1. LOVEJOY ISD ADVANCED PLACEMENT

2. 596 STUDENTS 1226 EXAMS

3. BENEFITS OF RIGOR A U.S. Department of Education study found that the strongest predictor of college graduation is something students do before they ever go to college: Participate in rigorous, college- level courses in high school—and AP courses in particular. Clifford Adelman, Answers in the Tool Box: Academic Intensity, Attendance Patterns, and Bachelor’s Degree Attainment (1999), U.S. Department of Education.

4. ADVANCED PLACEMENT PROGRAM College-level courses taught in a high school setting National/International program with 34 courses and examinations offered in 19 subject areas Most are junior and senior level courses Standards or learning goals are aligned to the corresponding college level course Score results are normed by district, region, state, and country Some AP courses have pre-requisites that need to be met before enrolling

5. LOVEJOY AP PHILOSOPHY  All students who intend to be college bound should take at least one AP course before graduating.  All students who enroll in an AP course are required to take the AP exam.

6. LOVEJOY AP PHILOSOPHY  To reflect the challenge of AP, GPA weighting is offered for all AP courses.  Gifted and Talented sections are offered in multiple AP core content courses.

7. AP COURSES OFFERED Music Theory Physics I Physics II Physics C Psychology Spanish Language Spanish Literature Statistics Studio Art (2-D Design, 3-D Design, and Drawing) U.S. History U.S. Govt and Politics World History Art History Biology Calculus (AB & BC) Chemistry Computer Science (A) English Lang. & Comp. English Lit. & Comp. Environmental Science European History French Language Government, U.S. Human Geography Macroeconomics

8. MEAN SCORE BY AP COURSE AP Course # TestsLovejoyTexasNational Art History292.662.692.82 Music Theory64.502.963.05 Studio Art 2D144.643.243.32 Studio Art 3D83.003.013.03 Studio Art Drawing55.003.223.26 English Lang Comp1223.532.472.78 English Lit Comp763.532.522.76 European History182.942.832.64 Human Geography1002.912.612.63 Macro Economics652.752.322.84 Psychology1173.852.773.08 US Government & Politics652.682.192.62 US History783.862.342.76 World History1463.272.402.65 Calculus AB882.522.592.92 Calculus BC323.283.553.82 Computer Science A163.502.772.95 Statistics913.382.692.85 Biology183.332.622.90 Chemistry222.552.402.65 Physics B402.752.432.83 Physics C: E M302.633.133.45 Physics C: Mech303.103.213.53 French Language*3.002.933.28 Spanish Language*2.403.523.71 Spanish Literature*2.002.943.09 Total Exams 3.222.582.87

9. CLASS OF 2014 Class Rank Quartile Total Students AP ScholarsNumber of Students Who Took an AP Exam Students Who Earned a Score of 3+ First706270 Second69266758 Third7095636 Fourth6923414

10. 2014 AP SCHOLAR AWARDS  AP SCHOLAR  Scores of 3 or higher on 3 or more AP exams  39 students in 2010, 42 in 2011, 76 in 2012, 93 in 2013  84 students in 2014  AP SCHOLAR WITH HONORS  Scores of 3 or higher on 4 or more AP exams  Average score of 3.25  12 students in 2010, 21 in 2011, 24 in 2012, 41 in 2013  32 students in 2014  AP SCHOLAR WITH DISTINCTION  Scores of 3 or higher on 5 or more AP exams  Average score of 3.5  12 students in 2010, 26 in 2011, 28 in 2012, 33 in 2013  52 students in 2014  NATIONAL AP SCHOLAR  Scores of 4 or higher on 8 or more AP exams  Average grade of 4 or higher  2 students in 2010, 5 in 2011, 12 in 2012, 14 in 2013  13 students in 2014

11. WHY TAKE AN AP COURSE? Experience college-level content Be a step ahead – graduate with confidence Access and Evaluate Information Creativity and Innovation Think Creatively Work Creatively/Collaboratively Implement Innovations Apply Learning to the World Investigate Critical Issues/Concepts Discover Solutions Communicate Effectively Cross-Disciplinary Thinking Develop time management strategies Learn how to “learn” and study independently Critical Thinking Reason Effectively Use Systems Thinking Make Judgments and Decisions Solve Problems

12. STAND OUT “One of the best standard predictors of academic success at Harvard is performance on Advanced Placement Examinations.” —William R. Fitzsimmons Dean of Admissions, Harvard University “AP Exams affirm the rigor of a student’s course work. Though admissions policies vary, if I were a student, I wouldn’t assume that the college of my dreams didn’t care about AP Exams in the admissions process.” —Bruce Walker, Director of Admissions University of Texas at Austin

13. COLLEGE PERSISTENCE A recent study showed that students who earned a 3, 4, or 5 on the AP Exam had higher first-year college grade point averages and were more likely to return for the second year of college than non-AP students of similar ability. Krista Mattern, Emily Shaw, and Xinhui Xiong, “The Relationship Between AP Exam Performance and College Outcomes” (2009), The College Board.

14. AP AND COLLEGE SUCCESS Students who take AP courses and exams are much more likely than their peers to complete a bachelor’s degree in four years or less. Source: Krista Mattern, Jessica Marini, and Emily Shaw (2013). Are AP Students More Likely to Graduate from College on Time? New York, NY: College Board.

15. WHAT ARE AP COURSES LIKE?  AP courses typically demand more of students  Classes tend to be fast-paced and cover more material with depth  Students are challenged to learn both collaboratively and individually  More time, inside and outside of the classroom, is required for optimal learning  Students are expected to think critically, analyze and synthesize facts and data, weigh competing perspectives, and write clearly and persuasively

16. AP EXAMS Approximately 3 hours in length Two sections: Multiple Choice (about 60 - 75 questions) Free Response (essays and/or problems) Scored on a scale of 1 to 5 Scores of 3, 4, and 5 usually considered to be equivalent to college scores of C, B, and A

17. CHOOSING AP COURSES Encourage your child to answer these questions… What am I really interested in learning? What content areas are my strengths? How can I best prepare for success in my college major? What questions intrigue me that I want to explore? What courses do I want to take advantage of before leaving LHS?