>>> THIS SCHOOL YEAR IS
CERTAINLY IN FULL SWING BUT NOT
TOO EARLY TO START THINKING
ABOUT NEXT YEAR DEPENDING ON THE
AGE OF YOUR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT.
WHAT CLASSES SHOULD THEY TAKE?
ARE YOU CONSIDERING ADVANCED
PLACEMENT CLASS?
HOW DO YOU KNOW IF THEY'RE RIGHT
FOR THEM?
JOINING ME NOW IS JOHN WILLIAM
SO, VICE PRESIDENT OF AP AT THE
COLLEGE BOARD.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US, DO
APPRECIATE THIS MORNING.
SUCH A DIFFICULT DECISION,
BECAUSE PARTICULARLY JUNIORS AS
AN EXAMPLE, THEY KNOW THAT THEY
NEED TO HAVE GOOD GRADES AND THE
DELETE S THEY HAVE TO WEIGH THE
DECISION WHETHER OR NOT COLLEGES
ARE GOING TO LOOK AT THEIR
GRADES OR HOW IMPORTANT THAT
THEY TAKE THE AP CLASSES AND
MIGHT NOT DO AS WELL IN THOSE
CLASSES AS THEY WOULD A REGULAR
CLASS?
>> JEN, THAT IS EXACT LILRIGHT.
STUDENTS WHO TAKE AP HAVE REAL
BENEFITS AND THOSE REAL BENEFITS
PARENTS SHOULD REALLY BE
THINKING ABOUT.
STUDENTS WHO TAKE AP COURSES
LEARN CORE ACADEMIC SKILLS THAT
SUCCESSFUL.
THEIR FIRST YEAR IN COLLEGE.
EQUALLY IMPORTANT, STUDENTS WHO
TAKE AP, ACTUALLY STAND OUT IN
THE ADMISSIONS PROCESS.
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS OFFICERS TELL
US YEAR AFTER YEAR THAT THEY RED
LIGHT LOOK FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE
CHALLENGED THEMSELVES IN HIGH
SCHOOL AND AP IS A GREAT WAY TO
DO THAT.
AND THIRD, FOR PARENTS AND
STUDENTS THE BENEFITS OF AP HIT
THE POCKETBOOK.
BECAUSE THOSE STUDENTS WHO TAKE
AP COURSES AND ARE EARN
QUALIFYING SCORES AT THE ENDS OF
THE YEAR CAN SAVE THOUSANDS OF
DOLLARS IN COLLEGE TUITION.
REALLY TAKING AP IN HIGH SCHOOL
GIVES YOU THAT AP ADVANTAGE WHEN
YOU GO THE COLLEGE.
>> Jennifer: IT IS
INTERESTING, TOO BECAUSE THE
PASSING GRADES, CORRECT ME IF
I'M WRONG IS 3.
DO THE COLLEGES LOOK AT HOW WELL
YOU DO OR JUST PASS/FAIL.
IF YOU GET 3 WHICH IS PASSING,
YOU KNOW DO THEY WEIGH A 5 SCORE
ON THAT AS HIGHER AND MAYBE, YOU
KNOW, YOU LOOK BETTER ON A
RESUME SO TO SPEAK?
WHEN APPLYING?
>> WELL, WHAT WE'VE SEEN IS
STUDENTS COLLEGES AND EMPLOYERS
ACTUALLY VALUE THE SKILLS THAT
YOU LEARN IN AP.
AND WHILE THERE ARE FIVE
DIFFERENT AP GRADES A STUDENT
CAN GET, 5, FOUR, THREE, TWO,
ONE, COLLEGES ACTUALLY GIVE
CREDIT IN MOST CASES FOR
STUDENTS WHO EARN 3 OR BETTER.
SO THEY REALLY -- THE BENEFIT OF
TAKING AP IS BOTH IN THE CREDIT
THAT YOU EARN, THE SKILLS THAT
YOU DEVELOP THAT WILL HELP YOU
CAREER.
>>> WHO DETERMINES WHETHER OR
CLASS?
>> JEN, THERE ARE OVER 38
DIFFERENT AP COURSES THAT
STUDENT CAN SELECT FROM,
EVERYTHING FROM STUDIO ART, TO
COMPUTER TO SCIENCE, T
BIOLOGIST TO ENGLISH SOURCE
COURSES NEARLY FOR EVERYONE.
WHAT WE ENCOURAGE IS STUDENTS
HAVE CONVERSATION WITH TEACHERS.
TEACHER -- WITH THEIR TEACHERS
TEACHERS GUIDE CONVERSATIONS AS
TO WHAT MIGHT BE RIGHT FOR THEM
AS WELL AS HAVING CONVERSATIONS
WITH THE COLLEGE COUNSELORS.
COLLEGE COUNSELORS ARE EQUIPPED
TO GUIDE STUDENTS AND MATCH
STUDENTS WITH COURSES THAT WILL
HELP THEM IN COLLEGE, IN THEIR
MAJOR AS WELL AS COURSES FOR
WHICH STUDENTS HAVE ALREADY
DEMONSTRATED POTENTIAL AND
INTERESTS.
CONVERSATION.
AND AS YOU POINT OUT, NOW IS THE
TIME TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION.
PARENTS AND SHOULD TALK TO THEIR
CHALLENGE THEMSELVES TO GET THAT
OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE THEMSELVES
THAT OPPORTUNITY FOR COLLEGE.
EXAMPLE, THAT TELLS A STUDENT
WHETHER OR NOT THEY QUALIFY TO
TAKE AN AP COURSE.
IT IS REALLY UP TO THE STUDENT
AS WELL AS THE TEACHER.
>> THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.
WE WANT STUDENTS AND TEACHERS
AND PARENTS TO HELP STUDENTS
PICK THE AP COURSE RIGHT FOR
AND OPPORTUNITY.
>>> DO YOU HAVE TO TAKE AN AP
CLASS TO TAKE THE AP TEST?
STUDENT?
>> WHAT WE SEE IS STUDENTS WHO
TAKE THE AP COURSES ARE REALLY
PREPARED TO TAKE THOSE EXAMS AT
THE END OF THE YEAR.
BUT STUDENTS WHO ARE IN
HOMESCHOOL OR STUDENTS WHO DO
INDEPENDENT STUDY CAN ALSO FIND
UP FOR TAKING AP EXAMS.
AND THEY JUST NEED TO TALK WITH
THEIR AP COORDINATOR IN THEIR
HIGH SCHOOL.
>>> JOHN WILLIAMSON, PRESIDENT
OF AP AT COLLEGE BOARD, THANK
YOU, DO APPRECIATE YOUR INSIGHT
THIS MORNING.
A LOT OF PARENTS TRYING TO
ABOUT WITH THEIR KIDS WHEN IT