William R. Boone High School Advanced Placement Program It is not just a test It is not just a course It is a program.
Agenda Welcome AP PSAT AP Potential
Advanced Placement (AP) Began in 1955 Run by The College Board Offers college level courses to high school students
Reasons Why Students Take AP 1. Higher GPA (OCPS 6.0 scale) 2. Accelerated Skill Development Curve 3. Real College Conditioning Student preparation for college 4. Potential College Credit (and high school too) 5. SAT and SAT Subject Test Preparation 6. Extra College Points (on admissions) 7. Career Searching 8. College Placement Exemption
Earn College Credit and Advanced Placement Over 90% of 4 year colleges in the U.S. provide credit and/or advanced placement for qualifying scores. For specific schools and their policies visit: http://collegesearch.collegeboard.com/apcred itpolicy/index.jsp Have time to move into upper level courses in your field of interest, pursue a double major, or study abroad.
Stand Out in the College Admissions Process Demonstrate your maturity and readiness for college. Show your willingness to take the most rigorous courses available to you. Emphasize your commitment to academic excellence.
Gain Skills that Will Help You Succeed in College Get a head start on college level work. Improve your writing skills and sharpen your problem solving techniques. Develop the study habits necessary for tackling rigorous course work.
Broaden Your Intellectual Horizons Be part of a community of students and educators who are passionate, curious, and committed to academic excellence Engage in intense discussions, solve problems collaboratively, and learn to write clearly and persuasively Take courses that are developed by leading professors to reflect the level of learning happening at colleges throughout the country
22 AP Courses Offered at Boone Art History Biology Calculus AB Calculus BC Chemistry Macroeconomics Microeconomics English Language English Literature Environmental Science European History Human Geography Music Theory Physics B Physics C Psychology Spanish Language Statistics Studio Art US Government US History World History
How are Exams Graded The multiple choice section is scored by computer. The free response booklets are evaluated by faculty consultants comprised of selected college professors and AP teachers. The total scores from the free response section and the multiple choice section are combined to form a composite score
5 Point Scale of Composite Score 5 Extremely Well Qualified 4 Well Qualified 3 Qualified 2 Possibly Qualified 1 No Recommendation *2/3 of all AP students score a 3 or higher Most colleges accept grades of 3 and above
AP Scholar Awards The AP Scholar Awards are nonmonetary based. Students receive a certificate and acknowledgement on the score reports, which are sent to colleges. AP Scholar Granted to students who receive scores of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams. AP Scholar with Honor Granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams. AP Scholar with Distinction Granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. State AP Scholar Granted to the one male and one female student in each U.S. state and the District of Columbia with scores of 3 or higher on the greatest number of AP Exams, and then the highest average score (at least 3.5) on all AP Exams taken. National AP Scholar Granted to students in the United States who receive an average score of at least 4 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams.
PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) Sponsored by the College Board and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation
PSAT Measures 1 Critical reading skills 2 Math problem solving skills 3 Writing skills Scale Score is a 20 80 Add a 0 to determine what a student s SAT score should be
What s on the Test Five sections: Two 25 minute critical reading Two 25 minute math One 30 minute writing skills Total test is 2 hours and 10 minutes
Critical Reading Two 25 minute critical reading sections = 48 questions 13 Sentence completions 35 Critical reading questions
Math Two 25 minute math sections = 38 questions 28 multiple choice math questions 10 Student produced responses or grid ins Basic Knowledge in Numbers and Operation, Algebra and Functions, Geometry and Measurement, and Data Analysis, Statistics and Probability are covered
Writing Skills One 30 minute writing section = 39 questions 14 Identifying sentence errors 20 Improving sentences 5 Improving paragraph questions
2008 Averages 11 th Graders 1,588,688 total test takers 47 in Critical Reading 49 in Mathematics 46 in Writing Skills 10 th Graders 1,521,122 total test takers 42 in Critical Reading 44 in Mathematics 41 in Writing Skills 9 th Graders and below compared to 10 th graders
Reasons Students Take the PSAT Students who have taken the PSAT score on average 3.3 points higher in critical reading, 4.4 points in math, and 4.1 points in writing skills on the SAT Receive feedback on strengths and weaknesses on the skills needed for college Compare scores on an admissions test with others applying to college AP Placement purposes Practice and Preparation for the SAT Enter for scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (11 th grade) Receive information from colleges through Student Search Service
Reason Students Take the PSAT Cont. Receive a comprehensive score report and their original test booklet back Use of MyRoad The most comprehensive resource for education and career decision making Use of My College QuickStart Online college and career planning kit Both are free of charge to all students who take the PSAT/NMSQT.
MyRoad Take a validated personality assessment to get a detailed report on your personality type Explore a list of suggested careers and majors that fit your personality and strengths Search for colleges by location, major, cost, and much more Find out what students and professionals have to say about their choices Get tips on applying to college and succeeding in high school and beyond Create an online portfolio for college and career planning
My College QuickStart Comes with MyRoad and includes: My Online Score Report an enhanced score report that allows students to review each test question, their answers, and the correct answers with answer explanations My SAT Study Plan a customized SAT study plan based on students' PSAT/NMSQT test performance, highlighting skills for review and practice My Personality a detailed personality test that helps students learn about themselves and discover majors and careers that fit their strengths and interests My Major & Career Matches extensive information about majors and careers, including insights about what to expect and what courses to take now My College Matches a starter list of colleges based on students' home state and indicated choice of major
National Merit Scholarship Program Program Recognition highest 50,000 scores Commended Students highest 34,000/96 th percentile or 200 and above out of 240 Semifinalists highest 16,000 Finalists highest 15,000 (top 1%) Winner Selection chosen from the Finalist group, based on abilities, skills, and accomplishments (approx. 8,200) or half of the top 1%
Types of National Merit Scholarships 1. National Merit Scholarships 2. Corporate Sponsored 3. College Sponsored
Boone s 2009 Top Scorers (200+) Selection Index (CR+M+W) Approx. Average Selection Index in 2008 for 11 th was 147 Approx. Average Selection Index in 2008 for 10 th and below was 127 *Highest possible score is 240 9 th 207 203 206 207 11 th 202 202 205 210 210 215 216
PSAT Publication Materials Visit http://professionals.collegeboard.com/testing/psat/download
Where Do We Go From Here After students receive and interpret their scores, they should bring their score report and have a meeting with their school counselor. During this meeting the school counselor can review the information with them and view College Board s AP Potential program to determine what AP course best suites the student. The PSAT provides enormous benefits.
What is AP Potential? Is an innovative, web based tool that uses correlations between PSAT/NMSQT scores and AP Exam results to identify students who may be successful in AP courses. Gives suggestions as to which AP courses a student will be successful in. With AP Potential school personnel can analyze current PSAT/NMSQT student score data from the October test date and examine which students are likely to score a 3 or better on a given AP Exam. AP Potential helps open access and opportunity for all students and ensures no student, who has a chance of succeeding in an AP course is overlooked. Students and parents are encouraged to speak to their school counselor or current teacher to find out if AP Potential will help them determine the correct course placement for their student.
Using AP Potential Appropriately AP Potential should never be used as the sole determining factor for student enrollment in AP courses. College Board s AP Policy states: All students who are willing to accept the challenge of a rigorous academic curriculum should be considered for admission to AP Courses. The College Board encourages the elimination of barriers that restrict access to AP courses for students from ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in the AP Program. Schools should make every effort to ensure that their AP classes reflect the diversity of their student population.
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