Paul Kane High School, St. Albert, Alberta, Canada

Advanced Placement

What is Advanced Placement (AP)?

Advanced Placement is an internationally recognized enrichment program that offers acceleration and challenge to motivated and gifted students as it prepares them for the transition from high school to university. The program is offered in over 45 countries worldwide. In 2004 over 1.1 million students from nearly 15,000 high schools wrote more than 1,800,000 AP Exams. Successful completion of these exams permits students to obtain credit or advanced placement in first year university courses at over 3,500 colleges and universities around the world.

What are the benefits of AP?

The Advanced Placement Program:

allows students to study one or more subjects at an advanced level, depending upon the individual student's interests and expertise.
provides enrichment and challenge for academically talented and well motivated students.
helps students develop and practice higher order thinking skills.
provides opportunities for in-depth study in selected subjects.
eases the transition from high school to post-secondary studies.
helps students prepare for scholarship examinations, and AP College Board examinations.
provides students with an opportunity to earn university credits, standing and/or placement while in high school.
Transfer Credit to the U of A for students who write AP Exams:

    - A mark of 5 is converted to 96%

    - A mark of 4 is converted to 86%

    - A mark of 3 is converted to 76%

    - A mark of 2 is converted to 65%

If you have questions about transfer credits, programs, or about life on campus you can talk with an Advanced Placement advisor at: AP@registrar.ualberta.ca. Visit the U of A Office of the Registrar and Student Awards website to find out more.

Who should take AP courses?

Generally, a grade of 70-80% in a prerequisite course is suggested for students who wish to take an AP course. More important is the student's motivation and commitment to the importance of education.

To be successful, students should:

enjoy a challenge.
have a well-developed work ethic.
be self-disciplined and self-motivated.
be motivated to achieve.
find learning stimulating and exciting.
have parental support and approval.

What AP Courses are offered?

Students registered in Advanced Placement classes in English are prepared for the AP English Language Arts and Composition examination in Grade 11 and for the AP English Literature and Composition in Grade 12.

Students enrolled in Advanced Placement Mathematics are able to write the Advanced Placement Calculus BC Examination in Grade 12 after completing Mathematics 35AP.

Students enrolled in Science 10AP may choose to continue in Chemistry 20AP and/or Biology 20AP. Students who go into Biology AP will register in Biology 30AP and Biology 35AP in their grade 12 year. Students who go into Chemistry AP will register in Chemistry 30AP and Chemistry 35AP in their grade 12 year. The Biology AP and Chemistry AP exams are written in May of grade 12.

Students enrolled in the Social Studies AP program will be able to write the European History AP examination in grade 12 after taking European History 25AP in grade 11.

Students also have the opportunity to register for Art 31AP, a studio art course that presents art at a college level. Art 31AP is a full year, 5 credit course which requires students to submit a portfolio for the Studio Art AP course. The portfolio consists of actual pieces of art and slides of some art pieces.

Students may register in Spanish 35 AP (3 credits) in second semester following successful completion of Spanish 30. These students will write the Spanish Language AP Exam.

French Language Arts 10AP-20AP-30AP students will be able to write the French Language AP Examination in grade 11 or 12.

The Advanced Placement Program is a challenging enriched academic program designed to provide high achieving students with post secondary level courses in a high school setting. Students who complete AP courses demonstrate their mastery of the subject material by writing internationally recognized examinations prepared and graded by the College Board, Princeton, New Jersey.

How does AP fit in with the Alberta High School Program?

AP fits in very well with all Alberta High School curriculum requirements. Typically, AP courses build upon the Alberta Curriculum and provide additional enrichment. By the end of grade 12, students in AP courses will have exceeded the Alberta requirements in those areas.

Will taking AP courses affect extracurricular activities?

The time commitment to AP will depend largely on how many AP courses a student takes. At present, a number of our AP scholars are very involved in many different activities both in and out of school including athletics, music, Student Council, clubs, and graduation committees. Because of the flexibility of the program, AP students can be involved in other areas that interest them without jeopardizing their studies.

What are the costs for AP?

Paul Kane High School provides AP students with all the materials required in the various courses. In some courses, students may wish to purchase their own textbooks in order to build their own personal library of materials.

Scholarship and Scholar Awards

Students who are enrolled in an Advanced Placement course usually receive very high marks on the Diploma Examinations which are used to qualify for scholarships. For more information, check the websites: www.ap.ca or www.collegeboard.com.

For course descriptions, refer to specific subject sections. Check out the course flowchart to view prerequisites for Advanced Placement Program subjects.