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 16 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.

28 Students Named Advanced Placement Scholars. Read more...

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 2006-2007 school year, for example, 26 percent of USJ seniors, 29 percent of the juniors, and 14 percent of our sophomores took one or more AP courses. USJ gave a total of 145 AP exams to those students, who then had an 88 percent passing rate of three or more on the exam. More than 41 percent of USJ's 2007 graduates scored a 3 or higher during their years at USJ. Nine of USJ's 16 advanced placement classes had 100 percent passage rates from the Spring 2007 AP exams. (See chart below.)

Our AP Teachers

The strength of USJ’s AP curriculum lies in our teachers. Our 12 AP teachers have a combined experience of nearly 285 years in the classroom and 135 years of teaching the AP curriculum. Five 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
David Rohm, AP Computer
Claire Royer, AP U.S. History
Carol Ryan, AP English Language
Judy Sanderson, AP Physics

Scores for Advanced Placement Exams Taken in 2007

Scores	5	4	3	2	1	Total	% Passing	Grade Mean
Biology	8	2	3	-	--	13	100	4.39
Calculus AB	4	2	--	--	--	6	100	4.67
Calculus BC	8	1	-	--	--	9	100	4.89
Chemistry	5	1	2	--	-	8	100	4.38
Computer Science A	1	-	1	-	4	6	33	2.00
English Language	-	6	17	3	-	26	88	3.12
English Literature	1	2	9	1	-	13	92	3.23
Environmental Science	1	1	-	-	-	2	100	4.5
European History	2	3	7	-	4	16	75	2.94
Music Theory	-	-	1	1	1	3	33	2.00
Physics	--	1	7	1	1	10	80	2.80
Spanish Language	2	4	2	-	-	8	100	4.0
Studio Art	2	3	2	-	-	7	100	4.0
U.S. History	2	8	6	2	-	18	89	3.56
Total	36	34	57	8	10	145	88	3.57

School Profile

USJ's School 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 School 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.