Advanced Placement

The Advanced Placement (AP) Program of the College Board enables students to complete college level studies at Midway High School.  The "academic bridge" smooths the transition from high school to college.  The primary goals of the AP Program are to enrich the secondary school experience of students ready to apply themselves to college level courses and to provide the means by which colleges may grant credit or placement, or both, to student with satisfactory AP test scores.

The Benefits of AP

Each AP course stands alone on its own merit.  AP allows students to explore their areas of interest.  For example, a student who is strong in math may choose to take AP Calculus, whereas a student whose strength lies in the humanities may select an English or history option.

Students who want to experiment with a college level course may enroll in just one AP class.  Students who are ready to face the challenge of a college level curriculum may enroll in as many as six AP courses.

Enrolling in AP

Students entering high school plan with their counselors to insure prerequisite courses are scheduled early enough to allow them to take the AP course of their choice at the high school level.  Most AP courses are one class period in length.  AP courses earn a multiplier for computing class rank.

Midway High School offers a wide range of AP courses:

English Literature & Composition        English Language and Composition

French Language        German Language        Spanish Language

Chemistry                    Biology                            U. S. Government

Macroeconomics        Computer Science A    Studio Art-2-D Design

Studio Art-Drawing    Calculus AB                    Statistics

US History                    French Literature         Studio Art - 3-D Design

Music Theory                Physics B                      Spanish Literature

AP Exams

The examinations are given during the first two weeks in May and are structured to measure three areas-depth of knowledge, completeness of thought, and synthesis of ideas.  Approximately 1,200 institutions award credit based on the student's AP exam scores.  Exams are graded on a five-point scale with credit usually given for scores of 3 or higher.  College credit is generally awarded upon a student's enrollment, although some institutions award sophomore standing only after a student has completed satisfactory work on campus.  The score requirement and number of college credit hours varies among higher education campuses.