The Advanced Placement Program at West Forsyth High School Dr. Tom Fowler Mrs. Donna Duncan AP CoordinatorAssistant AP Coordinator

What is AP?  A challenging set of academic courses based on college-level curricula.  Rigorous end-of-course examinations graded against national standards.  Students will meet both College Board curriculum requirements, as well as Georgia’s.

Why Colleges Like the AP Program  Common curriculum across the nation.  Professional development institutes and seminars for teachers in the program.  Standardized assessments each year that are the same for all students.  Students better prepared for academic rigor of college

Benefits of the AP Program For Students –College credit –Academic challenge –Academic skills needed for college –Increase in self-confidence, motivation, and academic orientation

The Rewards of AP Prepares students for success in college by taking college-level courses while still in high school –Explore advanced topics -- study in greater depth –Develop advanced skills -- form disciplined study habits –Build confidence in capability to succeed in college

The Rewards of AP Opportunity to earn college credit or advanced placement –Possible tuition savings –Save money in unused textbooks –Flexibility in college course choice –Early entry to graduate/professional schools

Students who Participate…  Outperform their peers when placed into advanced courses.  More likely to take advanced courses in their AP subject areas.  More likely to choose challenging majors.  More likely to graduate with a double major.  Twice as likely to go into advanced study.

Sequence of Courses  9 th grade – Human Geography, Biology, Psychology  10 th grade – World History, Biology, Psychology, Human Geography  11 th and 12 th grade – any of 18 remaining  22 AP Courses offered at West  Capstone is the newest addition  Second year of Computer Science in

WFHS Honors  Honors English 9  Honors English 10  Honors Biology (9 th )

WFHS Valedictorians Every Valedictorian since 2011:  AP Human Geography  Honors English 9  Honors English 10  Honors Biology  Honors Chemistry  Between 14 and 17 AP/DL Calculus

of top 12, including top six:  AP Human Geography  Honors English 9  Honors English 10  Honors Biology  Honors Chemistry  Between 12 and 17 AP/DL courses

What Counts in College Admissions % citing “considerably important” 1992 NACAC Survey College Admissions Officials

West and UGA 2015 Early Decision Accepted  43  4.12 GPA  AP Courses at West Deferred  19  3.81 GPA  7.16 AP Courses at West Denied  4  3.5 GPA  6.75 AP Courses at West

West and Georgia Tech  2010 – 2014  205 Applied, 50% admitted, 59 matriculated  95.8% 1 st year retention rate (95.2% Institution)  HS GPA – 4.01  Average # of AP courses – 11 (8 Institution)  Year one GPA – 3.21 vs Institution

West Forsyth by the Numbers  909 students took at least one AP Exam in 2015  1090 students taking at least one AP course  22 AP Courses offered at West  127 Freshmen taking AP  587 (54%) taking two or more AP Courses  164 taking three AP Courses  70 taking four AP Courses  49 taking five AP Courses  10 taking six AP Courses (+8 Tech DL Calculus)  1 taking seven AP Courses

West Forsyth by the Numbers  AP Merit School – 20% or more of students take an AP Exam and at least half of exams score a 3 or higher  Earned this distinction in , , , , , ,  Will earn it again for  AP STEM School and AP STEM Achievement school in those years  AP Humanities School

West Forsyth by the Numbers AP Scholar Distinction  In , 315 West students earned an AP Scholar Distinction (of 909 students who took AP – 35% vs. 20% nationally)  17 National AP Scholars (Avg. 4 or higher on all AP Exams; score of 4 or higher on eight or more exams)  100 AP Scholars with Distinction (Avg. 3.5 or higher on all AP Exams; score of 3 or higher on five or more exams)  69 AP Scholars with Honors (Avg or higher on all AP Exams; score of 3 or higher on four or more exams)  146 AP Scholars (score of 3 or higher on three or more exams)

AP Capstone Diploma Program  Only school in Forsyth currently offering  One of nine schools in Georgia  11 th (Seminar) and 12th grade (Research)  Develops analytic, research, problem- solving, and communication skills  Culminates in 5000 word thesis paper

Miscellaneous Thoughts  Exams  Best Preparation for SAT/ACT  3 or higher - 70% of ALL 1791 West exams in

What Parents are Saying

AP Contacts  AP Central   Colleges’ AP Credit Policies   AP Student Resources   AP Parent Resources 

Contact WFHS AP Coordinators: Dr. Tom Fowler Ext: Mrs. Donna Duncan Ext: