Advanced Placement

The AP Experience   

Taking AP classes in high school helps students prepare for college-level academics.   

The benefits of taking AP classes include:  

• Increased academic rigor in line with college/university courses   
• Deeper exploration of a course’s content knowledge  
• Development of higher-level research, analysis, and critical thinking skills  
• Ability to get a head start on college requirements by earning college/university credits

Update: Starting in May 2025, AP Exams for 28 subjects will move to the Bluebook™ digital testing application, as College Board phases out standard paper exams. This change enhances security and provides a more accessible and streamlined student-friendly experience. Most subjects will transition to fully digital and hybrid formats with no paper option except for approved accommodations. Visit this link to help you prepare for this change.

Receiving college credit for AP through AP exams

Students who meet all performance standards on AP exams may be eligible to receive college credit. Colleges determine if credit or advanced standing is granted based on their institutional policies. Many colleges and universities worldwide recognize AP achievements and grant credit.

Graduation pathways requirement

Students have the opportunity to meet the graduation pathway requirement by earning a C+ in an identified AP course or scoring 3 or higher on the AP exam.

NOTE: AP courses are indicated throughout the catalog with "#" before the course title.   

More information about AP   

AP courses and descriptions are listed in each school’s course catalogue which is posted on the school website. Not all AP courses are offered at all schools. For specific course and enrollment information, students should contact their school counselor. For general information about AP courses and exams, visit CollegeBoard.com  

*AP Exams offered each year are based only on courses offered that academic year by the district. AP courses vary at each high school. Two exceptions that are offered as exam-only sessions are AP Chinese and AP European History.

German Language, Italian Language, Latin Language and Spanish Literature & Culture are not courses LWSD currently offers and will therefore not have exams offered for these content areas. 

• Receive a JOIN CODE from your teacher. 
• Enter this JOIN CODE on College Board’s MyAP Classroom for each exam you are planning to take. 
  
  Students who are self-studying for an AP exam should reach out to their school’s AP Coordinator for an ‘Exam Only’ join code. 
  
  Students who are testing with accommodations should reach out to their school’s AP Coordinator for an ‘ATC’ join code. Students whose accommodation requests are approved by the College Board will take their tests at the LWSD Resource Center.

Step 2: Pay for your exam at your school. 

• Payments can be made with cash, check or credit card with your school’s Bookkeeper or online through the LWSD payment site at https://payments.lwsd.org/. 
• Please see your school’s AP Coordinator if you qualify for financial assistance 

Both steps must be completed by October 30, 2024, 11:59 p.m. 

Incomplete registrations will result in an exam not being ordered. 

Students who miss the October registration and payment window will have the opportunity to order and/or pay during the late registration window. This will incur a $50 late fee per exam. 

Late testing  

Occasionally, circumstances make it necessary for students to take an exam during the late testing window. To preserve the security of AP Exams, alternate versions of the exams are used for late testing. All students who participate in late testing must take these alternate exams on the scheduled late-testing dates at the scheduled times.   

Late exams take place at the LWSD Resource Center and transportation must be provided by the student. 

Please note that only the following conditions will be considered for late testing:

• AP Chinese beyond the first 40 enrolled students
• Graduation requests (ex. For a sibling) proof by January 30, 2025.
• Illnesses with formal medical notes and dates of illness

The following will not be considered for late testing:

• Athletic events
• School/local/national events and/or competitions
• Walk-ins

We request that students and their families review athletic and other event calendars to understand potential dates of conflict. Students will be allowed to obtain a partial refund for an unused/cancelled exam.

LWSD no longer offers Late Exception testing. Please make sure to review the College Board AP exam calendar so that you are not signing up for multiple exams given on the same day/time.

Testing with accommodations 

Students should contact their school’s SSD Coordinator for assistance in applying for accommodations to be used with College Board AP Exams.

College Board has shifted most AP tests to a digital format. Most accommodations are automatically applied to the exam order for a digital AP Exam subject based on the student’s accommodations on record through the College Board SSD office. Accommodation requests must be submitted by the SSD Coordinator at the student’s high school, by January 24, 2025. Students must be approved by the College Board SSD office in order to take an exam with accommodations.

College Board requires time to properly set up the testing environment to reflect approved accommodations. Due to this extended setup process, once a student has signed up for accommodations, the College Board is unable to make last-minute changes or adjustments. 

Students using accommodations will receive a separate join code for registration purposes. 

Accommodations testing takes place at the LWSD Resource Center (Alternate Testing Cohort). LWSD Resource Center: 16250 NE 74th Street, Redmond, WA  98052. 

Transportation must be provided by the student. 

https://accommodations.collegeboard.org/how-accommodations-work/for-each-test/ap-exams

https://accommodations.collegeboard.org/

What is College Board?

College Board develops and administers standardized tests and curricula to promote college-readiness and as part of the college admissions process. 

https://collegeboard.org/