Courses
ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSE OFFERINGS
BIOLOGY
Description: An introductory college-level Biology course. Students cultivate their understanding of biology through inquiry-based investigations as they explore the following topics: evolution, cellular process – energy and communication, genetics, information transfer, ecology and interactions. Credits gained by passing the Advanced Placement exam with a score of 3 or higher are accepted by many colleges.
Criteria:
Students pursuing a career in Medicine should consider this course. In the event there are more students than available seats, students will be ranked and the top science/math students will be registered. Prerequisites include:
- A junior or senior in good standing with an overall GPA of at least 85;
- Passed Living Environment and Chemistry Regents with at least an 80;
- Must simultaneously be in or have completed Physics and Algebra II with a minimum average of 85 in both Math and Science.
In the event there are more students than available seats, students will be ranked based on achievement in previous mathematics courses and Regents exams.
Course Requirements/Expectations:
- Commit to having a double period class
- Keep up to date with the required reading and assignments from the textbook and all classwork
- Be proficient with laboratory skills to perform extensive laboratory exercises
- All students must take the Advanced Placement Biology exam to earn AP credit.
CHEMISTRY
Description: Provides students with a college-level foundation to support future advanced course work in chemistry. Students cultivate their understanding of chemistry through inquiry-based investigations, as they explore topics such as: atomic structure, intermolecular forces and bonding, chemical reactions, kinetics, thermodynamics, and equilibrium. Credits gained by passing the Advanced Placement exam with a score of 3 or higher are accepted by many colleges.
Criteria: Students pursuing a career in Pharmaceutical Studies should consider this course. In the event there are more students than available seats, students will be ranked and the top science/math students will be registered. Prerequisites include:
- A junior or senior in good standing with at least a GPA of 85;
- Passed Living Environment and Chemistry with at least an 85;
- Passed Living Environment and Chemistry Regents with at least an 80;
- Must simultaneously be in or have completed Physics and Algebra II with a minimum average of 85 in both Math and Science.
Course Requirements/Expectations:
- Commit to having a double period class
- Keep up to date with the required reading and assignments from the textbook and all classwork
- Be proficient with laboratory skills to perform extensive laboratory exercises
- All students must take the Advanced Placement Chemistry exam to earn AP credit.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
Description: The equivalent of a one-semester, introductory college course in environmental science, through which students engage with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the inter-relationships of the natural world. The course requires students to identify and analyze natural and human-made environmental problems, evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, and examine alternative solutions for resolving or presenting them. Environmental Science is interdisciplinary, embracing topics from geology, biology, environmental studies, environmental science, chemistry, and geography.
Criteria: Students pursuing a career in Environmental Science should be registered for this course. In the event there are more students than available seats, students will be ranked and the top 34 will be registered if there is one section or the top 68 registered if there are two sections. Prerequisites include:
- A junior or senior in good standing with a GPA of at least an 80;
- Completed Living Environment and Chemistry and/or Earth Science with an 80 average;
- Passed the Living Environment Regents with at least an 80;
- Passed the Chemistry or Earth Science Regents with at least an 80;
- Due to quantitative analysis required in the course, students should also have taken at least one year of Algebra with an 80 average and passed the Regents with at least an 80;
- Students should have taken or be concurrently taking Geometry or Algebra II and Trigonometry or an equivalent course.
Course Requirements/Expectations:
- Commit to a double period class
- Keep up to date with the required readings from the textbook.
- Be proficient with laboratory skills to perform extensive laboratory exercises in the laboratory and around school grounds.
- All students must take the Advanced Placement Environmental Science exam to earn AP credit.
PHYSICS I
Description: An introductory algebra-based college-level physics course. Students cultivate their understanding of physics through inquiry-based investigations as they explore topics such as Newtonian mechanics (including rotational motion), work, energy, and power, mechanical waves and sound, and introductory simple circuits.
Criteria: Students pursuing a career in Mechanical Engineering should be registered for this course. In the event there are more students than available seats, students will be ranked and the top 34 will be registered if there is one section or the top 68 registered if there are two sections. Prerequisites include:
- A senior in good standing with at least a GPA of 85;
- Passed Living Environment, Chemistry, and Physics at least an 85;
- Passed Algebra, Geometry and Algebra II and Trigonometry with an 85;
- Passed the Living Environment, Chemistry and Physics Regents with at least an 80;
- Passed the Algebra, Geometry, and Algebra II and Trigonometry Regents with at least an 80;
- Student should have taken or be concurrently taking Pre-Calculus or an equivalent course.
Course Requirements/Expectations:
- Commit to having a double period class.
- Keep up to date with the required reading from the textbook.
- Be proficient with laboratory skills to perform extensive laboratory exercises.
- All students must take the Advanced Placement Physics exam to earn AP credit.
PHYSICS II
Description: An introductory college course in algebra-based physics. The course covers fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, electricity and magnetism, optics and quantum, atomic and nuclear physics.
Criteria: Students considering a major in Pre-Med or Life Science should be registered for this course. In the event there are more students than available seats, students will be ranked and the top 34 will be registered if there is one section or the top 68 registered if there are two sections. Prerequisites include:
- A senior in good standing with at least a GPA of 85;
- Passed Living Environment, Chemistry, and Physics at least an 85;
- Passed Algebra, Geometry and Algebra II and Trigonometry with an 85;
- Passed the Living Environment, Chemistry and Physics Regents with at least an 80;
- Passed the Algebra, Geometry, and Algebra II and Trigonometry Regents with at least an 80
- Students should have taken or be concurrently taking Pre-Calculus or an equivalent course.
Course Requirements/Expectations:
- Commit to having a double period class.
- Keep up to date with the required reading from the textbook.
- Be proficient with laboratory skills to perform extensive laboratory exercises.
- All students must take the Advanced Placement Physics exam to earn AP credit.