What is Advanced Placement?Advanced Placement (AP) is an internationally recognized enrichment program that offers acceleration and challenge to motivated students as it prepares them for the transition from high school to university.
Advanced Placement will allow you to develop your academic skills in a positive, focused learning environment that features a high level of engagement. If you really enjoy a particular subject and feel ready for an academic challenge, AP is for you!
AP courses offered at Paul Kane
Redirect to AP page on our website
Why take AP? What are the benefits?
- POST-SECONDARY ENTRANCE. Taking an AP exam is a risk-free opportunity to improve your mark for university entrance. Universities and colleges will look at your Alberta course mark and your AP exam mark in that subject, and then take the higher of the two.
- POST-SECONDARY CREDIT. Students can receive university credit for first-year university courses if they achieve a 4 or 5 in an Advanced Placement course.
Please note that every post-secondary institution awards entrance and credits in a slightly different way, so contacting them for specific information is recommended. See the “Post-Secondary Entrance/Credit” links below for further information. - SETTING UP FOR SUCCESS. Statistically, AP students who score 3 or higher on their AP exams are more likely to score higher on university exams than non-AP students, and are more likely to complete a university degree. This data is based on a six-year research study recently completed by the College Board, the University of Alberta, and UBC.
- CLASSROOM CULTURE. AP classes are a safe place for like-minded students who are passionate about learning the subjects they love, and they have the support of their classmates and teachers to foster their learning in these areas of interest.
- EXTRA SUPPORT. The new AP Classroom is an online resource developed by the College Board. It allows students to access short videos and practice assessments to supplement the ongoing learning in the classroom, and to track their progress and improvement.
- AN ACADEMIC WIN-WIN. There are many upsides to completing AP courses even if students don’t use their exam scores for post-secondary entrance or course credit. The experience of preparing for and taking a high-level exam is beneficial regardless of your exam score. Students who’ve taken an AP course will generally find the comparable course in first-year university a bit easier. Students have more opportunities to get help in a high school AP course than they get in first-year university courses, which often have enormous class sizes.
Information Links
Paul Kane AP open house presentation
Program Information from the College Board
Post-Secondary Entrance/Credit
University of Alberta AP Information Page
Grant MacEwan AP Information Page
Concordia University AP Information Page
Transfer Alberta Credit Information Page (for other post-secondary institutions in Alberta)
BC Transfer Guide (for post-secondary institutions in BC)
Saskatchewan Transfer Guide (for post-secondary institutions in Saskatchewan)
International Universities that Recognize AP (for other post-secondary institutions in Canada and countries other than the United States; download the searchable spreadsheet)
Find Universities That Recognize AP - International | College Board
AP Credit Policy Search (for post-secondary institutions in the United States)
Please contact our AP Coordinator Conrad Hope if you have any questions.