Academic Philosophies

What is AP?

AP or Advanced Placement Program is a three-year sequence of high school coursework offered by the College Board in over 34 subject areas. The idea behind offering AP courses is to provide college-bound high school seniors with a level of academic playing field. You see, it doesn't matter whether you are a high school student in Dubuque, Iowa, or Darien, Connecticut, AP courses and the end of course examinations are the same wherever they are offered. The course content is the same. The teaching objectives are the same. The preparation for the final examinations is the same. Because the standard is the same everywhere and the final examinations are proctored and graded by the College Board, college admissions professionals can compare student academic achievements with confidence. They know exactly what AP means when they see it on your transcript. They know exactly what your AP scores represent.

This brief video explains the impact of AP credit and placement.

That is the intrinsic value of AP Courses and their examinations from a college admissions point of view. Admissions professionals want to know that the math courses that an applicant took at a public high school in Kansas are the same as those an applicant from a private school in Tennessee took. In other words, they want to compare apples to apples. When one applicant is offered a high school math course

American private high schools generally prepare their graduates for academic work after graduation. With that in mind let's take a look at the various academic options which you will find in American private schools.

Because private schools are indeed private or independent, as opposed to being state schools, they can set their own curricula and the qualifications of their faculty. Most private high schools meet or exceed the course requirements mandated by the state education department for the state in which the school is located.

For example, here are the State of Minnesota's graduation requirements:

Minnesota students are required to complete three kinds of requirements by the time they graduate. Students must:

• Satisfactorily complete the state course credit requirements under Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.024.

• Satisfactorily complete all state academic standards or local academic standards where state standards do not apply.

• Meet graduation assessment requirements.

Course Credits

Students complete the academic standards by taking a core course of study that equips them with the knowledge and skills they need for success in postsecondary education, highly skilled work, and civic life. In order to graduate, your child’s high school coursework must include at least the minimum state course credit requirements. A course credit is equivalent to a student successfully completing an academic year of study or mastering the subject matter, as determined by the local school district.

Students must complete a minimum of 21.5 course credits as follows:

• 4 credits of language arts

• 3 credits of mathematics, including algebra,