AP Course Selections provide information to help students select appropriate courses for Advanced Placement, these are typically geared to college preparatory work.

AP American Government

The AP United States Government course is designed to be comparable to a college introductory U.S. Government course. Students develop an analytical perspective on the federal, state, and local governments and politics, including a study of general concepts used to interpret government and politics, as well as the analysis of specific examples, i.e., the United States and Illinois Constitutions. Upon completion of this course, students are encouraged to take the Advanced Placement American Government exam to earn possible college credit.

AP Biology

This is a first year college biology course. The Advanced Placement Biology course will cover the set curriculum as described by the College Board. Students study molecules and cells, heredity, evolution, organisms, and populations. This course aims to provide students with the conceptual framework, factual knowledge, and analytical skills necessary to deal critically with the rapidly changing science of biology. Upon completion of the class, students are encouraged to take the AP Exam for possible college credit.

AP Calculus AB

Advanced Placement Calculus covers the College Board requirements in preparation for the Advanced Placement Calculus Exam. Topics are typical to those offered in a first semester college course. Pre-calculus mathematics is reinforced. Limit theory, derivatives, anti­-derivatives, and integration are studied in relation to their applications in science and mathematics. Broad concepts are emphasized using multiple representations. Upon completion of the class, students are encouraged to take the AP Exam for possible college credit.

AP Calculus BC

Calculus BC is a full-year course in the calculus of functions of a single variable. It includes all topics covered in Calculus AB plus additional topics. Both courses represent college-level mathematics for which most colleges grant advanced placement and credit. The content of Calculus BC is designed to qualify the student for placement and credit in a course that is one course beyond that granted for Calculus AB. Upon completion of the class, students are encouraged to take the AP Exam for possible college credit.

AP Capstone: Research

The AP Capstone Program is a 2 year sequence of courses that is designed to equip students "with the skills to analyze and evaluate information with accuracy and precision in order to craft and communicate evidence based arguments." AP Seminar is the first year course and AP Research is the second year course. Students who earn scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research will receive the AP Seminar and Research Certificate signifying their attainment of, college-level academic and research skills. Students who earn scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research and on four additional AP Exams of their choosing will receive the AP Capstone Diploma. This signifies their outstanding academic achievement and attainment of college-level academic and research kills. Using an inquiry framework, students practice reading and analyzing articles, research studies, and foundational, literary, and philosophical texts; listening to and viewing speeches, broadcasts, and personal accounts; and experiencing artistic works and performances. Students learn to synthesize information from multiple sources, develop their own perspectives in research-based written essays, and design and deliver oral and visual presentations, both individually and as part of a team. Ultimately, the course aims to equip students with the power to analyze and evaluate information with accuracy and precision order to craft and communicate evidence-based arguments.

AP Capstone: Seminar

The AP Capstone Program is a 2 year sequence of courses that is designed to equip students “with the skills to analyze and evaluate information with accuracy and precision in order to craft and communicate evidence based arguments.” AP Seminar is the first year course and AP Research is the second year course. Students who earn scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research will receive the AP Seminar and Research Certificate signifying their attainment of college-level academic and research skills. Students who earn scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research and on four additional AP Exams of their choosing will receive the AP Capstone Diploma. This signifies their outstanding academic achievement and attainment of college-level academic and research skills. 

Using an inquiry framework, students practice reading and analyzing articles, research studies, and foundational, literary, and philosophical texts; listening to and viewing speeches, broadcasts, and personal accounts; and experiencing artistic works and performances. Students learn to synthesize information from multiple sources, develop their own perspectives in research-based written essays, and design and deliver oral and visual presentations, both individually and as part of a team. Ultimately, the course aims to equip students with the power to analyze and evaluate information with accuracy and precision in order to craft and communicate evidence-based arguments.

AP Chemistry

This is a first year college chemistry course. The Advanced Placement Chemistry course will cover the set curriculum as described by the College Board. Students study matter, bonding, acid-base reactions, red-ox reactions, and electro chemistry. Upon completion of the class, students are encouraged to take the AP Exam for possible college credit.

AP Computer Science Principles

The AP Computer Science Principles course is designed to be equivalent to a first semester introductory college­ computing course. The key sections of this course framework are computational thinking practices, abstraction, data and information, algorithms, programming, the internet and the global impact of computers. Upon completion of the class, students are encouraged to take the AP Exam for possible college credit. 

AP English Language & Composition

The AP English Language and Composition course asks students to engage in analysis of the world around them. Everything from advertisements to literary works to the spaces in which we live becomes a text in our exploration of argument, rhetoric, and style. Through close reading of these texts, students can improve their analytical and critical thinking skills. Students will also engage in the creation of several well-developed writing assignments that will both introduce them to the rigors of college level writing and aid them in honing their own style, voice, and ability to communicate with the written word. 

AP English Literature & Composition

The AP English Literature and Composition course is designed to engage students in the careful reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature. Through the close reading of selected texts, students can deepen their understanding of the ways writers use language to provide both meaning and pleasure for their readers. As they read, students should consider a work’s structure, style, and themes, as well as such smaller-scale elements as the use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone. 

AP Environmental Science

This is a college course in Environmental Science. The Advanced Placement Environmental Science course will cover the set curriculum as described by the College Board. Students study scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world. Students will identify and analyze environmental problems (both natural and human-made) to evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems and to examine alternate solutions for resolving and/or preventing them. Upon completion of the class, students are encouraged to take the AP Exam for possible college credit.

AP Human Geography

The primary goal of this social studies course is to introduce students to the systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding, use, and alteration of Earth’s surface. Students will employ spatial concepts and landscape analysis to examine human social organization and its environmental consequences. They will learn about methods and tools geographers use in their science and practice. The advantages of the course are based on the National Geography Standards. Upon completion of this course, students are encouraged to take the Advanced Placement Human Geography exam to earn possible college credit.

AP Macroeconomics

The primary goal of this social studies course is to introduce students to the driving forces behind financial decision making at both the government and global level. Students will analyze graphs, calculate shifts and stressors, interpret global policy and financial movements and predict future outcomes based on current evidence. This class can be taken instead of the one-semester Global Economics class. Upon completion of this course, students are encouraged to take the Advanced Placement Macroeconomics exam to earn possible college credit.

AP Music Theory

This yearlong course is designed for students who are interested in obtaining a college-level understanding of the fundamental components of music, including pitch, rhythm, form, timbre, and dynamics. Activity in complex analysis, composition, music history, keyboarding, and both melodic and rhythmic dictation will be Included. Upon completion of the class, students are encouraged to take the AP Exam for possible college credit. 

AP Physics I

This is a first year college physics course. The Advanced Placement Physics course will follow the College Board parameters. Students study mechanics, electricity, waves, fluids and thermodynamics. Upon completion of the class, students are encouraged to take the AP Exam for possible college credit. This course can be taken without prior physics experience.

AP Physics C

AP Physics C is equivalent to a two semester, calculus based, college level physics course, especially appropriate for students planning to specialize or major in physical science or engineering. Mechanics is covered in Semester 1, while Semester 2 focuses on electricity and magnetism. Introductory differential and integral calculus are used throughout the course, and students should have taken or be concurrently enrolled in calculus.

AP Psychology

The purpose of the AP course in Psychology is to introduce the systematic and scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of human beings and other animals. Included is a consideration of the psychological facts, principles, and phenomena associated with each of the major subfields within psychology. Students also learn about the ethics and methods psychologists use in their science and practice. Upon completion of this course, students are encouraged to take the Advanced Placement Psychology exam to earn possible college credit.

AP Spanish Language and Culture

AP Spanish Language is intended for students who wish to develop their proficiency in all four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students who enroll should already have knowledge of the language and culture of Spanish-speaking peoples and should have attained a reasonable proficiency in listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. This class will expose students to a rigorous course and prepare them to take the AP Spanish Literature and Culture Test. 

AP Statistics

Advanced Placement Statistics covers the College Board requirements in preparation for the Advanced Placement Statistics Exam. Topics are typical to those offered in a first semester college course. This course will expose students to four broad conceptual themes: Exploring Data, Planning a Study, Anticipating Patterns, and Statistical Inference. Upon completion of the class, students are encouraged to take the AP Exam for possible college credit. 

AP U.S. Government and Politics

The AP U.S. Government and Politics course is designed to be comparable to a college introductory U.S. Government course. Students develop an analytical perspective on the federal, state, and local governments and politics, including a study of general concepts used to interpret government and politics, as well as the analysis of specific examples, i.e., the United States and Illinois Constitutions. Upon completion of this course, students are encouraged to take the Advanced Placement U.S. Government and Politics exam to earn possible college credit.

AP U.S. History

The AP United States History course is designed to be comparable to a freshman level college survey course. Students will master a broad body of historical knowledge, analyze and interpret documents, and develop college ­level historical writing skills. This class can be taken instead of the US History class. Upon completion of this course, students are encouraged to take the Advanced Placement U.S. History exam to earn possible college credit.