VHS offers a number of online Pre-Advanced (Pre-AP) and Advanced Placement (AP) College Board courses, which will enable interested Roosevelt students to take AP courses in their Junior and Senior years. Online courses are becoming a popular way to take AP courses in the U.S., as witnessed by growth of online services to meet the demand. Students who want a head start on college—or college credit—are now using online courses for advanced placement and may be paying as much as $1500 per course. A VHS AP course costs $250 ($125 for a Pre-AP) for FDR students, not including the actual AP exam (about $85). Students taking an online AP course through VHS, like those in a conventional classroom, read textbooks, interact with instructors and classmates, conduct experiments, complete assignments, meet deadlines, and study for tests. What’s different is that they do most of this online. They also have online instructors, use interactive multimedia materials online, take online quizzes with instant feedback, and monitor their grades online.

Students taking online AP courses should be able to work well independently and will require 10 to 15 hours a week to complete their course. VHS second semester starts in early January, so FDR students must be ready to work in January and February, and therefore, will need Internet access over summer vacation to keep up with course work.

VHS Pre-AP Course Catalog for 2005-06
All Pre-AP courses are 1 semester. Students considering taking an AP course in their senior year should consider taking a Pre-AP course in their junior year to better prepare themselves.

VHS AP Course Catalog for 2005-06
All AP courses are full year courses. Students taking an AP course MUST write the AP exam at the end of their VHS course.

It is important to remember that students also have the option of taking a test even if the course is not offered at school. For example, occasionally a German speaking student will take the AP German exam to prove proficiency in the language. We have has students take Psychology using our two semester sequence as the foundation with independent study adding other components.

The examination is 3 hours long and is externally scored. It has two or three separate sections: a multiple choice section, a "free response" essay style section, and for the languages a listening and speaking section. The "readers" are university professors currently teaching the courses at first year university level. These exams are scored using the same criteria as for their first year students.

The students enrolled in the AP classes are encouraged to take the exams. The examinations provide a valuable experience for the students, whether they are planning to take more AP or IB exams in the future or will be entering university the following year. The exam scores do not have to be reported to the universities. If the score is not 3 or above there is no penalty to the student for having taken the exam. Since the scores can be used individually there are less restrictions on who takes the exams. It is FDR's philosophy to encourage all students to take an AP exam after completion of the course.

CREDIT AWARDS: There are several reasons FDR students take AP examinations. The most obvious one is to gain university credit for work completed in high school. The FDR students usually receive credit for 4's and 5's in most subject areas. The students who are applying for very competitive universities are sometimes not given as much "credit" as they are allowed to "waive" basic level courses, having proven the ability to succeed by an acceptable exam score. Some students who receive a 3 will choose to take the course again at university level even though credit might have been awarded. The logic behind this is the course at university level would now not be as difficult and the repeat would strengthen their background and at the same time lighten their load by having a "refresher" course in their schedule. The decision in most cases depends on whether the course in question is a major component of the preferred university course of study or whether it is an elective area.

For some other countries an externally scored examination result can help with university admission. For example, the UK universities will honor AP grades for admissions provided they are in appropriate areas for the intended major of study. Several of the Australian universities are using AP exams as they would British A levels. Canada treats AP exam results much like the US universities. At a recent Australian Education Fair, many of the representatives confirmed the increased use of AP's for admissions. In 1993, 87 German universities began to accept students with U.S. high school diplomas and AP scores. Other universities in Europe have set standards for admission based on Advanced Placement examination results.

AP SCHOLARS: In the 1991 testing year a program to honor students who have taken more than three AP's with high scores was established. The AP SCHOLARS program has three levels:

Advanced Placement Scholar Granted to students who received grades of 3 or higher on three or more AP examinations

Advanced Placement Scholar with Honors Granted to students who received grades of 3 or higher on four or more AP examinations with an average AP exam grade of at least 3.25.

Advanced Placement Scholar with Distinction Granted to students who received grades of 3 or higher on five or more AP examinations with an average AP exam grade of at least 3.50.