Advanced Placement (AP)

Advanced Placement is a program run by the College Board (the makers of the SAT) that allows students to earn college credit and qualify for more advanced classes when they begin college. Courses are designed to give students the experience of an intro-level college class.

Students get college credit for the class if they pass the AP exam (varies based on institution) given at the end of the year in May. AP tests are scored between 1 and 5, with anything above 3 considered passing.

Both honors and AP classes provide Conifer High School students with the opportunity to challenge themselves in more rigorous curriculum than our regular course offerings. Both honors and AP courses are assigned weighted grades that reward students for their efforts by assigning an increase of one letter grade higher weight than the score on their report card.

AP curriculum is dictated by the College Board; honors is an enhanced curriculum designed by each teacher or department. Honors curriculum increases the content covered and challenges students in critical thinking and higher-level processing.

We strongly encourage students to attempt honors and AP classes if they demonstrate an aptitude or passion for the subject matter. If students choose to challenge themselves in these rigorous courses and find they are struggling with the course load, we have designed our master schedule to allow them to move back to our regular courses without penalty.

Please refer to class drop-add policies to learn more about when students may adjust their schedules.

Conifer High School AP staff members have developed methods of assessment that will allow students to be provided with clear indicators and predictors of their performance on AP exams. These indicators have been embedded throughout the curriculum to provide students the feedback necessary to address weaknesses prior to entering the exam.

Indicators of performance provided to students include, but are not limited to, summative exams, unit tests, quizzes, presentations, verbal exams, performance-based assessments, written responses, and a multitude of materials published by the College Board.

Our dedicated, hard-working teachers provide these feedback opportunities consistently to allow students the chance to address areas of growth before entering an exam. There is no true indicator of how students will perform on the culminating AP exams in May. Please encourage your student to take every opportunity provided to prepare for these rigorous, college level assessments.

Conifer makes equitable access a guiding principle for all Advanced Placement programs by giving all willing and academically prepared students the opportunity to participate in AP.

Through a commitment to equitable preparation, Conifer also believes that all students should have access to academically challenging coursework before they enroll in AP classes, which can prepare them for AP success. Research shows that students who complete this rigorous coursework will experience greater academic success in college.

he College Board encourages educators to eliminate barriers that restrict access to AP for students from ethnic, racial and socioeconomic groups that have been traditionally underserved; make every effort to ensure AP classes reflect the diversity of their student population; and provide all students with access to academically challenging coursework before they enroll in AP classes. 

Only through a commitment to equitable preparation and access can true equity and excellence be achieved.