1. Welcome to Allatoona High School’s Honors/AP Showcase Tuesday, Feb 15, 2011

2. Honors/AP Showcase Goal Students, parents, and faculty members will encourage and support enrollment in higher level courses, which include Honors and AP. Student Learning Priority Increase critical thinking skills in all content areas.

3. What are the Benefits of Taking an Honors or AP Course? What Will I Have to do to Succeed in an Honors or AP Course?

4. College Admissions Counselors Report Course Rigor is A Predictor of Success College admissions counselors report that the best indicator of student success in college is the rigor of coursework undertaken in high school. The Tool Box Revisted: Paths to Degree Completion from High School Through College (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, 2006), Clifford Adelman

5. Factors that Are Used in Making Admissions Decisions “8 Big Changes to College Admissions in 2010 and 2011,” Kim Clark, November 15, 2010, U.S.News & World ReportKim Clark “Admissions officers are increasingly weeding out applicants who take it easy in high school by giving more weight to grades in tougher classes.”

6. Why Honors and AP Courses? rigorous coursework Research has documented that rigorous coursework in high school is essential for success in college. At the same time, we know that far too few students are taking the challenging courses they need to be prepared for college-level work. Preparing Students for Success in College, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, Volume 2 ◆ Number 2 ◆ February 2005

7. What is the relative importance of specific academic factors in admission decisions? According to UGA and Georgia Tech: Rigor of secondary school record: Very important Class rank: Not considered Academic GPA: Very important Standardized test scores: Important Application essay: Considered http://www.eduers.com

8. What is the relative importance of specific academic factors in admission decisions? According to UGA: “GPA and rigor of curriculum weigh roughly three to two to standardized tests in predicting academic success at UGA. Effectively, this means that a student with a 4.0 GPA in a superior curriculum of Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses might be admitted with an SAT score at or below 1000.”

9. UGA Freshman Admission Statistics: Class of 2014 17,659 Total number of applicants: 17,659 9,965 Total number of Accepted Freshmen: 9,965 3.72-4.03 Mid-50% range for GPA: 3.72-4.03 1220-1400 Mid-50% range for the SAT CR and M: 1220-1400 580-680 Mid-50% range for the SAT Writing: 580-680 27-31 Mid-50% range for the ACT: 27-31 over 5.5 Average number of AP/IB courses: over 5.5

10. Georgia Tech AP Credit… An Outcome of Success “Advanced Placement can be beneficial to students who are already well prepared in basic course requirements in chemistry, physics, math, English, social sciences, and humanities. By demonstrating knowledge of a subject, students may exempt designated courses for academic credit or advanced class standing.” “We not only factor APs into the recalculation of a high school GPA but also do Rigor Counts, which is a raw number of AP, IB, or Dual Enrolled courses a student has taken during their high school career.”

11. Georgia Tech Georgia Tech FALL 2010 FRESHMAN INFO Avg # of AP/IB/College Classes taken through 11th grade: 3.2 *0.5 points given for each AP, IB, or College Course a student has taken

12. Could College Credit Be In Your Future Before You Even Get There? At the University of Georgia: An English Literature score of “4” or “5” earns a student six credit hours (English 1101 and 1102) At Georgia Southern: A Chemistry score of “3” earns a student six credit hours (Chemistry 1146 and 1147)

13. 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: Camara, Wayne (2003). College Persistence, Graduation, and Remediation. College Board Research Notes (RN-19). New York, NY: College Board

14. Characteristics of Successful Honors/AP Students They have a genuine love of learning and a positive attitude. They have good time management skills. They are willing to put forth their best effort, and are able to do homework on a daily basis.

15. Honors Courses Have….. More in-depth analysis of material More challenging projects and papers A faster pace A desire for excellence

16. The Advanced Placement Program, administered by The College Board and taught at local high schools, allows students to participate in a college level course and possibly earn college credit while still in high school. What is the Advanced Placement Program?

17. How to Be A Successful Advanced Placement Student 1.Take advanced placement courses in subjects at which you have already demonstrated ability. 2. Remember that advanced placement courses are taught at a college level. This requires that students put forth more effort than mere rote memorization and repetition of data. 3. Be well-organized. Organization enables students to develop and maintain notes and to properly pace themselves in completing assignments. 4. Be self-motivated. Be prepared to teach yourself some aspects of the subject that the teacher has not taught.

18. AP classes… AP classes… ● Are more challenging and stimulating ● Are more time consuming and require more work. ● Require energetic, involved, and motivated students.

19. Interested? Talk to your parents, counselors, teachers, and other students.