Advanced Placement Program (AP)
Pre-AP Courses
Each Pre-AP course focuses on a small set of discipline-specific instructional priorities that support both teacher practice and student learning within the discipline. These areas of focus reflect research supported reasoning practices that should receive greater emphasis in instructional materials and assessments than they often do. Pre-AP recognises that many teachers and schools already embrace these disciplinary practices, and now offer resources that specifically emphasise these areas of focus.
AP English Language and Composition
Pursues the study of rhetoric by considering how and why a speaker communicated a message to his/her audience. Students work almost exclusively with non-fiction texts covering many centuries of literary tradition and a wide range of styles from elevated prose to colloquial stuff, including the array of media confronting us today. As well as developing the ability to focus on language of the text to develop cogent analysis of arguments, students also practice the skills of rhetoric in their own compositions.
Pre-requisite: The program is reading and writing intensive, and preparation, attendance, and participation are essential for success.
AP Spanish Language and Culture
Emphasises communication by applying the interpersonal, interpretive and presentational modes of communication in real-life situations. This includes vocabulary usage, language control, communication strategies, and cultural awareness. This course will develop students’ awareness and appreciation of cultural products (e.g. tools, books, music, laws, conventions, institutions); practices (patterns of social interactions within a culture); and perspectives (values, attitudes, and assumptions).
Pre-requisite: Students need to have achieved level 4 in their previous language class.
AP Statistics
Introduces students to the major concepts and tools for collective, analysing and drawing conclusions from data. A basic understanding of probability theory provides the necessary tool to anticipate and recognise distributions formulated under a chosen statistical model. Statistical inference is used as a guide in the choice of appropriate models. Students will be able to show an efficient use of the statistical menus on the graphing display calculator and will be exposed to computer statistical software packages.
Pre-requisite: Ideally students will have a minimum of a ‘B’ in Algebra II
AP US History
This focuses on developing the student’s understanding of American history from approximately 1491 to the present. The course has students investigate the content of US history for significant events, individuals, developments, and processes in nine historical periods and develop and use the same thinking skills and methods (analysing primary and secondary sources, making historical Page 4 comparisons, chronological reasoning, and argumentation) employed by historian when they study the past.
Pre-requisite: Academic knowledge of US history recommended.
AP Biology
Designed to be the equivalent of a two-semester college biology course taken by biology majors during their first year. After showing themselves to be qualified on the AP exam, some students, in their freshman year, are permitted to undertake upper-level courses in biology or to register for courses for which biology is a pre-requisite. Unit topics in the course include molecules and cells; cellular energetics; heredity and evolution; molecular genetics; evolutionary biology; organisms and populations; structure and function of plants and animals; and ecology. Pre-requisite: Pre-AP Biology; Pre-AP Algebra I; HS Chemistry I.
Doha Introduces Globally Recognised Advanced Placement Program
The AP Program, whilst once seen exclusively as American examinations, has grown internationally in the last 10 years. The AP program has been created by the College Board which offers college level curricula and examinations to high school students.
AP courses are usually more demanding than regular high school classes, most being similar to first year college courses. AP courses are academically rigorous, offering challenging work and a taste of what college classes are like. AP students learn essential time management and study skills needed for college and career success and will specialise and focus on subjects that interest them, learning to tap their creativity and problem-solving skills to address course challenges. Students who choose to take AP courses can do so alongside regular High School Diploma courses and IB courses.
AP is recognised as being equivalent to DP Standard Level courses and requires a lower level of commitment than the full DP. Students gain credit for the High School Diploma by taking AP courses. AP courses are weighted with an additional 0.67 points to reflect their level of rigour.
AP Qualifications
All AP courses are one year in duration and most culminate in an exam administered during a two week AP testing period in May. AP exams are a combination of multiple-choice questions and free response, and the final AP score is a result of the one 2-part exam at the end of course. The final score is reported on a 5-point scale as follows:
5 = extremely well qualified
4 = well qualified
3 = qualified
2 = possibly qualified
1 = no recommendation
“Qualified” means that a student has proven capable of doing the work of an introductory-level course in a particular subject at college. Many colleges and universities grant credit and placement for scores of 3, 4 or 5. Qualifying AP Exam scores earn university credit in nearly all universities in the United States and Canada and are recognised in 60 other countries worldwide. Scores of 3 or 4 in at least three, preferably four, AP courses fulfil admission requirements in many UK and European universities.
