why you should take an ap course

1. Why You Should Take an
AP Course

2. What are AP Classes?
The Advanced Placement Program (AP) provides opportunities for
motivated and prepared students to experience college-level
courses while in high school.
In other words: AP classes are college level classes

4. Why should I take AP classes?
AP Classes...
•Better prepare you for college
•Allow you to earn college credit
•Allow you to skip pre-requisite classes in college
•Lead to greater academic success in college
•Help you to graduate college on time or even graduate early
•Save you Money

5. Preparing you for college
In a telling survey, college
professors estimated that 42%
of students were not
adequately prepared for
college, and only 28%
believed that public high
schools adequately prepared
students for college

6. Preparing you for college
Other measures of college readiness have also indicated that many high school
graduates are unprepared to succeed in college:
The ACT test reported that only 26% of its 2013 test-takers were college ready
The College Board reported that 43% of SAT takers were college ready

7. Preparing you for college
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reported
that only 38% of the nation’s 12th-grade students were college ready in
reading, and just 40% were college ready in mathematics
Many unprepared students either do not attend college or need
remediation upon entering college. Although estimates of remediation
rates vary, one report estimates remediation rates to be approximately
28% of all incoming first-year students

8. Preparing you for college
Remediation is associated with lower postsecondary graduation rates. For example, only 17%
of students enrolled in a remedial reading course graduated within eight years, compared to
58% of students who did not take any remedial courses.
Despite the overwhelming majority of students not being prepared for college, studies have
shown that students who have participated in AP courses while in high school are better
prepared for college and have greater success in college.

9. Success in College
First, the odds of enrolling in a
4 year college or university
increases by 171% for students
who have taken AP courses
AP students outperform their
non-AP peers in college

10. Success in College
The AP Exam (that you will be taking in May) is scored on a scale of 1-5. Students who only
score a 1 on the AP exam on average have a 2.80 (C+) GPA in college whereas students who
score a 5 on the exam have an average GPA of 3.45 (B+).
Studies have found that among college freshman, students who have taken AP courses while in
high school will have a higher GPA in College and that the better a student does during their
freshman year of college the more likely they are to earn a bachelor’s degree.

11. Success in College
AP students tend to earn higher
grades throughout their entire
college career
AP students who are exempted from
an introductory college course and
take a subsequent course generally
perform in that course as well as or
better than students who took the
introductory course

12. Earning College Credit
Many higher education institutions in the U.S. grant college credit or course exemption based
upon successful AP Exam performance
1 = “no recommendation,”
2 = “possibly qualified,”
3 = “qualified,”
4 = “well qualified,”
5 =“extremely well qualified.”
The American Council on Education recommends awarding college credit for AP scores of 3
or higher

13. Graduating College on Time
The #1 predictor for college graduation
was the rigor of the courses a student
completed in high school.
AP course participation is the best
predictor of college graduation and not
other predictors such as: race, gender,
socioeconomic background, first-
generation college going status etc.

14. Graduating College on Time
AP students, regardless of their score, are more likely to return for their 2nd (Sophomore)
year of college than students who did not take AP classes.
Ie: AP students have lower college drop out rates and higher college graduation rates than
non-AP students
On average, the national college 4yr graduation rate is 36-38%. However, it is 50% for
students who have taken AP courses in high school.

15. So by taking AP classes in High School you will be:
Better prepared for college
Likely to do better in college
Likely to graduate college
But why is it important to graduate college?

16. You Can Make More Money
The ramifications of postsecondary attainment rates are economic as well as educational as
students earning a bachelor’s degree have median annual earnings approximately $27,000
higher than that of high school graduates

18. Having a degree helps you find a job
Of the top 20 fastest-growing jobs, 11 require postsecondary education in the form of an
associate’s degree or higher. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, n.d.). Therefore, academic
preparedness is an important foundation for future academic and economic success.

19. In the Meantime, Taking AP Classes Can Save
You Money
The longer it takes you to graduate college the more money it will cost.
The cost of college is on the rise. Over the last 35 years the cost of college has
gone up 1200%
College tuition has gone up approximately 55% between 2000 - 2013
Average yearly cost of college is over $21,500 (Tuition, books and room &
board)

20. **Does not
include cost
of Room &
Board

21. Saving You Money
So entering college with previously
earned credit through AP classes
can lessen the credit load needed
for a degree and shorten the time
you spend in college
SAVING YOU MONEY!

22. This all sounds good but, I still have concerns
about taking AP Classes?