?

Yes, DISD allows students, parents, teachers and counselors to nominate for Pre-AP and AP courses. Please note that these courses are more rigorous and move at a faster pace that the regular courses.

2. Is there a limit to the number of Pre-AP and AP courses that a student can take?

There is no limit; however, students should consider their overall course load and other activities or commitments they have to make sure they have adequate time in their daily schedule to study and to complete homework.

3. Who can I contact for more information about the AP Program?

Ann McNutt, AP Coordinator 4. Can I change my schedule once school starts?

Schedules will be mailed during the summer. Please email the associate principal to request schedule changes before school begins. We cannot guarantee that students will get a certain teacher or class period. We hope to limit the number of schedule changes after school begins as it disrupts the classroom learning process.

Shanna Burton, Associate Principal — [email protected]

5. Who will be my child’s counselor and how can I reach them?

Alpha A-F: Gailene Anderson (Lead Counselor) [email protected] Alpha G-N: Caroline Jones-Harris [email protected] Alpha O-Z: Bridget Dyer-Smith [email protected]

6. What if my child needs assistance in his/her courses? Each teacher has a tutoring schedule that is either before school, after school or both. Students will be provided a tutoring schedule once school begins.

7. Are there summer assignments?

Some courses require summer assignments. This information will be available on the school’s website.

8. Can my child take Pre-AP and AP courses if they participate in the Academy of Engineering?

Yes. Certain sections of English, Math and Science Pre-AP and AP classes are designated specifically for Academy of Engineering students. 9. What other programs and activities does Hillcrest have to offer? Academic Decathlon, Academy of Engineering, AVID, Biomedical Research, Cooperative Education, Colorguard, Debate Club, French Club, Gay/Straight Alliance, Glee Club, Information Technology Pathway, Interact Club, Jazz Band, JROTC, JV Cheerleading, Key Club, Marching Band, Mock Trial, Mu Alpha Theta, Theater, National Honor Society, Newspaper, Orchestra, Panaders Drill Team, Ro-botics, Student Council, Varsity Cheerleading, World Cafe Reading Club and Yearbook.


Rank in Class and GPA

Rank In Class

Rank in class is based on a weighted grading system. Eligible courses for the computation of rank include all courses taken for state credit in grades 9-12. Courses taken for state credit in summer or evening school, as well as approved correspondence and college courses taken for high school credit will count toward rank in class. Credit earned through credit-by-exam, with or without prior instruction, does not count toward rank in class. Rank points are awarded based on semester grades. For each student, rank points for each semester course are sorted in descending order. Rank in class is computed by totaling the weighted rank points of eligible courses representing the highest twenty-four credits taken and earned in grades 9-12. Course weights are assigned to Texas Education Agency approved courses as follows: Advanced Placement 9 Remedial Education/Special Education 6 Pre-AP / Dual Credit 8 Regular Education/ESOL 7 Local credit courses 0 Below 70 in any course 0 To obtain rank points, the semester grade in each course is multiplied by the course weight. English I Grade 100 X 7 = 700 POINTS English II PAP Grade 100 X 8 = 800 POINTS AP English III Grade 100 X 9 = 900 POINTS Rank in class is calculated at the end of each semester beginning with the first semester of the junior year. The first calculation is based on the highest 15 credits. At the end of the junior year, rank is calculated based on the highest 18 credits. First semester senior rank is calculated on the highest 21 credits and the final rank is calculated on the highest 24 credits.

GPA

Calculating Grade Point Average (GPA)

Students earn a grade point average (GPA) based on a 100 point system. Eligible courses for the

computation of GPA include all courses taken for state and local high school credit in grades 9-12.

Courses taken in summer or evening school, as well as approved correspondence courses, and

courses taken for concurrent college credit, shall count toward the grade point average (GPA).

Grade point average is computed by totaling the numerical grades earned and dividing by the

number of numerical grade earning courses attempted. GPA can range from 50 to 100. Credit

earned through credit-by examination or examination for acceleration will not count toward GPA.

The academic achievement record (transcript) shall carry the final GPA.



Pre-AP English I

Course Description: This course addresses all the English I TEKS with additional instruction and practice in reading a variety of genres, writing a wide variety of compositions, and listening and speaking. Skills are taught at greater levels of rigor so that students are prepared to master the challenging reading and writing assignments in AP English Language and Literature courses. Students complete research projects that require them to understand and evaluate a variety of textual and visual materials.

Pre-AP English II

Course Description: This course emphasizes reflective and persuasive forms of communication. Students use the writing process to produce effective arguments that include information from primary and secondary sources. Students demonstrate complex syntax, advanced vocabulary, and increasingly accurate use of the conventions of written language. Students read widely and critically, analyzing and responding to a variety of literature including American and world authors. They present and critique oral communications including visuals and analyze the purpose and the effect on the audience. This course addresses all the English II TEKS and skills that are taught at greater levels of rigor so that students are prepared to master the challenging reading and writing assignments in AP English courses.

AP English III: English Language and Composition

Course Description: An AP course in English Language and Composition engages students in be-coming skilled readers of prose written in a variety of periods, disciplines, and rhetorical contexts; and in becoming skilled writers who compose for a variety of purposes. Both their writing and their reading should make students aware of the interactions among a writer’s purposes, audience expec-tations, and subjects as well as the way generic conventions and the resources of language contrib-ute to the effectiveness in writing.


Out-of-class commitments:

AP English IV: English Literature and Composition

Course Description: An AP English Literature and Composition course engages students in the careful reading and critical analysis of literature. Through the close reading of selected texts, stu-dents deepen their understanding of the ways writers use language to provide both meaning and pleasure for their readers. As they read, students consider a work’s structure, style, and themes as well as such smaller scale elements as the use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone. Students will write analytically. Both timed writings and out-of-class essays will be assigned. AP courses, designed for students reading and writing two years above grade level, explore fiction and nonfiction containing sophisticated concepts, themes, and language.




Pre-AP World Geography

Course Description: This course examines people, places, and environments at local, regional, national, and international scales from the spatial and ecological perspectives of geography. This course includes World Geography TEKS and prepares students for Advanced Placement coursework in social studies.

Pre-AP World History

Course Description: This course emphasizes a variety of topics that include: characteristics of matter, energy transformations during physical and chemical changes; atomic structure;

periodic table of elements; behavior of gases; bonding; nuclear fusion and nuclear fission;

oxidation-reduction; chemical equations; solutes; properties of solutions; acids and bases; and chemical reactions. This course extends the chemistry concepts found in the TEKS and SEs with an emphasis on preparing students to take AP Chemistry. It is expected that student who enroll in, and successfully complete, this course will enroll in AP Chemistry.

AP World History

Course Description: AP World History covers the history of the world from 600 C.E. to the pre-sent with an introduction unit on the period before (covering around 8000 B.C.E to 600 C.E.). The course emphasizes “patterns of change” and the connections between the various world cultures throughout the time period being studied. Students will gain an understanding of the global experi-ences of humanity and be able to apply that knowledge to their growth and development as “world citizens”. The class will prepare students to be successful on the AP World History exam.


participation in classroom discussion

Out-of-class commitments: 3 – 5 hours per week for homework, reading and studying



AP U. S. History

Course Description: This is a survey course that will provide a broad overview of U.S. History. You will study topics ranging from pre-Columbian societies to the United States in the post-Cold War world. You will also be introduced to themes—such as American diversity, religion, and war and diplomacy intended to assist you in thinking conceptually about the American past.




AP Human Geography

Course Description: This AP course fulfills the requirement for World Geography and provides the student with a learning experience equivalent to that obtained in a college course. This course introduces the systemic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding, use, and alteration of Earth’s surface. Students employ spatial concepts and landscape analysis to examine human social organization and its environmental consequences. Students taking this course will take the World Geography EOC. Approved College Board teacher syllabus required.





AP U.S. Government

Course Description: This course provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the operation of American government. The subjects that the course covers include constitutional arrangements; policymaking institutions such as the legislative, the executive, the bureaucracy, and the courts; public opinion and the media; political participation and voting behavior; political parties and interest groups; civil liberties and rights; and budget making. This course is designed to offer students the tools they need to become active and effective citizens in our democracy.


political events in the United States


AP Macro Economics

Course Description: This course will acquaint students with the fundamentals of macroeconomics, which is a study of the economy as a whole or its basic subdivisions or aggregates, such as the government, house-hold, and business sectors. Macroeconomics speaks of such economic measures as total output, total unemployment, total income, aggregate expenditures, and the general level of prices in analyzing various economic problems as well as the various theories and assumptions used by economic policymakers in dealing with problems.



AP European History

Course Description: AP European History covers European history since 1450 and introduces students to cultural, economic, political and social developments that played a fundamental role in shaping the world in which they live. In addition to providing a basic narrative of events and movements, the goals of AP Euro-pean History are to develop an understanding of some of the principal themes in modern European history, an ability to analyze historical evidence and historical interpretation and an ability to express historical understanding in writing.





Pre-AP Geometry

Course Description: This course addresses Geometry TEKS and focuses on geometric think-ing and spatial reasoning; geometric figures and their properties; the relationship between ge-ometry, other mathematics, and other disciplines; and the tools, representations and tech-niques for working with spatial figures and their properties. This course focuses on advanced geometry concepts in preparing students for Advanced Placement Calculus.

Pre-AP Algebra II

Course Description: This course addresses Algebra II TEKS and focuses on algebraic thinking and symbolic reasoning; functions, equations, and their relationship; the relationship between algebra and geometry; representations, tools, and techniques for working with functions and equations; and the necessary underlying mathematical processes of advanced algebra. This course focuses on advanced algebra concepts in preparing students for Advanced Placement Calculus.

Pre-AP Pre Calculus

Course Description: This course addresses Pre-Calculus TEKS, and focuses on symbolic rea-soning and analytical methods to represent mathematical situations, express generalizations and to study mathematical concepts and the relationships among them. Students also use represen-tations, tools, and technology to model functions, including polynomial, exponential, and trigono-metric functions, and to solve real-life problems. This course focuses on advanced Calculus con-cepts in preparing students for Advanced Placement Calculus.

AP Calculus AB

Course Description: The AP Calculus AB course is designed to prepare students to be proficient at the college calculus level. Students are expected to take the AP Calculus AB exam at the end of the course in order to earn college credit for differential calculus (approximately 3 hours). The class focuses on the study of differential calculus with limited exposure to the early concepts of integral calculus. The concepts are presented and tested in the analytic (symbolic), graphical and tabular frameworks.

Specific skills for success: -Calculus

-solving skills


– 6 hours preparation for semester exams

– 18 hours preparation for the AP Exam

.


AP Calculus BC

Course Description: This course is designed for the students wishing to receive credit for up to 6 hours of calculus while still in high school. The content is focused on the key foundational ideas relating differential and integral calculus. Students should expect to apply the concepts in a variety of scenarios.

Specific skills for success: -calculus




AP Statistics

Course Description: The purpose of the AP course in statistics is to introduce students to the major con-cepts and tools for collecting, analyzing and drawing conclusions from data. Students are exposed to four broad conceptual themes: 1. Exploring Data: Describing patterns and departures from patterns 2. Sampling and Experimentation: Planning and conducting a study 3. Anticipating Patterns: Exploring random phenomena using probability and simulation 4. Statistical Inference: Estimating population parameters and testing hypotheses


-discipline and a willingness to take responsibility for one’s own learning Out-of-class commitments:





Pre-AP Biology

Course Description: In this course, students study a variety of topics such as the structures and functions of cells and viruses; growth and development of organisms; cells, tissues and organs; nucleic acids and genetics; biological evolution; taxonomy; metabolism and energy transfers in living organisms; living systems; homeostasis; ecosystems; the environment. This course extends the biology concepts found in the TEKS and SEs with an emphasis on preparing students to take AP Biology. It is expected that student who enroll in and successfully complete this course will enroll in AP Biology.

AP Biology

Course Description: AP Biology is a college-level course that is fast paced, in-depth, and appro-priate for any student who enjoys learning about life by asking and answering questions. The course is laboratory-based and includes the completion of the College Board recommended labs.


Out-of-class commitments: Students should plan to devote time to studying, lab report preparation, and reading for the class.

Pre-AP Chemistry

Course Description: This course emphasizes a variety of topics that include: characteristics of matter, energy transformations during physical and chemical changes; atomic structure;

periodic table of elements; behavior of gases; bonding; nuclear fusion and nuclear fission;

oxidation-reduction; chemical equations; solutes; properties of solutions; acids and bases; and chemical reactions. This course extends the chemistry concepts found in the TEKS and SEs with an emphasis on preparing students to take AP Chemistry. It is expected that student who enroll in, and successfully complete, this course will enroll in AP Chemistry.

AP Chemistry

Course Description: This college course in general chemistry differs from the usual first high school course in chemistry in respect to the range and depth of topics covered, the emphasis on chemical calculations, and the mathematical formulation of principles, the nature and variety of laboratory work done by students, and the time and effort required of students.


-AP Chemistry

Out-of-class commitments: Students should practice problems, study for tests or quizzes, and analyze labs.


AP Environmental Science

Course Description: The goal of the AP Environmental Science course is to provide students with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, to identify and analyze environmental problems both natural and human-made, to evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, and to examine alternative solutions for resolving or preventing them. Environmental science is interdisciplinary; it embraces a wide variety of topics from dif-ferent areas of study.

Specific skills for success: —for example, a year of biology and a year of

chemistry

Out-of-class commitments: Students can expect to study at least 1 to 2 hours per week.

Pre-AP Physics

Course Description: This course emphasizes a variety of topics that include: laws of motion; changes within physical systems and conservation of energy and momentum; thermodynamics; force; characteristics and behaviors of waves; and quantum physics. It provides a conceptual framework, factual knowledge, and analytical and scientific skills. This course includes and expands the Physics TEKS. Students who complete this course are prepared to complete AP Physics C.

AP Physics C

Course Description: Advanced Placement Physics C is a calculus-based physics course designed for stu-dents planning to major in science, math, or engineering in college. Calculus concepts are integrated within a problem-solving and lab-based physic curriculum, which includes topics under Newtonian mechanics and Electromagnetism. Specific skills for success:

-discipline and a willingness to take responsibility for one’s own learning Out-of-class commitments: Students should plan to devote time to practice problems, study for tests or quizzes, prepare and analyze labs.



Pre-AP Drawing

Course Description: This course provides the serious student of art with the opportunity to pro-duce art that reflects their prior knowledge of the elements and the principals of art and their appli-cation. Students in this Pre-AP course will reflect three major concerns that are constants in the teaching of art: (1) a sense of quality in the student’s work; (2) the student’s concentration on a particular visual interest or problem; (3) the student’s need for breadth of experience in the formal, technical, and expressive means of the artist. Students will learn to develop quality and mastery in their work and concepts through research, experimentation, proper composition through the use of the elements and principles of art, as well as proper construction techniques. Central to the devel-opment of visual literacy, oral and written skills of comparative analysis (emphasizing descriptive writing about works of art) and the understanding of those works in historical and sociological con-texts.

AP 2D Art

Course Description: The AP Studio Art portfolios are designed for students who are seriously interested in the practical experience of art. AP Studio Art is not based on a written exam; instead, students submit portfolios for evaluation at the end of the school year.

The instructional goals of the AP Studio Art program include: Encouraging creative and systematic investigation of formal and conceptual issues. Emphasizing making art as an ongoing process that involves the student informed and critical decision making. Helping students develop technical skills and familiarize them with the functions of the visual elements. Encouraging students to become independent thinkers who will contribute inventively and critically to their culture through the making of art.

PAP French

Course Description: This course is intended for students who wish to develop proficiency in all four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and who wish to explore further the history, art, and culture of France. Upon completion of this course, students should be prepared to take AP French.

AP French

Course Description: The AP French Language course has been designed to be comparable to college/university French language courses. It is intended for students who wish to develop profi-ciency in all four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and who wish to explore further the history, art, and culture of France. Specific skills for success:

-AP French III


PAP Spanish

Course Description: This course is intended for students who wish to develop proficiency in all four lan-guage skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and who wish to explore further the history, art, and culture of Spanish. Upon completion of this course, students should be prepared to take AP Spanish.

AP Spanish

Course Description: The AP Spanish Language course has been designed to be comparable to advanced level (fifth and sixth-semester or the equivalent) college/university Spanish language courses. It is intended for students who wish to develop proficiency in all four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writ-ing; and who wish to explore further the beauty of the Hispanic world.


AP Music Theory

Course Description: This course extends knowledge and skills learned in other music courses, including advanced notation, scales, melodic and harmonic intervals, chord structure, part writing, ear training, sight-reading and keyboard skills. This course involves composition, written and aural analysis, and score study.


Pre-AP Computer Science

Course Description: This course teaches the programming language of JAVA. Students are prepared for the AP Computer Science course while learning graphics and design as well as real-world applications.

AP Computer Science Course Description: This course provides students with a broad introduction to the world of computer pro-gramming. While studying software development, students will develop and refine invaluable skills in analyti-cal thinking, logical and deductive reasoning, and general problem solving. Students are not required to have any prior experience with programming or computer science topics before taking the course. (Offered at the ATC as a two hour block).


development

and challenges

-oriented

developed throughout the course)

Documents

AP (Advanced Placement) PROGRAM GUIDE