Advanced and Accelerated Courses - MS and HS
Academic Pathways to Postsecondary Readiness
Advanced and Accelerated Courses in Middle and High Schools
PfISD offers Advanced and Accelerated courses classes in middle school and high school. Traditionally, these courses have been titled Pre-AP; however, College Board no longer allows school districts to title courses with this designation unless districts use the College Board standardized curriculum and courses. By designing our own curriculum, PFISD is able to offer more Advanced and Accelerated courses in our middle and high schools than College Board currently offers. Using our curriculum with teachers trained in delivering instructional supports designed to prepare students for Advanced Placement, Dual Credit, and/or OnRamps classes, we provide advanced coursework and instruction to all of our learners who have the desire to accept the challenge.
Students are given the opportunity to show mastery in college-level courses by taking the AP exam in May of each year.
The College Board is responsible for developing and maintaining college-level courses and exams in various subjects. They also report official AP scores to the colleges of the student’s choice. Scores on the AP exam range from 1 (no recommendation) to 5 (extremely qualified). Each individual college determines the scores to be accepted for credit, but most consider a score of at least 3. Colleges may award three, and sometimes six, hours of credit per test depending on their policy.
The College Board provides exam subsidies for students who qualify for free and reduced lunch. Learn more about fee reductions and exam prices on the College Board website. Additional fee reductions may also be available from the state. Contact your campus AP Coordinator for details.
Homeschooled students who are zoned for a PFISD campus may register to take AP exams at the campus they are zoned to attend. Homeschooled students will pay full College Board prices to take exams on the campus they are zoned to attend. Contact the campus AP testing coordinator for additional details and campus testing procedures.
Transitioning from Elementary to Middle School Resources
Completing Advanced Academic courses has been shown to help students in these ways:
- Better prepared academically.
- More likely to specialize in more challenging majors.
- Likely to complete more college coursework in four years.
- Likely to perform significantly better in college than students who did not take AP courses.
- More likely to exercise leadership.
- More likely to graduate with a double major.
- Twice as likely to go into an advanced study (Ph.D. Programs, medicine, and law).
- Stand out in the college admission process.