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The Advanced Placement Program is a program that offers college level courses at high schools across the United States and Canada.

The College Board, a non-profit organization^[1] which has run the AP program since 1955,^[2] develops and maintains college level courses in various subject areas. In addition, it supports teachers of AP courses, supports universities as they define their policies regarding AP grades, and develops and coordinates the administration of annual AP examinations.^[3] These activities are funded through fees charged to students taking AP Exams.

In 2006, over one million high school students took over two million AP examinations.^[4] Many high schools in the United States offer AP courses^[5], though the College Board allows any student to take the examination without participating in the course.^[6] Therefore, home-schooled students and students from schools that do not offer AP courses have an equal opportunity to take the examination. Exams cost $84 each. In 2005, exams in the same category could be taken together and paid for only once.^{[citation needed]} For example, both economics, or both physics, or both government exams could be taken for only for $82 per set (In 2006, the exam price was raised by one dollar, and in 2007 by another dollar.^{[citation needed]} It should be noted that even though the exams cost $84, some schools raise the cost of the exam by almost $30 to cover proctor expenses,^{[citation needed]} while others lower the cost of the exam with subsidies. Some schools are even able to pay for their students' entire testing expense. As a result, the student has to pay nothing regardless of how many exams they take.)^{[citation needed]}

AP tests are scored differently from the A-F grading scale common in the United States. They are scored on a numeric scale, 1 to 5, with a score of 3 considered passing and the following general meanings:

• 5: Extremely well-qualified
• 4: Well-qualified
• 3: Qualified
• 2: Possibly qualified
• 1: No recommendation

These scores are obtained with a bell curved grading scale - thus students are scored, and competing against, each other instead of a set standard.

These scorings are used by some colleges to exempt students from introductory coursework if they demonstrate mastery through an AP test. Each college's policy is different (see link below), but most accept scores of 4 or 5, and some accept scores of 3. On the student's college transcript, the course is given a simple CR or other generic grade to indicate that the student has received credit for the course, although some colleges and universities will award an A grade for a 5 score.

In some high schools with an exam exemption policy, an AP Exam can be taken in place of the school's final exam and the final grade given to the student in that case is the final quarter/semester grade without the exam. The AP exam is rarely used as a course grade because the AP exam scores are published in mid-July, while many schools issue their final grade earlier in the year.

Some schools, however, have policies that allow the AP Exam grade to override a grade earned in the course. A typical scale is as follows: 5 --> A 4 --> B 3 --> C 2 --> D 1 --> F

This is usually only used when an exam grade's letter value is greater than that of the grade earned in the course.

Recognizing that the cost could be an impediment to students of limited means, a number of states and municipalities independent of the College Board have partially or fully subsidized the cost. For example, the Los Angeles Unified School District and the Hawaii Department of Education currently allow Advanced Placement students who enroll in the free school lunch program to take AP exams at a lower cost. In addition, some school districts, such as Miami-Dade County Public Schools, offer free tests to all students enrolled in any Advanced Placement class.

• Education in the United States
• Education in Canada
• Advanced Placement Awards

1. ^ About the College Board
2. ^ The History of the AP Program
3. ^ The Advanced Placement Program
4. ^ Program Summary Report 2006
5. ^ AP Fact Sheet
6. ^ AP: Frequently Asked Questions