Advanced Placement (AP)
Fossil Ridge offers Advanced Placement (AP) courses, which are widely recognized by American colleges and universities as the highest level of high school academic achievement. The backbone of the gifted education program, AP classes offer excellent opportunities for students seeking the rewards of a rigorous, specialized academic curriculum and the possibility of dual high school and college credit. AP credit is granted and accepted by more than 3,000 colleges and universities. Most colleges and universities accept successful exam scores for credit, advanced placement, or both. Research consistently shows that students who score a 3 or higher typically earn higher GPAs in college and have higher graduation rates.
What Is Advanced Placement?
With AP®, students can take college-level course work in high school. When students take AP courses, they demonstrate to college admission officers that they’ve sought out an educational experience that will prepare them for success in college and beyond. Resourceful and dedicated AP teachers work with their students to develop and apply the skills, abilities, and content knowledge they’ll need later in college. Each of AP’s 39 courses is modeled upon a comparable college course. College and university faculty play a vital role in ensuring that AP courses align with college-level standards. The College Board suggests that applicants for college who have taken Advanced Placement courses in high school are much better prepared for the rigor of college courses. Every year, hundreds of students enter college with credit from Advanced Placement Exams, which are given in the spring. Please be aware that students may take Advanced Placement courses and decide not to take the Advanced Placement Exam in the spring. Additionally, students may choose to take an Advanced Placement Exam without taking the Advanced Placement course. If students score a 3, 4, or 5 on an exam, this credit may allow students to accelerate into upper-level courses or complete an undergraduate degree in fewer than four years – a considerable financial savings. Colleges have various standards about what score is acceptable. College Admissions Directors prefer to see rigorous course selections such as Advanced Placement on transcripts even if students do not receive an "A" in those courses.
ADJUSTED GPA
Students can earn GPA bonus points of .002 for each credit earned in Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses in which students receive an A,B, or C grade. Fossil Ridge offers only AP courses.
The Adjusted GPA System
- allows students to earn grade point averages (GPAs) higher than 4.0
- more accurately reflects student effort and achievement in both GPA and class rank
- encourages and draws attention to rigorous performance
- rewards students for taking high level courses
- does not penalize broad course selection(i.e. electives)
- creates more competitive student transcripts for college admission and scholarships
- reduces the likelihood for multiple valedictorians (student with highest GPA in each high school and one highest from the IB program will be designated valedictorians)