What is “Advanced Placement® (AP)”?

  • Administered by the College Board to promote college readiness, AP courses and exam scores are objective measures to assess a high school student and permit the student to bypass introductory college courses.
  • Many colleges and universities use AP courses, with their demanding syllabi, as an integral part of their admissions decisions.

Why do BASIS Curriculum Schools use AP courses and exams to measure student learning?

  • BASIS Curriculum Schools uses the American AP course and exam system to ensure students are globally benchmarked for analytically demanding and information intensive 21st century careers.
  • Standards in education are subjective and vary widely from school to school. AP exams, recognized around the world, allow comparison of students at different schools.
  • AP exams are the answer to the matriculation examinations used in high-performing systems in Europe and Asia, whose students are competing for the same college seats.

How does BASIS Curriculum Schools use AP?

  • BASIS Curriculum Schools prepare students to demonstrate mastery in all core courses, as well as foreign language and fine arts, through AP exams.
  • Our belief is that students should be challenged. Our advanced curriculum allows middle school students to take a diverse course load so they are prepared for AP courses and exams later. Seniors can take advantage of post-AP and capstone courses in specialized topics.

How does this accelerated AP schedule affect senior year and college admissions?

  • BASIS Curriculum Schools approach the senior year as a bridge year between our program and college. Rather than ending the academic high school journey, Senior Year is a transition year that focuses specifically on college readiness. While many private schools will graduate students out with APs, BASIS Curriculum Schools places APs earlier into the High School Program, so that the all of grade 12 is dedicated to college counseling, capstone courses, and the Senior Project.

Why did BASIS Curriculum Schools choose AP versus IB?

  • Unlike most high schools, which allow students to take advanced coursework only in classes they are interested in, BASIS Curriculum Schools requires AP courses in all core subjects. While IB is similar in requiring students to take advanced classes in many subjects, BASIS Curriculum Schools allows students to have the freedom to take a variety of APs to meet our requirements.
  • AP courses are not restricted to upper high school grades like IB. The flexibility and acceleration of courses in our middle school ensures students are well prepared for APs in early high school. This allows them to take research heavy post-AP and Capstone courses later; IB does not offer these opportunities for college-level study.
  • While both AP and IB programs prepare students to demonstrate mastery of basic concepts and skills, the AP model better fits BASIS Curriculum Schools’ vision of teacher autonomy. Through AP, we can empower our educators to provide instruction and assess learning in the ways that fit their passions and their students’ needs.

Advanced Placement® is a trademark registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, BASIS Curriculum Schools.