Advanced Placement
The number of students enrolling in Advanced Placement courses at Stillman Valley High School continues to climb. During the 2009-10 school year there were 157 students taking AP courses, which was a 22% percent increase over the previous year. Over the past four years we have witnessed a 62% increase in students challenging themselves in AP courses. We have also observed a huge increase in the number of Advanced Placement tests administered. In 2005-06, 37 AP tests were given compared to 144 this past school year. This is a 290% increase during this time.
Currently, Stillman Valley offers five Advanced Placement courses. This past year art was added to the lineup along with English, biology, chemistry and United States history. Through Advanced Placement college-level courses and exams, students can earn college credit, stand out in the admission process, and learn from some of the most skilled, dedicated, and inspiring teachers. Students notice a difference when they enter an AP classroom. In AP classrooms the focus is not on memorizing facts and figures. Instead, students engage in intense discussions, solve problems collaboratively, and learn to write clearly and persuasively. The Advanced Placement program makes demands upon students that are equivalent to those made by full-year introductory collegiate survey courses. These classes require a level of participation, diligence, effort and autonomy beyond the ordinary high school level.
AP courses can help students acquire the skills and habits they'll need to be successful in college. Students improve writing skills, sharpen problem-solving abilities, and develop time management skills, discipline, and study habits. More than 90 percent of four-year colleges in the United States and colleges in more than 60 other countries give students credit, advanced placement or both on the basis of AP Exam scores. By entering college with AP credits, students have the time to study more upper level courses, pursue a double-major or study abroad.
Research shows that your AP experience can benefit you in several important ways when you reach college: AP students are more likely to graduate from college in four years - students who take longer to graduate at public colleges and universities can spend up to $19,000 for each additional year and AP helps students qualify for scholarships - 31 percent of colleges and universities look at AP experience when determining scholarships.
We will continue to make Advanced Placement courses an important component to the upper classmen experience. We are pleased to be able to offer a wide range of Advanced Placement course selections to SVHS students and desire to see these programs continue to develop and expand.
