Advanced Placement Program
An ‘AP’ or an ‘Advanced Placement’ course offers students the opportunity to study college level courses during high school. The Advanced Placement program curriculum is set by the College Board and is equivalent to introductory courses taken the first year in college. At the end of the year, all students participating in AP classes are required to take a national exam. Depending on a student’s performance on the exam, a university may give the student college credit or advanced placement in college courses.
USJ offers 15 Advanced Placement courses, all certified by the College Board. This gives our students the opportunity to take one or more college-level courses in their areas of interest. Our strong AP program sets us apart from most other schools. By the end of their first semester of college, many USJ graduates are classified as sophomores or better because of the AP credits earned in high school.
The number of USJ students participating in our Advanced Placement program and the number of AP tests they take increases each year as the program grows.
In the 2008-2009 school year, for example, 41 percent of USJ seniors, 28 percent of the juniors, and 19 percent of our sophomores passed one or more AP courses, participating with AP Excellence. USJ gave a total of 140 AP exams, with a student passing rate of 79 percent. This is a grade of three or more on the exam, based on a 5-point scale. (See chart below.)
Learn more about the added value the AP Program provides at USJ and why it benefits your child…
Our AP Teachers
The strength of USJ’s AP curriculum lies in our teachers. Our 12 AP teachers have a combined experience of nearly 300 years in the classroom and 150 years of teaching the AP curriculum. Several are AP graders, meaning they have been trained and called on by the College Board to grade AP tests. Because they are AP readers, they also have a better understanding of what must be covered in the course and how students should prepare for the AP exam in the spring.
 Our AP teachers are below. To find out more about each teacher, click on the link below to the teacher's web page.
Bridget Clark, AP English Literature
Jimmy Glosson, AP Spanish
Dr. Tammy Grant, AP Music Theory
John Herriman, AP Environmental Science
Libby Lynch, AP Studio Art
Shane Lynch, AP European History
Malea Mullins, AP Chemistry
Don Newman, AP Calculus BC and AP Calculus AB
Jane Ramer, AP Biology
Claire Royer, AP U.S. History
Carol Ryan, AP English Language
Judy Sanderson, AP Physics
Scores for Advanced Placement Exams Taken in 2009
|
Scores
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
Total
|
% Passing
|
Grade Mean
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Biology
|
5
|
3
|
3
|
2
|
0
|
13
|
85
|
3.85
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Calculus AB
|
2
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
5
|
100
|
4.4
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Calculus BC
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
5
|
100
|
5.0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chemistry
|
1
|
4
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
8
|
63
|
3.13
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Computer Science A
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
3
|
0
|
1.00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
English Language
|
1
|
11
|
8
|
5
|
0
|
25
|
80
|
3.32
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
English Literature
|
2
|
6
|
5
|
1
|
0
|
14
|
93
|
3.64
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Environmental Science
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
100
|
3.00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
European History
|
0
|
2
|
13
|
4
|
1
|
20
|
75
|
2.80
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Music Theory
|
2
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
0
|
5
|
60
|
3.40
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Physics
|
5
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
6
|
100
|
4.67
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Spanish Language
|
4
|
3
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
9
|
78
|
4.0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Studio Art Drawing
|
3
|
2
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
6
|
83
|
4.17
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Studio Art 2D
|
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
6 |
50 |
2.67 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Studio Art 3D
|
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
100 |
3.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
U.S. History
|
3
|
1
|
5
|
3
|
0
|
12
|
75
|
3.33
|
|
 |
College Profile
USJ's College Profile is sent to colleges along with a student's application. It explains the coursework, grading scale, and graduation requirements at USJ and provides a snapshot of the class scores, including SAT, ACT, and quintile averages. It also shows grade distribution for AP and Honors courses, AP scores, and a look at colleges that USJ graduates have been accepted at and then attended. To download a copy of the College Profile in pdf format, click here. You can view it in Adobe Acrobat Reader. You can also get a copy of the School Profile from the college advising office.
AP Biology students attend genetic conference. Read a student's account...
Q. What makes an AP course different from any other course at USJ?
An AP course is a more advanced study of our core curriculum. It will prepare a student for the critical thinking skills and amount of coursework that will be needed in college. AP courses generally require much more reading, writing, and homework than other courses.
Q. What other benefits does an AP course offer?
A study by the College Board shows that students who participate in at least one AP course are twice as likely to graduate college than those who have not. A strong AP program also raises the standards, expectations, and rigor of the rest of the high school curriculum.
Q. What should I look for in a quality AP program?
You should look for several factors, including....
• A good program requires that all AP students take the AP exam. Proof that an AP course covers the subject matter suggested by the College Board will be found in the number of students who take and pass the AP exam. The College Board suggests that a successful course is one in which about 75 percent of the students in the course pass the exam.
USJ requires all students who take an AP course to take the AP exam in order to get AP credit on their transcript. USJ’s goal is to have a 75 percent pass rate in each course and an overall 80 percent pass rate for all AP exams given. The results of AP tests given in May 2008 are at left.
• A school should not limit its AP program to a select few students so the school can have a high passing rate. Each year, the number of USJ students taking AP courses and their passing rates increase.
Q. How can I find out about USJ’s AP scores?
Our scores are at left. You can also ask for a copy of our college profile. We print a new profile each year; it is sent with a student’s transcript when he or she applies for college.
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