What is Advanced Placement?

In response to the booming need for viable educational programs following World War II, the Advanced Placement (AP) program was created. Through funding from the Ford Foundation and piloted by select high schools and colleges, the AP curriculum was born. The College Board, which took over the AP program in 1955, manages the curriculum, testing, and training for all Advanced Placement students. Each May, the College Board, and its partnering high schools administer over 1,000,000  AP Exams to students in the U.S. and all over the world. At Allen High School, we administer over 4,200 AP exams to over 2,000 students each May.   

To help students prepare for AP courses, we offer Advanced (formerly Pre-AP/IB) courses at the Lowery Freshman Center and Allen High School.

AP Philosophy - 

The College Board works with both high school and college officials to ensure that the AP program offers a curriculum that aligns with high school standards while maintaining a high academic level appropriate for its member colleges and universities. With that being said, each AP exam is scored on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the maximum score.  Depending on the university’s guidelines, a student may receive college credit based upon his or her score. University policies vary greatly, therefore students and parents must verify those requirements with the university of choice.

At Allen High School, we believe that all students should have access to a challenging curriculum and should challenge themselves in their academic endeavors.  We strongly encourage our students to take AP courses and their corresponding AP exams.

Some of the Benefits of AP - 

University Credit: Students have the opportunity to earn college credit while still in high school. Students earning a qualifying score on an AP exam may earn college credit. Please check the college or university’s policies for clarification on credit awarding for AP exam scores earned. College and university credit tables provide information on the scores that award credit to various courses on that campus. 

Admissions/Scholarship Consideration: College admissions officers and scholarship committees understand the rigor of the AP coursework. 

Quality Instruction: All AP teachers complete training conducted by the College Board.  The level and quality of instruction in AP are said to be superior to that of a community college.

AHS AP Course Offerings - 

English/Language Arts

• English III- English Language and Composition

• English IV- English Literature and Composition

• GT English III- English Language and Composition

• GT English IV- English Literature and Composition

 Foreign Language 

• Spanish Language and Culture

• French Language and Culture

 Social Studies

• World History: Modern (we do not offer World History: Ancient)

• U.S. History

• European History 

• Human Geography (offered at Lowery Freshman Center)

• U.S. Government & Politics (we do not offer Comparative Government)

• Macroeconomics

• Psychology

 Science

• Physics 1

• Physics 2

• Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism

• Physics C: Mechanics 

• Biology

• Chemistry

• Environmental Science

 Mathematics

• Calculus AB

• Calculus BC

• Statistics

 Fine Arts

• Art Drawing

• Art 2D

• Art 3D

• Art History

• Music Theory