The Advanced Placement Program is an educational endeavor between secondary schools, colleges and universities. It allows high school students to take college-level academic courses, and on the completion of these courses, be given the opportunity to test and prove they have mastered the advanced material taught in these classes. The AP program has been administered by the College Board since 1955. Currently about 2900 colleges and universities grant credit and advanced placement to entering students whose AP grades meet their requirements.
These AP programs offer benefits to both the local school and the students. The schools are given the opportunity to offer higher level courses to motivate their best students; the program enhances the quality of the schools' curriculum; and it demonstrates to the community a commitment to strong academic standards. Students benefit because they are given the opportunity to participate in college level courses, and if successful, they are made exempt from some introductory college courses. This allows students to move more quickly through their mandatory college credits and it reduces their college costs; a student does not have to pay for college courses that he/she has successfully completed in high school. In addition, if your student is eligible to receive a Florida based scholarship, AP credits allow the student to bypass additional testing requirements. Most of the prerequisites for the AP classes are Honors level classes. Encourage your student to take Honors level classes so he/she has the option of choosing AP.
