Advanced Placement

• Frequently Asked Questions

Since its inception in 1955, the Advanced Placement Program has provided motivated high school students with the opportunity to take college-level courses in a high school setting. Students who participate in the Program not only gain college-level skills, but in many cases they also earn college credit while they are still in high school. AP courses are taught by dedicated high school teachers who follow course guidelines developed and published by the College Board. There are currently more than 110,000 teachers leading AP courses in high schools worldwide. AP teachers are some of the world's finest. The Program is strengthened by their participation in professional development workshops and Summer Institutes.

The Exams
The AP Examinations are administered each year in May and represent the culmination of college-level work in a given discipline in a secondary school setting. AP Exams are administered at nearly 15,000 schools around the world. In May 2004, 1,887,770 AP Exams were taken. Each AP Exam is given an overall grade of 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, with 5 indicating a student who is extremely well qualified to receive college credit and/or advanced placement based on an AP Exam grade. All five comprehensive high schools in the Beaverton School District offer students the opportunity to take at least one an AP course in preparation for the May exams. Information about a particular AP program can be obtained in the school's Counseling Office.