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Curriculum

course description 9th-10th-11th-12th

Curriculum Guide

Each year, an increasing number of parents, students, teachers, high schools, and colleges and universities turn to AP as a model of educational excellence.

AP Courses at Apollo High School

Subject	Teacher
Statistics	Mann
Spanish	Robinson
Physics B	Bates
Calculus AB	Jones
Calculus BC	Jones
Latin - Vergil	Thorpe
German Language	Humphrey
French Language	Humphrey
European History	Edmonson
Eng Lit/Comp	Jarboe
Comp Sci A	Purdy
Chemistry	Lewis
Biology	Hahus
US History	Phelan
U.S. Government	Edmonson

AP Courses
Thirty-four AP courses in a wide variety of subject areas are currently available. Developed by a committee of college faculty and AP teachers, each AP course covers the breadth of information, skills, and assignments found in the corresponding college course.

The AP Course Description for each subject outlines course content, describes curricular goals, and provides sample exam questions. These booklets are available to AP teachers free at AP Central in the spring of the school year before they will teach the course. While Course Descriptions are a significant source of information about the content on which the AP Exams will be based, AP teachers ultimately have the flexibility to determine how they present this content.

AP Exams
Each AP course has a corresponding exam that participating schools worldwide administer in May. Except for Studio Art, which is a portfolio assessment, AP Exams contain multiple-choice questions and a free-response section (either essay or problem-solving). AP Exams represent the culmination of AP courses, and are thus an integral part of the Program. As a result, many schools foster the expectation that students who enroll in an AP course will go on to take the corresponding AP Exam. Because the College Board is committed to providing home schooled students and students whose schools do not offer AP access to the AP Exams, it does not require students to take an AP course prior to taking an AP Exam. Most colleges and universities in the U.S., as well as colleges and universities in 21 other countries, have an AP policy granting incoming students credit, placement, or both on the basis of their AP Exam grades. Many of these institutions grant up to a full year of college credit (sophomore standing) to students who earn a sufficient number of qualifying AP grades.

Students seeking credit through their AP grades should note that individual colleges and universities, not the College Board or the AP Program, grant course credit and placement. Because policies regarding AP grades vary, students should obtain a college’s AP policy in writing. Students can find this information by searching the institution’s catalogue or Web site, or by using the “College Search” feature on collegeboard.com. Key questions include:

Exam Descriptions
Art -Art History: A 3-hour exam covering a full-year introductory college course in art history. The first part of the exam is a 60-minute multiple-choice section; the second part allows 60 minutes for seven short essays based on slides, followed by two 30-minute essays addressing typical and significant problems in art history. One of the 30-minute essays requires in-depth discussion of at least one work from beyond the European tradition. This essay focuses on one of two preannounced themes published in the AP Art History Course Description and on AP Central.
Art -Studio Art Drawing, Studio Art 2-D Design, Studio Art 3-D Design: Three portfolio evaluations covering one-semester or full-year college courses with the same names or content coverage. Each portfolio contains three sections: Quality; Concentration (an in-depth, individual project); and Breadth (demonstration of a wide range of experience). The AP Studio Art Course Description and poster detail requirements for preparing and submitting portfolios. The AP Studio Art section of AP Central includes questions and answers about the portfolios and works by AP students for each of the portfolios.
Biology: A 3-hour exam covering a full-year introductory college course in biology with laboratory. It contains 90 minutes of multiple-choice questions and 90 minutes of free-response questions. Both sections of the exam test students’ understanding of ideas that unite the major content areas: molecules and cells; heredity and evolution; and organisms and populations. Both sections may include questions based on the objectives of 12 AP Biology laboratory investigations.
Calculus -Calculus AB, Calculus BC: Two 3-hour and 15-minute exams covering topics typically included in an introductory Calculus I college course (Calculus AB) or those included in a two-semester college-level sequence (Calculus BC). Both Calculus courses require a similar depth of understanding of common topics, and graphing calculator use is an integral part of the courses. Both exams contain 10S minutes of multiple-choice questions and 90 minutes of free-response questions. Both the multiple-choice and free-response sections contain parts where a graphing calculator is required and parts where calculator use is prohibited. Visit the AP Calculus section of AP Central for detailed information on the calculator policy and the current list of AP-authorized calculators. Students taking Calculus BC will receive a subscore grade for the AB portion of the exam in addition to their final grade.
Chemistry: A 3-hour exam covering a full-year introductory college course with laboratory. It contains 90 minutes of multiple-choice questions and 90 minutes of free-response questions consisting of two quantitative problems (one on chemical equilibrium and one chosen from two other problems), one question requiring students to write net-ionic equations for chemical reactions, and three essay questions (two required, with one of those based on the laboratory, plus one chosen from two other essay questions). A periodic table is provided for students to use with Sections I and II of the exam and a list of commonly used equations and constants is provided during Section II of the exam only. Calculators are permitted only for the problems in Part A of Section II. Visit AP Central for the current list of AP-authorized calculators.
Computer Science -Computer Science A, Computer Science AB: Two 3-hour exams covering either a first-semester introductory college course (Computer Science A) or a full-year introductory college course (Computer Science AB). Each exam contains 15 minutes of multiple-choice questions and 105 minutes of free-response questions. One free-response question is based on the AP Marine Biology Case Study. Available on AP Central, the case study includes a program that students should work with throughout the school year. Note: The 2003 exams will use C++ as the programming language. Java will be used as the programming language beginning in 2004.
Economics -Macroeconomics, Microeconomics:
Two 2-hour and 10-minute examinations, each covering a one-semester introductory college course. Both exams contain a lo-minute multiple-choice section and a 60-minute free-response section that includes a 10-minute reading and planning period. The AP Macroeconomics Exam covers: basic economic concepts; measurement of economic performance; national income and price determination; international economics; and economic growth. The AP Microeconomics Exam covers: basic economic concepts; theory of consumer choice; theory of the firm; product markets; factor markets; and efficiency, equity, and the role of government.
English -Language and Composition, Literature and Composition: Two 3-hour exams, each covering a full-year introductory college course. Both include 60 minutes of multiple-choice questions and 120 minutes of free-response questions. The AP English Language and Composition Exam tests students’ skills in analyzing prose passages, and asks them to demonstrate their skill in composition by writing essays in various rhetorical modes. The AP English Literature and Composition Exam tests students’ skills in analyzing selected poems and prose passages and their ability to write critical or analytical essays based on poems, prose passages, novels, or plays.
Environmental Science: A 3-hour exam covering a one-semester introductory college course with laboratory. It contains 90 minutes of multiple-choice questions and 90 minutes of free-response questions. The four free-response questions include one data-set question, one document-based question, and two synthesis/evaluation questions. French -Language, Literature: The AP French Language Exam is approximately 2 and ¾ hours and covers a third-year French Composition or Conversation college course. It contains 85 minutes of multiple-choice questions and 75 minutes of free-response writing and speaking. It evaluates students’ ability to understand written and spoken French and to respond in correct and idiomatic French. The AP French Literature Exam is 3 hours and covers a third-year Introduction to French Literature college course. It contains 80 minutes of multiple-choice questions and 100 minutes of free-response questions. It measures students’ ability to understand, analyze, and interpret literary texts, and to write competent critical essays in French.
German Language: The exam is approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes in length and covers material roughly equivalent both in content and in difficulty to a third-year college German language course. It contains approximately 90 minutes of multiple-choice questions and a suggested 70 minutes of free-response writing and speaking. It evaluates students’ ability to understand written and spoken German and to respond in correct and idiomatic German.
Government and Politics -Comparative, United
States: Two 2-hour and 25-minute exams covering one-semester introductory college courses. Both
exams contain 45 minutes of multiple-choice questions and 100 minutes of free-response
questions. The AP Comparative Government and Politics Exam covers: an introduction to comparative politics; the sources of public authority and political power; society and politics; citizen and state; political framework; and political change. Five countries form the core of this examination: France, Great Britain, China, Russia/the former Soviet Union, and either India, Mexico, or Nigeria. The AP United States Government and Politics Exam covers: constitutional underpinnings of United States government; political beliefs and behaviors; political parties, interest groups and mass media; institutions of national government; the Congress, the presidency, the bureaucracy, and the federal courts; public policy; and civil rights and civil liberties.
History -European: A 3-hour and s-minute exam covering a full-year introductory college course. It contains SS minutes of multiple-choice questions, a 45-minute reading period, a 4s-minute document-based question (DBQ), and two 3s-minute thematic essays chosen from several options. Questions on intellectual-cultural, political-diplomatic, and social-economic history form the basis of every section of the exam.
History -United States: A 3-hour and s-minute exam on a full-year introductory college course. It contains SS minutes of multiple-choice questions, a 15-minute reading period, a 4s-minute document-based question (DBQ), and two 3s-minute essays chosen from several options. The exam covers: political institutions and behavior; public policy; social and economic change; diplomacy and international relations; and cultural and intellectual developments.
History -World: A 3-hour and s-minute exam covering a full-year introductory college course. It contains SS minutes of multiple-choice questions, a lo-minute reading period and a 40-minute document-based question (DBQ), a 40-minute question dealing with change over time, and a 40-minute comparative question focusing on broad issues in world history. The exam covers: impact of societal interactions; change and continuity across world history periods; impact of technology and demography; social and gender structures; cultural and intellectual developments; and functions and structures of states.
Human Geography: A 2-hour exam covering a one-semester introductory college course. The exam includes a 60-minute multiple-choice section and a 60-minute free-response section. The exam covers: the nature and perspectives of geography; population; cultural patterns and processes;political organization of space; agricultural and rural land use; industrialization and development; and cities and urban land use.
Latin -Literature, Vergil: Two 3-hour exams covering intermediate (fourth to sixth semester) college work on either the works of (Catolls and either (Cicero, Horace, or Ovid (Literature), or the Aeneid (Vergil). (colleges may cover the material required by the AP course in either one or two semesters. Both exams contain 60 minutes of multiple-choice questions on reading Latin poetry and prose (three of the four passages are the same), but have different 2-hour sections of translations and essays on required reading.
Music Theory: The exam is approximately 3 hours and covers a full-year introductory college course. It contains 80-90 minutes of multiple-choice questions, 60-70 minutes of free-response questions, and a sight-singing performance section that lasts approximately 8 minutes per student. In the free-response section, students are asked to do: two exercises each of melodic and harmonic dictation; two part-writing exercises (one from figured bass, one from Roman numerals); and a composition exercise entailing composing a bass line from a given melody. In the sight-singing component, students are asked to sing two diatonic melodies after a brief practice period. Students will receive subscore grades for the aural (listening and sight singing) and nonaural (written) portions of this exam in addition to the overall composite grade.
Physics -Physics B, Physics ( (Mechanics), Physics ( (Electricity and Magnetism): Physics B is a 3-hour exam covering a full-year non-calculus college survey course intended for students not majoring in a physical science or engineering. It contains 90 minutes of multiple-choice questions and 90 minutes of free-response questions. Physics ( (Mechanics) and Physics ( (Electricity and Magnetism) are two 90-minute exams each covering one semester of an introductory college course with calculus intended for students planning to major in a physical science or engineering. Each contains 45 minutes of multiple-choice questions and 45 minutes multiple-response questions. For both the Physics Band C exams, tables of commonly used equations are provided for use on the free-response section only. Scientific calculators, including programmable and graphing calculators, are permitted only for the free-response sections. Visit AP Central for the current list of AP-authorized calculators.
Psychology: A 2-hour exam covering a one-semester introductory college course. It contains 70 minutes of multiple-choice questions and 50 minutes of free-response questions. The exam covers: history; methods and approaches; biological bases of behavior; sensation and perception; states of consciousness; learning; cognition; motivation and emotion; developmental psychology; personality; testing and individual differences; abnormal psychology; treatment of psychological disorders; and social psychology.
Spanish -Language, Literature: The Spanish Language exam is approximately 2 hours and 50 minutes. It covers a third-year college course in advanced Spanish writing and conversation. It contains roughly 90 minutes of multiple-choice questions and 80 minutes of free-response writing and speaking. Spanish Literature is a 3-hour and 10-minute exam covering a third-year college introduction to literature written in Spanish. It contains 80 minutes of multiple-choice questions and 110 minutes of free-response questions on required works and poetry analysis.
Statistics: A 3-hour exam covering a one-semester introductory non-calculus-based college course. The exam contains 90 minutes of multiple-choice questions and 90 minutes of free-response questions. The free-response section requires students to answer five open-ended questions and complete an investigative task involving more extended reasoning. The exam covers: exploring data; planning a study (deciding what and how to measure); anticipating patterns (using probability and simulation); and statistical inference (confirming models). Students are expected to bring a graphing calculator with statistical capabilities to the exam, and to be familiar with its use. Visit AP Central for the latest AP-approved calculators.

Guidelines on Students’ Choice of Exams Students may take as many AP Exams as they want, in any combination, with the following qualifications:
Students may not take both:
Calculus AB and Calculus BC in one year.
Computer Science A and Computer Science AB in one year.
Students may pay a single fee for the following exam combinations, if taken during the same year:
Macroeconomics and Microeconomics. Comparative Government and Politics and United States Government and Politics. Latin Literature and Latin: Vergil. Physics C: Mechanics and Physics C:
Electricity and Magnetism.
Different subjects may not be combined for a single fee (e.g., one Economics and one Government and Politics exam for a single fee).
Other details:
The AP Program does not require students to take an AP course prior to taking an AP Exam.
A student may repeat an exam in a subsequent year. In such cases, both grades will be reported unless the student requests that one be withheld.
If a student wants to take two exams scheduled at the same time, he or she must take an alternate form of one of the exams during the late testing administration.
A student may submit more than one Studio Art portfolio; however, there must be no duplication of works or slides among the portfolios, and portfolios cannot be combined. If, for example, a student wants to submit a portfolio for both Drawing and 2-D Design, two portfolios should be ordered and two separate fees should be paid for that student.

The AP Year: An Overview
All YEAR
Schools receive subject-specific mailings if significant changes in exam format or course content occur.
AUGUST
Announcements of upcoming AP workshops for professional development are mailed out. High schools receive the Report to AP Teachers, which includes school-specific data on subjects in which five or more
students took the exam.
SEPTEMBER
Scholar Awards and International Diploma notifications are sent to students and schools. Schools receive annual participation materials. September 16 -Deadline for ordering free-response booklets.
OCTOBER
Schools complete their participation materials and designate their AP Coordinator. Free-response booklets are sent to students and schools that have requested them. October 31 -Deadline for students to request Multiple-Choice Rescore Service.
NOVEMBER
2002 State and National Summary Reports are posted on AP Central. The AP Yearbook is mailed to principals and college administrators. ETS mails a supply of the AP Bulletin for Students and Parents and other information to schools that have submitted their Participation Forms. November 15 -Deadline for schools to return the Participation Form and Teacher Listing.
DECEMBER
The general information from the AP Coordinator’ 5 Manual is posted on AP Central.
FEBRUARY
Schools receive exam-ordering information and can begin ordering exams online. Upcoming AP Summer Institutes for professional development are announced. A roster of students approved to receive testing accommodations and nonstandard-format exams is sent to schools. This roster should be used to order nonstandard-format exams.
MARCH
March 17- Postmark deadline for Eligibility Forms submitted by students with disabilities who do not meet the requirements outlined in the form but wish to appeal them.
APRIL
AP Coordinators receive and check exam materials. April 1 -Postmark deadline for Eligibility Forms submitted by students with disabilities who meet the requirements outlined in the form. Throughout April- See page 23 for various exam ordering deadlines.
MAY
AP Exams will be administered on May 3-7 and May 10-14, 2004.
JUNE
The free-response sections, student-response tapes, and Studio Art portfolios are scored at the annual AP Reading. .June 2 -Deadline for ETS to receive all exam materials. Schools are billed twice the fee for each exam in shipments received after this date. June 2 -Deadline for ETS to receive remittances. Late remittances incur a $200 fee. June 16 -Deadline for ETS to receive student letters to change college grade report recipients, withhold grades, and cancel grades for current year administration.
JULY
AP grades are sent to students, their schools, and designated colleges. .July 1- Grades by Phone is available for the current year’s administration.

CONTACTS:
National Office
45 Columbus Avenue
New York, NY 10023-6992
212713-8066
E-mail: ap@collegeboard.org
AP Services
P.O. Box 6671
Princeton, NJ 08541
609 771-7300
877274-6474 (toll free in the u.s. and Canada)
E-mail: apexams@info.collegeboard.org