Silverton High School

• AP curriculum allows instructors to teach college-level courses to capable, motivated students.
• Students successfully completing AP examinations offered by the College Board in May can qualify for college credit or become exempt from introductory college courses, permitting them to move more quickly into advanced classes.
• AP exams are graded on a 5-point scale (the highest is 5). Most of the nation's colleges and universities award credit and/or placement for grades of 3 or higher.
• More than 1,400 institutions award a year of credit (sophomore standing) to students with a sufficient number of qualifying grades.
• College admission personnel view AP experience as one indicator of future success at the college level. Taking an AP course offers an advantage to students wishing to attend a highly selective school.

• Classes are open to any student who is prepared to take on the challenge.
• Students who enroll in these advanced classes need to be prepared. One of the best ways to develop the skills to be successful would be to take honors classes during freshman and sophomore years.
• Participation and motivation are also important to AP success. Students' academic records continue to be the best predictor of AP success, but the willingness to meet the daily demands of an AP class can result in success for students who are not among the best prepared.
• Students should be:

• Interested in ideas and relationships
• Willing to risk being wrong
• Willing to consider new perspectives
• Competent in individual research skills
• Able to ask insightful questions
• Able to organize materials and work under pressure to meet deadlines
• Able to make decisions for themselves
• Able to work productively with their fellow students

• AP courses make substantial demands on students as they are equivalent to college courses. Students are required to do considerable outside reading and other assignments and to demonstrate the analytical skills and writing abilities expected of first-year students in a strong college program. 3 AP courses are the equivalent of a full-time college load.
• Students enrolling in AP classes will be expected to take the corresponding AP exam in May.
• Students enrolled in AP courses can and do have lives. The increased academic load must be considered in light of other important factors, including social life, extracurricular activities, athletics, jobs, and outside responsibilities.
• Students must find balance. Time constraints and other responsibilities associated with AP can result in undue stress, emotional duress, poor grades, feelings of failure, and high frustration.
• It is important to understand the expectations for students in these classes will be high. The demands of jobs, extracurricular activities, and other difficult classes need to be considered when enrolling and will not be accepted as excuses for incomplete or missing assignments. Daily attendance is essential for success because of the fast pace and amount of material covered each day. Students are expected to come to class having read the material assigned for that day.

 AP Course Expectations at Silverton High School

In order to be successful in the AP program, students will need to budget their time, taking into account the following:

• These are college-level courses.
• Study time varies by course and individual needs.
• Different instructors have different expectations.
• These courses will require more time than non-AP classes.
• Students need to factor in the time needed for after-school activities.
• Have at least a C (but preferably a B) in a previous related honors class or a B (but preferably an A) in a regular class.

Valid and Invalid Reasons to Drop an AP course

Please note: If a drop is approved, there is no guarantee that the student will get a spot in an accelerated class in the subject. Class placement is dependent on openings in the course and program.

Interventions

Prior to considering a student to drop a class, the following interventions should be completed:

• Coming in for teacher office hours or during AG several times
• Creating a planner and/or calendar system to help balance priorities
• Conference with the parent, teacher, AND student 

Students who enroll in AP classes are exposed to higher levels of learning and more academic rigor. Students learn to push themselves to acquire knowledge and are exposed to new topics.

If students do well on the national AP exam, they may be able to earn college credit.

Most four-year colleges in the United States and colleges in more than 60 other countries award students credit, advanced placement, or both based on AP Exam scores. By entering college with AP credits, you'll have the time to move into upper-level courses, pursue a double major, or study abroad. 

Find colleges and universities with AP credit policy information.

Coming Soon!

The Advanced Placement (AP) program offers students the opportunity to pursue college-level studies while still in high school. It also gives them the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of the advanced material by taking AP exams.

When you join the AP Classroom for each AP course, your testing status is set to "Undecided". You MUST decide whether you want to take the test. You have until October 15 to make your final decision. You will need to make a decision, then go to your AP account and change your testing status to "Yes" or "No".

Your AP Teacher will remind you to make the decision as the deadline approaches and help you weigh the benefits of a "yes" or a "no."

• AP Exams for the 2025-26 School Year are scheduled May 4, 2026, through May 15, 2026
• Decision Deadline: October 15, 2025
• Payment Deadline: October 31, 2025
• Cost of exams: $83 for almost every AP exam, $139 for a Seminar or Research course
  • Late Registration Fee: The College Board charges a $40 late registration fee. This would only be an issue if a student signs up for an AP test after the October deadline. 
  • Cancellation/Unused Test Fee: The College Board charges a $40 fee for test cancellations or unused tests. This means that if a student signs up for a test and then decides not to take the test.
    • If a student has signed up and paid to take an exam, but then changes their mind after the testing order has been submitted (by the 15th of November each year) but before March 15th, the student would be eligible for a partial refund.
    • After 3/15/26, the College Board does not approve refunds for any reason.

Financial assistance is available to students experiencing financial hardship to help cover testing costs. This is a confidential process, but an application is required to receive financial assistance.

There are a couple of expenses that SHS cannot cover: 

• Late Registration Fee: The College Board charges a $40 late registration fee. This would only be an issue if a student signs up for an AP test after the October deadline. 
• Cancellation/Unused Test Fee: The College Board charges a $40 fee for test cancellations or unused tests. This means that if a student signs up for a test and then decides not to take the test.
  • If a student requested financial assistance from SHS and then decides not to take the AP Test, they would be charged the $40 College Board unused test fee. This fee would be added to their SHS student account. SHS cannot cover this fee.

If an unforeseen circumstance prevents a student from testing on the originally scheduled AP test date, we can potentially arrange a late test day for students with an AP-approved reason to test during the late testing window. These exceptions are approved on a case-by-case basis.

If you have a documented disability that limits your ability to participate in College Board exams, you may be eligible for accommodations. Some examples of disabilities include blindness and visual impairments; learning disorders; physical and medical impairments, such as cerebral palsy and diabetes; and motor impairments. There are many others.

If you already have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or a 504 Plan and receive accommodations, you will likely qualify as well. The specific accommodations requested may appropriately differ from those used in school. However, it is important to note that students who qualify for accommodations under their IEP or 504 are not automatically approved for accommodations on AP Exams, and the College Board’s Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) office must approve your accommodations in advance. If you test using accommodations that haven’t been approved by the College Board SSD in advance, your scores will be canceled.

Requesting Accommodations

Most students work with the school’s AP coordinator to apply for accommodations before the AP Exam. The AP coordinator requests and manages the accommodations online. Information about administering accommodations for AP Exams is available on the College Board Website.

In some cases, documentation of the disability and need for accommodations is requested for the College Board’s review. Requests for accommodations and completed documentation should be submitted as early as possible to ensure they are reviewed and processed before the exam ordering deadlines. If requests are submitted after the ordering deadline, there’s no guarantee accommodations will be approved or that appropriate exam materials will be shipped in time for the exam.

Some accommodations are administered differently across College Board programs. For example, in AP, a student approved for extended time will not automatically receive extra breaks. A student requiring extra breaks must apply for that specific accommodation for AP Exams. 

You are your own best advocate in ensuring you receive the testing accommodations you need; this means you, the student, are also responsible for following through on the required procedures. Check with your AP Coordinator to confirm that the specific accommodations have been requested.