Advanced Placement (AP)
What is Advanced Placement (AP)?
Advanced Placement courses provide rigorous college-level work for high school students who are seeking the best preparation for college. Southside High School and Northside High School, offer Advanced Placement courses to students grades 9 through 12. Pre-AP classes are available to middle school and high school students to prepare them for Advanced Placement courses.
Benefits of Advanced Placement Courses
Earn College Credit
Students who take AP exams and achieve the required score can earn credit.
Save Money
Earning college credit reduces the amount of courses you must take in college - saving you money!
Prepare for College
Get a taste of college-level work while you're still in high school.
Boost your GPA
Students can receive weighted credit for AP coursework.
At Fort Smith Public Schools, students who take AP classes are awarded weighted credit for their coursework, thus boosting their GPA. This means if students score within the “A” range in an Advanced Placement class, they will be awarded 5 points towards their Grade Point Average instead of 4. If they score within the “B” range, they will be awarded 4 points instead of the standard 3, and so on. Additionally, students who take at least eight PreAP, AP, or concurrent courses can earn an Honors Diploma when they graduate.
Advanced Placement courses follow guidelines provided by The College Board, and are reviewed by college faculty to ensure that all students are doing college-level work. Taking these courses gives students the opportunity to experience and familiarize themselves with college-level work while still in high school. The rigorous coursework helps students to develop skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and time management that they will need in college and their careers.
AP Capstone Program
AP Capstone is an innovative diploma program that provides students with an opportunity to engage in the rigorous scholarly practice of the core academic skills necessary for successful college completion.
AP Capstone builds upon the foundation of two courses — AP Seminar and AP Research. The program complements and enhances the in-depth, discipline-specific study of the AP courses and prepares students to make logical, evidence-based decisions. Students who successfully complete the Advanced Placement course and who take and achieve the required score on the national AP exam may earn college credit if they complete the nationally administered AP exam at the end of the school year. Students who earn college credit reduce the number of courses they must take in college. These free courses can save students money and enable them to graduate college early or explore and take classes they normally wouldn’t.
What AP Courses are Offered at FSPS?
Celebrating Our Advanced Placement Students
Students at Northside High School and Southside High School are recognized at AAIMS (Arkansas Advanced Initiative for Math and Science, Inc.) Assemblies to celebrate their achievements in Advanced Placement courses. Students were honored for the following achievements:
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AP Seminar and Research Certificate: Earned scores of 3 or higher in both AP Seminar and AP Research
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AP Capstone Diploma: Earned scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research and on 4 additional AP exams of their choosing
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AP Scholars: Earned scores of 3 or higher on three or more AP exams
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AP Scholars with Honor: Earned an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams
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AP Scholars with Distinction: Earned an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams
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AP Students of Excellence: Earned a score of 3 or higher on one or more AP exam
AP Program Contacts
If you are interested in learning more about the AP program, please contact the district administrator your child attends.
Krystle Smith
Supervisor of Special Programs, AP Program Coordinator
School:
479.784.8182 ext. 73514