St. Anthony High School

History of the College Board

The College Board was created to help high school student's transition from high school to college. According to the College Board, schools that formed the membership association known as the College Entrance Examination Board wanted to simplify the college application process for students and the colleges. From this group, a common entrance examination was created which ultimately became the SAT exam.

Advanced Placement Program

History
The Advanced Placement program began after World War II, when the Ford Foundation conducted a study involving three college preparatory schools: Lawrenceville School, Phillips Academy, Phillips Exeter Academy, and three universities: Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. The study noted that there was a disparity in the preparation students received in high school for college and that subsequently, students were unprepared for the rigors of college. From this study a pilot program was launched in 1952, covering 11 disciplines. The purpose of the exams was to allow high school seniors to take college level courses and then take achievement tests that enabled them to go to college. Students who take these courses study material that is more rigorous and challenging thus preparing them for the demands of college work.

AP exam scores are accepted by colleges and universities all over the country. For more information on specific colleges and universities, please refer to the College Board website at www.collegeboard.com for more details.

St. Anthony Advanced Placement Program
Currently St. Anthony offers 6 Advanced Placement courses:

• Calculus
• Economics
• English Literature and Composition
• English Language and Composition
• U.S. Government and Politics
• U.S. History

Student's who take Advanced Placement courses are required to take the exam for that course in May. An extra grade point and recognition for Advanced Placement/Honors courses is awarded to students who successfully complete their coursework, which includes taking the exam. If a student does not take the exam, they will lose the extra grade point and recognition for Advanced Placement/Honors coursework.

In 2007, St. Anthony aligned with the College Board standard of equity and access for all students and formed an AP Vertical Team. The purpose of the team was to collaborate and create a program that is rigorous, relevant, and research-oriented, and also to ensure that all students who were enthusiastic and motivated could access AP courses. In 2007/2008 school year, it became mandatory to take AP exams if the student was enrolled in an AP course. In 2008, St. Anthony had 74 students take 112 exams across 11 disciplines scoring 12.5% on the College Board Equity and Excellence scale. In 2009, St. Anthony had 99 students take 155 exams across 8 disciplines scoring 22.6% on the College Board Equity and Excellence scale.

AP Exams
Advanced Placement exams are offered the first two weeks of May. Pre-administration will take place on April 30, 2010. Exams are automatically ordered based on course enrollment. Any students, who require a fee reduction, please see Ms. Cassady by January 15, 2010. Please see the Student Bulletin for AP to get more details about requirements, testing, and score reporting.

Exam Scores
Advanced Placement exam scores are based on a weighted combination of the student's multiple choice grade and free-response grades. The final grade is given on a numerical scale from 1 to 5.

More Information
Please contact Ms. Cassady more for information about the program at St. Anthony at (562) 435-4496, ext. 1211, or e-mail dawn.cassady@longbeachsaints.org.