Our goal is for all Bellevue graduates to receive an education that prepares them to continue their education at the college level. Nationally, only about 50% of the students who begin college graduate within ten years. Preparing students to begin college is not good enough. They must have the skills, knowledge, attitudes and work ethic to complete college. In higher education, students must make connections among disciplines, integrate the knowledge and skills from all the disciplines, and apply them effectively to new and unfamiliar challenges. One way we work toward this goal is through the AP Program at Bellevue High School.

Students who are prepared to be successful in college, career, and life need to develop essential Key Cognitive Strategies, Key Content Knowledge, Academic Behaviors, and Contextual Skills and Awareness (David Conley, College and Career Ready). Students are able to build these essential knowledge and skills in Advanced Placement courses.

2017 AP Testing Information

All students in Advanced Placement (AP) classes have the opportunity to take an AP Exam for each AP class in which they are enrolled.  AP students not taking their scheduled AP exam in May will attend their regularly scheduled classes. Exam fees were updated on your student’s account in September.  Exams will be ordered on March 1^st.

Details regarding the registration and testing process are detailed in the following documents;

2017 AP Exam Information, including Testing Schedule
AP Registration Sheet
AP Financial Assistance Form

How do AP courses in high school increase success in college?

• High school graduates who do not take any AP courses graduate from college at a rate of only 33% by age 30.
• Students who take only one AP course nearly double the likelihood of college graduation to 59%.
• Students who take two or more AP courses raise the likelihood to 76%.

AP Capstone Diploma Program

Bellevue High School is one of more than 300 schools worldwide to implement AP Capstone—an innovative diploma program that allows students to develop the skills that matter most for their future college and career success: research, collaboration, and communication. The program includes a two-course sequence: AP Seminar and AP Research.

Students who complete both courses with scores of 3 or higher and receive scores of 3 or higher on four additional AP exams of their choosing will receive the AP Capstone Diploma. Students who earn scores of 3 or higher on the two AP Capstone exams but do not take the requisite additional AP courses will receive the AP Seminar and Research Certificate.

The first course in the sequence is the AP Seminar course, now offered at BHS. This course is typically taken by students in the 10^th or 11^thgrade. This course equips students with the power to explore academic and real-world issues from multiple perspectives. Teachers have the flexibility of choosing themes for the class based on student interests. Some examples of themes could be issues involving education, innovation, sustainability, and technology. By tapping into students’ personal interests, AP Capstone gives a broader array of students an entry point into challenging course work. Students are assessed through an individual project and a team project completed during the year in addition to a year-end written exam.

For more information about the AP Capstone program along with the first course in the series (AP Seminar), please refer to the documents below along with the AP Capstone website (https://lp.collegeboard.org/ap-capstone) and the following video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNzjskIBLIM).

Advanced Placement courses offered at Bellevue High School

• College & Career Center
  • Career Exploration
  • College Planning
  • Checklists
• Advanced Placement
• Community Service
• Resources