AP Course Offerings
AP courses are equivalent to undergraduate level college courses and will prepare students for the College Board examinations given in early May. (See AP Testing Dates for more specific information.) These courses meet OUSD graduation requirements and students will receive five (5) credits for each semester course taken and passed, as well as an extra GPA point added for all grade earned as a C or better.
- Why Take AP?
- Biology
- Calculus AB
- Calculus BC
- Chemistry
- English Language
- Environmental Science
- Spanish Language
- Spanish Literature
- Statistics
- US History
- World History
Why Take AP?
What Are AP Courses?
Advanced Placement courses are college level courses taken as a part of a high school program. AP courses offer students the opportunity to take courses with more challenging college–level content. Students who complete AP courses are eligible to take the AP exams, administered each May by the College Board.* These exams are scored on a scale of 1–5. Students scoring between a 3 and 5 may qualify for college credit at most colleges and universities**.
Why Take AP Courses?
There are many reasons to take AP courses, including a desire to:
- Demonstrate to college admissions officers your ability to excel in college level coursework.
- Emphasize your commitment to academic pursuits.
- Prepare for the AP exams and the possibility of receiving college credit at schools nation-wide.
- Earn college credit without paying college tuition.
Are AP Courses Right for Me?
If you are a sophomore, junior, or senior in high school, and you have successfully completed courses in core subjects, then contact your counselor (search by counselors) to discuss enrollment options for AP courses!
What classes are available?
Oakland High School now offers Advance Placement courses in 12 subjects within the English, Foreign Language, History/Social Studies, Mathematics, and Science departments. For a complete list - with course descriptions - see the menu to the left.
*Students must register separately for the AP Exams. See below for important deadlines.
**Visit CollegeBoard for more information on the acceptability of Advanced Placement Credits at colleges and universities throughout the United States
AP, Advanced Placement, and Pre-AP are registered trademarks of the College Entrance Examination Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, these products.
Biology
Instructor: Ms. Bui and Ms. LeBaron
Course Description
AP Biology is taught at the same level as a first year college biology course. Students learn to think like scientists: making predictions based on observations, writing hypothesis, designing and completing experiments, and reaching conclusions based on the analysis of data derived from these experiments. Students apply the concepts of biology to their everyday experiences and current events and issues in science and society. The course provides opportunities for guided inquiry and student-centered learning to foster critical thinking skills. This course addresses the major themes: Science as a Process, Evolution, Energy Transfer, Continuity and Change, Relationship of Structure to Function, Regulation, Interdependence in Nature, and Science, Technology, and Society.
Prerequisites: Successful completion of Biology and Chemistry.
Calculus AB
Instructor: Mr. Nguyen
Course Description
This is a college level course that prepares students for the Advanced Placement exam in May. This course introduces limits, differentiation, and integration of functions. Students will find and evaluate finite and infinite limits graphically, numerically, and analytically. They will find derivatives using a variety of methods including The Chain Rule and Implicit Differentiation. They will use the First Derivative Test and The Second Derivative Test to analyze and sketch functions. Each unit contains exam preparation content for the AP Calculus AB exam. TI-83+ or 89+ calculator recommended.
Prerequisites: Successful completion of Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, and AAT.
Calculus BC
Instructor: Mr. Nguyen
Course Description
Calculus BC is a full-year course in the calculus of functions of a single variable. It includes all topics covered in Calculus AB plus additional topics. Both courses represent college-level mathematics for which most colleges grant advanced placement and credit. The content of Calculus BC is designed to qualify the student for placement and credit in a course that is one course beyond that granted for Calculus AB.
Prerequisites: Successful completion of Algebra 1 & 2, Geometry, AAT, Calculus AB.
Chemistry
Instructor: Mr. Seider
Course Description
Advanced Placement Chemistry is equivalent to a full-year introductory college course in general Chemistry. Students will learn fundamental analytical skills to logically assess chemical problems proficiently.
Through fascinating and elaborative lessons, students will develop the skills necessary to arrive at conclusions based on informed judgment and present evidence in clear and persuasive essays and lab reports. This will be done through use of the college level textbook, the online learning guide and both virtual and hands on labs that closely follow the recommended labs for AP courses.
Prerequisite: Chemistry
English Language
Instructor: Ms. Allen
Course Description
AP Language and Composition explores the relationship between what authors say and how they are trying to say it. The literary component of the course provides a range of genres, including nonfiction, fiction, drama and poetry, and in the analysis of these works students are exposed to the analysis of both style-the more language-based approach to exploring meaning-and rhetoric-the analysis of author argument and structure. In terms of styles, students will explore how elements of language-such as tone, diction, and syntax-influence the overall meaning. In terms of rhetoric, students will examine various appeals, aspects of writer’s credibility, irony, and the overall use of logic to explore how effectively an author presents her/his position.
In any aspect of analysis, students are obliged to consider what the author’s overall theme is. By understanding the purpose of a piece of writing, we recognize the elements of language as an integral too with which authoris develop their work. Writing assignments cover both the expository and argumentative aspects of writing. In addition to the exploration of American and global themes of literature, students will discern how styles of writers have evolved over the last several centuries.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of English 9, 10, and 11. Honors English 11 recommended, but not required.
Environmental Science
Instructor: Dr. Mangiante
Course Description
This course is designed to acquaint the student with the physical, ecological, social, and political principles of environmental science. The scientific method is used to analyze and understand the interrelationships between humans and the natural environment.
This course shows how ecological realities and the material desires of humans often clash, leading to environmental degradation and pollution. Course chapters are divided into several subsections, each of which contains text, animations, laboratory simulations and video presentations by experts. Lab component included.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of Biology.
Spanish Language
Spanish Literature
Instructor: Mr. Espinoza
Course Description
An AP Spanish Literature course is comparable to a third-year college introduction to Hispanic literature course. It is based on a required reading list. The works on the list are of literary significance and represent various historical periods, literary movements, genres, geographic areas, and population groups within the Spanish-speaking world. The objective of the course is to help you interpret and analyze literature in Spanish.
Prerequisite:
Statistics
Instructor: Mr. Leto
Course Description
AP Statistics data analysis is dependent on the use of technology. Students should have access to computers that include software capable of doing data analysis. Students will be required to interpret output generated by statistical software programs. Students are not expected to learn how to use various statistical programs. In addition one of the following Texas Instruments calculators is required, TI-83, TI-83+, TI-84, TI-84+, or a TI 89. The TI-83+ is the most popular calculator for AP Statistics. In most cases the calculator is sufficient but the fundamental tool of data analysis is the computer.
Prerequisites: Successful completion of Algebra series, including AAT.
US History
Instructor: Mr. White
Course Description
AP U.S. History is a two-semester survey of American History from the age of exploration and discovery to the present. The course is developed as a complete web-based course with multimedia instruction, assignments, discussion, and quizzes delivered online.
Emphasis is placed on critical and evaluative thinking skills, essay writing, interpretation of original documents, and historiography. The course will prepare students to take the College Board’s Advanced Placement U.S. History Exam.
Recommended: B grade or better in recent social studies course and good writing skills.
World History
Instructor: Ms. Macy
Course Description
AP World History covers the history of the world from 600 C.E. to the present with an introduction unit on the period before (covering around 8000 B.C.E. to 600 C.E.). The course emphasizes patterns of change and the connections between the various world cultures throughout the time period being studied.
Students will gain an understanding of the global experiences of humanity and be able to apply that knowledge to their growth and development as “world citizens."
This course has two major goals:
- To prepare students to be successful on the AP World History Exam.
- To provide students with an understanding of why the world developed the way it did.
Recommended: B grade or better in recent English course and good writing skills.
Prerequisite: World History (10)