Advanced Placement Department

Art - Drawing
Course Description:
This is advanced placement course for Studio Art Drawing and Painting 12. This course is for committed art students who wish to submit a portfolio and earn post secondary credit.
Exam Description:
Three portfolio evaluations, each of which covers a one-semester or full-year college course with the same name or content coverage. Each portfolio contains three sections: Quality, Concentration (an in-depth, individual project); and Breadth (demonstration of a wide range of experience). Please see the AP Studio Art Poster for detail requirements for preparing and submitting portfolios.

Art 2D Design
Course Description:
This course is for committed art students who wish to submit a portfolio and earn postsecondary credit. 2-D Design involves any of the following processes or mediums: photography, book illustration, print making, graphic design, digital imaging, collage, fabric design, weaving and video production.
Exam Description:
Three portfolio evaluations, each of which covers a one-semester or full-year college course with the same name or content coverage. Each portfolio contains three sections: Quality, Concentration (an in-depth, individual project); and Breadth (demonstration of a wide range of experience). Please see the AP Studio Art Poster for detail requirements for preparing and submitting portfolios.

Art 3D Design
Course Description:
This course is for committed art students who wish to submit a portfolio and earn postsecondary credit. 3-D Design involves processes or mediums such as: sculptural work, architectural models, metal work and fibre art.
Exam Description:
Three portfolio evaluations, each of which covers a one-semester or full-year college course with the same name or content coverage. Each portfolio contains three sections: Quality, Concentration (an in-depth, individual project); and Breadth (demonstration of a wide range of experience). Please see the AP Studio Art Poster for detail requirements for preparing and submitting portfolios.

Art History
Course Description:
The Advanced Placement History of Art program is designed to introduce students to the understanding and enjoyment of works of art. The class begins with the ancient world, African art, Indian art, Islamic art, Asian art, Oceanic art, Mexican art, and Greek and Roman art, through the Renaissance and up to the history of modern and postmodern art into the twenty first century. No prior experience in art is necessary. Students will write the A.P. Art History examination in May. Special focus will be on major art movements such as Impressionism, Surrealism and Cubism as well as the work of major artists such as Michelangelo, Kahlo, and Picasso. Masterpieces such as the Taj Mahal, Mona Lisa, Guernica and O'Keefe's 100 Flower series will be viewed in depth.
Exam Description:
A three-hour exam covering a full-year introductory university 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 and/or a quotation from a primary source or document, followed by two 30 minutes 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.

Biology
Course Description:
A high-level biology course equivalent to a first-year university course. Topics will include details of human and higher plant physiology and will emphasize laboratory techniques and extended application of the scientific method.
Exam Description:
A three-hour exam covering a full-year university course in biology with laboratory. The exam contains 80 minutes of multiple-choice questions, a 10 minute reading period, 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 AP Biology laboratory investigations.

Calculus AB and Calculus BC
Course Description:
Students will be introduced to the fundamentals of differentiation and integration along with applications. Topics include graphing, maxima and minima, related rates, areas, volumes and exponential functions. The Calculus BC exam includes further topics such as polar co-ordinates, parametric equations and Taylor and MacLaurin series.
Exam Description:
3 hour-and-15-minute exams covering topics typically included in about two-thirds of a full year university course (for Calculus AB) and a full year (for Calculus BC). Both courses require a similar depth of understanding of common topics, and graphing-calculator use is an integral part of the courses. Both exams contain 105 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. Students taking the Calculus BC exam will receive a sub score grade for the AB portion of the exam in addition to the overall composite grade.

Chemistry
Course Description:
A high-level chemistry course equivalent to a first-year university program. Topics will include reaction types, equilibrium, kinetics and thermodynamics.
Exam Description:
A 3 hour and 5 minute exam covering a full-year introductory college course with laboratory. Section 1 of the exam is 1 hour and 30 minutes long and contains 75 multiple-choice questions. No calculator use is permitted for Section 1. Section 2 of the exam is 1 hour and 35 minutes long and is divided into two parts. Part A, during which calculator use is permitted, is 55 minutes long and contains three quantitative problems, one of which is on chemical equilibrium. Part B, during which no calculators are permitted, is 40 minutes long and contains one question requiring students to write balanced equations for three chemical reactions (and to answer a short question about each reaction), plus two essay questions. In every exam either one of the quantitative problems or one of the essays will be on the topic of laboratory. A periodic table is provided for students to use during the entire exam, and a list of commonly used equations and constants are provided during Section 2 of the exam.

Chinese Language and Culture
Course Description:
The course engages students in an exploration of both contemporary and historical Chinese culture. Since the course interweaves language and culture learning, this exploration occurs in Chinese. Students learn about various aspects of contemporary Chinese society, including geography and population, ethnic and regional diversity, travel and transportation, climate and weather, holidays and food, sports and games, and current affairs. They also explore the realm of Chinese societal relationships, examining how individuals interact with family members, elders, and peers, and integrate this knowledge into their interpersonal communications.
Exam Description:
This exam access learning of Mandarin Chinese and is approximately 3 hours in length. It access interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational communication skills in Mandarin Chinese, along with knowledge of Chinese culture. Section 1 consists of multiple-choice questions that assess communication skills in the interpersonal and interpretive modes using listening and reading questions. Section 2, the free-response section, assesses communication skills in the interpersonal and presentational modes by requiring the student to produce written and spoken responses. It includes a written narration, a letter, two e-mail messages, a conversation, and two oral presentations on cultural topics. This exam will be an INTERNET-BASED TEST. During the exam, each student works at an individual computer, which processes everything read, heard, written, or spoken by the student. That is, the student reads on the screen, listens through headphones, types using the keyboard, and speaks into a microphone. There is no paper component; although the student may use paper to take notes during the exam, the proctor will collect the notes at the end of the exam, and they will not be graded.

Computer Science
Course Description:
This is a university-level course open to students who have demonstrated strong skills and knowledge in programming. Students will be using Java as the primary programming language.
Exam Description:
A three-hour exam covering a first-semester university college course. The exam consists of 75 minutes of multiple-choice questions and 105 minutes of free-response questions. Java is used as the programming language for AP computer Science. An appendix containing a quick reference to the Java library classes and program code for the case study is provided for students to use with Sections 1 and 2 of the exam.

English Literature and Composition
Course Description:
This is a high-level English course equivalent to a first year university course. Topics include analytical and critical approaches to works reflecting the major literary genres of poetry, short fiction, novel, drama and non-fiction essays. The course includes a significant sight reading/response component.
Exam Description:
A three-hour exam, covering a full year university course. There is 60 minutes of multiple- choice questions and 120 minutes of free-response questions. The exam test students skills in analyzing prose passages and asks them to demonstrate their skills in composition by writing essays in various rhetorical modes. It also 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.

European History
Course Description:
The AP course and exam in European History are intended for qualified students who wish to complete classes in secondary school equivalent to a first year university level course. You will study European history since 1450 and the course introduces students to cultural, economic, political, and social developments that played a fundamental role in shaping the world in which they live. With this knowledge, we can then have the context necessary to understand the development of contemporary institutions, the role of continuity and change in present-day society and politics, and the evolution of current forms of artistic expression and intellectual discourse. In addition to providing a basic narrative of events and movements, the goals of AP European History are to develop (a) an understanding of some of the principal themes in modern European history, (b) an ability to analyze historical evidence and historical interpretation, and (c) an ability to express historical understanding in writing.
Exam Description:
The exam is 3 hours and 5 minutes in length. It consists of a 55-minute multiple-choice section and a 130-minute free-response section. The multiple-choice section consists of 80 questions designed to measure the student’s knowledge of European history from the High Renaissance to the present. Approximately one-half of the questions deal with the period from 1450 to the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic era and one-half from the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic era to the present. The questions covering the nineteenth century and the twentieth century are divided evenly (approximately 25 percent of the total number of questions for each century). Approximately one-third of the questions focus on cultural and intellectual themes, one-third on political and diplomatic themes, and one-third on social and economic themes. Section II, the free-response section, begins with a mandatory 15-minute reading period followed by Part A, in which students are required to answer a document-based essay question (DBQ) in 45 minutes, and Parts B and C, in which students are asked to answer two thematic questions in 70 minutes. Thematic questions are grouped to ensure that students consider a range of historical periods and approaches. Grouping is often not chronological.

French Language
Course Description:
This course emphasizes the use of language for active communication and helps students develop the ability to understand spoken French in various contexts, a French vocabulary sufficiently ample for reading newspaper and magazine articles, the ability to express themselves coherently, resourcefully, and with reasonable fluency and accuracy in both written and spoken French. Course content will reflect intellectual interests shared by the students and teacher (the arts, current events, literature, sports, etc.). The course seeks to develop language skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) that can be used in various activities and disciplines.
Exam Description:
A 2 hour and 30 minute exam covering a French Composition or Conversation university course. It is not based on any particular subject matter, but instead attempts to evaluate the student’s level of performance in the use of the language, both in understanding written and spoken French and in responding in correct and idiomatic French. Listening and reading are tested in the multiple-choice section; writing and speaking are tested in the free-response section. The portion of the exam devoted to each skill counts for one-fourth of the final grade. With the exception of directions, French is used exclusively both in the exam materials and in the student responses. Use of dictionaries or other reference works during the exam is not permitted.

Macroeconomics
Course Description:
The AP Macroeconomics course is designed to give students a thorough understanding of the principles of economics that apply to an economic system as a whole. The course places particular emphasis on the study of national income and price-level determination, and also develops students’ familiarity with economic performance measures, the financial sector, stabilization policies, economic growth, and international economics.
Exam Description:
The exam is 1 hours and 10 minutes in length covering a one-semester introductory post secondary course. There is a 1 hour and 10 minute multiple choice section and an one-hour free-response section that includes a 10 minute reading and planning period.

Microeconomics
Course Description:
The AP Microeconomics course is designed to give students a thorough understanding of the principles of economics that apply to the functions of individual decision makers, both consumers and producers, within the economic system. It places primary emphasis on the nature and functions of product markets, and includes the study of factor markets and of the role of government in increasing productivity while striving for social equality. The course covers basic economic concepts; supply and demand; theory of consumer choice; production and costs; firm behavior and market structure; factor markets; and market failure and the role of government.

Exam Description:
The exam is 1 hours and 10 minutes in length covering a one-semester introductory post secondary course. There is a 1 hour and 10 minute multiple choice section and an one-hour free-response section that includes a 10 minute reading and planning period.

Physics
Course Description:
An advanced-level Physics course equivalent to a first year university Physics course. Topics include equilibrium, circular motion, electrostatics, circuitry, electromagnetism, angular momentum, simple harmonic motion, heat, kinetic theory and thermodynamics.
Exam Description:
A three-hour exam covering a full year university course. The exam contains 90 minutes of multiple-choice questions and 90 minutes of free-response questions. 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.

Psychology
Course Description:
The course will introduce students to the systematic and scientific study of behavior and mental processes of human beings and other animals. Students will be exposed to psychological facts, principles, and phenomena associated with each of the subfields in psychology.
Exam Description:
A two-hour exam covering a one-semester university course. The exam contains 70 minutes of multiple-choice questions and 50 minutes of free-response questions. The exam covers history and approaches; research methods; 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.

Statistics
Course Description:
This course will cover the following major topics: exploring data, planning a study (deciding what and how to measure), anticipating patterns, and statistical inference.
Exam Description:
A three-hour exam covering a one-semester university course. The exam contains 90 minutes of multiple-choice questions and 90 minutes of free-response questions. The free-response section required students to answer five open-ended questions and complete an investigative task involving more extended reasoning. The exam covers exploring data; sampling and experimentation (planning and conducting a study); anticipating patterns (exploring random phenomena using probability and simulation); and statistical inference (estimating population parameters and testing hypotheses). Students are expected to bring a graphing calculator with statistical capabilities to the exam, and to be familiar with its use.