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AP Information and Expectations

AP CLASS EXPECTATIONS FOR ALL SAINT MARY’S STUDENTS
 
As a college preparatory high school, one of the ways Saint Mary’s provides opportunities for spiritual growth, strives for academic excellence and empowers students with the skills and compassion necessary to thrive in an ever-changing global society is through offering Honors and Advanced Placement (AP) courses. AP and Honors courses move at an accelerated pace, as such, students should expect more homework in these courses and will be awarded a greater weighting in their GPA based on increased expectations. Please note that all AP courses follow a college-level curriculum prescribed by the College Board; thus, teachers need to maintain very high standards and a faster pace in order to cover their curricula. Students and parents are encouraged to visit www.ap.collegeboard.org for information regarding the specific college’s AP credit policy as each college may have different requirements for granting college credit. AP courses are much more rigorous than Honors courses. Many AP courses require significant summer homework assignments in order to adequately prepare and cover the required curricula.
 
At the start of the school year, students have the first three weeks of school to determine if they want to remain in the AP or Honors course. After such time, AP and Honors students must remain in the course until the end of the quarter. AP teachers will assess students within the first couple of weeks at the beginning of the semester, so students can properly gauge whether they can handle the course’s rigor. With this in mind, please consider the following when considering taking an AP course:

Questions to consider:

  • Does s/he have a high level of interest in this subject matter?
  • Does s/he want to explore this content in more depth?
  • Is s/he willing to engage more time, do more work, and strive to meet the higher standards?
  • Does s/he have the time to commit to this class and still meet his/her obligations to family, church, friends, activities, sports and work?
  • Can s/he balance the stress this class may cause?  
  • Is it OK if s/he doesn’t earn an “A” in this class?
  • What other honors/AP classes is s/he planning to take?

 

Other important information to consider:

  • Extracurricular activities do not excuse late work. If students are missing class due to extracurricular activities such as athletics, theater, science camp, etc. AP students are expected to proactively communicate with their AP teachers at least one class period prior to the pre-excused absence regarding completing exams, assignments and other work. Failure to do so may result in late penalties
  • Students must be enrolled in the AP course in order to take the respective AP test at Saint Mary’s. Due to AP summer work, new and returning students must be enrolled in the AP course by June 1st. New and returning students are not allowed to transfer into an AP class after June 1st.
  • All AP Exam dates are determined by the College Board, not Saint Mary’s. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the AP Coordinator at Saint Mary’s as soon as possible if they have a conflict to determine if they are eligible to take the exam on the predetermined later date.
  • Questions regarding exam fees and fee waivers should be directed to the AP Coordinator. AP Exam fees will be billed through FACTS.