| Code |
Title |
Department |
Description |
VA460
|
Art & Design, Advanced Placement
|
Visual and Performing Arts
|
(formerly AP Studio Art)
This course is designed for motivated students who are committed to the creation and study of art. This course emphasizes art-making as an on-going process that involves creative decision making. Through this process, students will work toward developing mastery of 2D Design or Drawing concepts and will produce a body of work that satisfies the College Board’s AP Art & Design portfolio requirements. It is recommended for the AP art student to have previous training in art (but can get instructor’s approval to bypass this requirement). Students are given creative control in creating a body of work that reflects the student’s own artistic ideas and vision.
|
0
|
Art History, Advanced Placement
|
History and Social Studies
|
Fulfills "a - g" requirement.
AP Art History course explores such topics as the nature of art, its uses, its meanings, art making and responses to art. Through investigation of diverse artistic traditions of culture from prehistory to the present, the curse fosters in-depth and holistic understanding of the history of art from a global perspective. Students learn and apply visual, contextual comparative analysis to engage with a variety of art forms, constructing understanding of individual works and interconnections of art-making processes and products throughout history.
|
SC400
|
Biology, Advanced Placement
|
Science
|
Fulfills "a - g" requirement.
Prerequisites: “B” in Biology A & B, “C” or better in Chemistry A & B. “C” or better in Geometry. Overall unweighted GPA of 2.5 or better. Directly from 9th grade, “A” in Biology 9 A & B.
Advanced Biology is a general course designed for college bound students with exceptional ability and selfmotivating qualities. The key concepts and related content that define the revised AP Biology course and exam are organized around a few underlying principles called the big ideas, which encompass the core scientific principles, theories and processes governing living organisms and biological systems. Information covered in this class is equivalent to full year General Biology courses in most colleges and universities. It is a preparatory course for students who wish to pass the Advanced Placement Examination in Biology and subsequently earn college credit for their efforts.
|
MA502
|
Calculus AB, Advanced Placement
|
Math
|
Fulfills "a - g" requirement.
Prerequisite: Precalculus Honors with a “C-“ or better
AP Calculus AB is a two-semester course for students who want to study college level calculus in high school. This course is for students who have earned a C- or better in Precalculus Honors. Topics included in this course are: limits, differentiation techniques, applications of differentiation, integration, applications of integration, and an introduction to differential equations and slope fields. Students are required to use a graphing calculator. The course includes an extensive preparation for the AP Calculus AB exam.
|
MA576
|
Calculus BC, Advanced Placement
|
Math
|
Prerequisite: AP Calculus AB with a “C-“ or better
AP Calculus BC is a two-semester course for students who have successfully completed AP Calculus AB. The course continues the students’ study of calculus with topics including: L’Hopital’s Rule, additional techniques of integration (integration by parts, partial fraction substitution, and trigonometric substitution), improper integrals, arc length, Euler’s Method, the Logistic differential equation, sequences and series, polar and parametric equations, and vectors. Students are required to use a graphing calculator. The course includes an extensive preparation for the AP Calculus BC exam.
|
0
|
Chemistry, Advanced Placement
|
Science
|
Fulfills "a - g" requirement.
|
AT476
|
Computer Science A, Advanced Placement
|
Math
|
AP Computer Science A is a two-semester course designed to help students master the basics of the Java computer programming language and to help them to discover the power of
computer science through rewarding yet challenging concepts. Topics include Program Design and Algorithm Development; Code Logic, Implementation, Testing, and Documentation; and Ethical Computing.
|
AT475
|
Computer Science Principles, Advanced Placement
|
Math
|
AP CSP is a two-semester course that introduces students to the essential ideas of Computer Science. While preparing for the AP CSP exam, students will have the opportunity to use Computer Science to address real-world issues that interest them. They will build and refine their skills in creative problem-solving, and will learn about internet structures, cyber security issues, and the global impacts of computing.
While programming is taught in the course, no previous experience is required, and it is only one among many aspects of computing that students will learn. Almost every field today—including business, law, medicine and science—requires an understanding of computing. The skills students learn in this course can be applied across a wide range of careers and disciplines.
|
EN416
|
English Language 11 Advanced Placement
|
English
|
Fulfills "a - g" requirement.
Prerequisites: Tenth grade teacher's recommendation and / or a score of "Advanced" on the AP Language and Composition placement test. Previous experience in honors classes is recommended, but not required.
This course teaches language and composition at the college level, and students who complete the course should be fully prepared to take the Advanced Placement test for college credit. The students enrolled in this course will read novels and essays; they will write in a variety of rhetorical modes including analysis and research. Vocabulary development, critical reading, and essay writing are emphasized in this year-long course.
|
EN400
|
English Literature 12, Advanced Placement
|
English
|
Fulfills "a - g" requirement.
Prerequisites: “C” average in 11th grade CP, 11th grade Honors or 11 grade AP Language.
This course uses humanities and literature/poetry/drama to explore the mindset of specific historical periods to discover how the literature is a reaction to or affirmation of a particular mindset. The course is also infused with Advanced Placement strategies to assist the student in the passing of the Advanced Placement exam. A heavy dose of grammar and writing skills is also articulated into the curriculum.
|
SS460
|
Human Geography, Advanced Placement
|
History and Social Studies
|
AP Human Geography (AP HuG) introduces students to the systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding, use, and alteration of Earth’s surface. Students learn to employ spatial concepts and landscape analysis to examine human socioeconomic organization and its environmental consequences. They also learn about the methods and tools geographers use in their research and applications.
|
SC406
|
Physics 1, Advanced Placement
|
Science
|
Fulfills "a - g" requirement.
Prerequisites: “B” or better in Pre-Calculus, concurrently enrolled in calculus or higher, “C” in Biology & Chemistry A & B.
This course forms the first part of the college sequence that serves as the foundation in physics for students. This course provides a systematic introduction to the main principles of physics and emphasizes the development of conceptual understanding and problem-solving ability using algebra and trigonometry, but rarely calculus. It is a preparatory course for students who wish to pass the Advanced Placement Examination in Physics 1 and subsequently earn college credit for their efforts.
|
SS407
|
Psychology, Advanced Placement
|
History and Social Studies
|
11th-12th grade only
The purpose of the AP course in Psychology is to introduce the systematic and scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of human beings and other animals. Included is a consideration of the psychological facts, principles, and phenomena associated with each of the major subfields within psychology. Students also learn about the ethics and methods psychologists use in their science and practice.
|
ML424
|
Spanish Language, Advanced Placement
|
World Languages
|
Fulfills "a - g" requirement.
Prerequisites: “B” or better in Spanish l “S” or Spanish 2, “C” or better in Spanish 3
or based on a placement assessment.
This course is designed for those students who have chosen to develop their proficiency in the Spanish language in advanced composition and conversation to the level of a third year college student. Students will become skilled in the more intricate levels of the language. They will learn to express opinions, argue, evaluate, and state their intentions verbally and in writing. Students will be prepared to take the Advanced Placement Examination given nationwide at the end of the school year.
|
ML425
|
Spanish Literature and Culture, Advanced Placement
|
World Languages
|
Fulfills "a - g" requirement.
Prerequisite: Grade of “C” or better in AP Spanish Language and the rec., of the “AP” Language teacher.
This is the fifth and highest level of Spanish offered at El Rancho High School.This course is structured to allow students to complete the entire AP Spanish Literature reading list, published in the AP Spanish Literature and culture Course Description. This course is a survey course and is conducted completely in Spanish.
|
MA503
|
Statistics, Advanced Placement
|
Math
|
Fulfills "a - g" requirement.
Prerequisites: A student must meet one of the following requirements: 1) Pre-Calculus Honors with a “C“ or better or 2) Statistics with a “B+” or better AND Trigonometry with a “B+” or better.
AP Statistics is a two-semester course. The course introduces students to the major concepts and tools for collecting, analyzing, and drawing conclusions from data. Students are exposed to four broad conceptual themes: 1) Exploring Data: Describing patterns and departures from patterns; 2) Sampling and Experimentation: Planning and conducting a study; 3) Anticipating Patterns: Exploring random phenomena using probability and simulation; and 4) Statistical Inference: Estimating population parameters and testing hypotheses. Students are required to use a graphing calculator. The course includes an extensive preparation for the AP Statistics exam.
|
SS400
|
U.S. Government & Politics, Advanced Placement
|
History and Social Studies
|
Fulfills "a - g" requirement.
Prerequisites: US History and good writing skills.
12th grade only
This course covers the nuts and bolts of the American political system, including its structure and operations, and the behavior of the electorate and politicians. Students will gain an analytic perspective, enabling them to critically evaluate political information, hypotheses, concepts, opinions, and processes.
|
SS412
|
U.S. History Advanced Placement
|
History and Social Studies
|
Fulfills "a - g" requirement.
Prerequisite: “C” or better in World History teacher recommendation. 11th grade only
Our nation’s Founding Fathers believed that the way to keep America democratic and free was to educate its citizens. Although this course is geared towards the AP US History Exam, its real purpose is to 1) spark an interest in our nation’s history, 2) provide students with a firm understanding of our nation’s history and make students informed and active citizens and 3) make history relevant by analyzing current day issues through a historical lens. AP United States History (APUSH) is an in-depth look into our nation’s history. By analyzing primary sources, debating historical decisions, and creating historically sound essays students will be fully emerged in the processes used by our leading historians.
|
SS461
|
World History, Advanced Placement
|
History and Social Studies
|
Fulfills "a - g" requirement.
AP World History studies the political, economic, religious, social, intellectual, and geographic influence and interactions of major world regions from the Paleolithic era and the development of civilization, to the formation of nation states and their impact on global events. The time period studied is 3500 BCE to present day. This course has a heavy focus on historical writing and analysis and is designed to guide students to success on the AP World History Test that will be taken in May.
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