Counseling Corner: Addison Trail Guidance Department shares important information regarding Advanced Placement (AP)/college-level exams

At District 88, our mission is to work for the continuous improvement of student achievement.

As part of that mission, the district strives to provide all students with access to the most rigorous curriculum to prepare them for success in college and careers. Those courses include Advanced Placement (AP)/college-level classes. Each AP course has a corresponding AP exam, and those assessments will be administered from May 7 to 18 at Addison Trail.

About 985 exams will be taken by 552 students this year. The Addison Trail Guidance Department shares the following important test-day instructions:

• Students should arrive by 7:40 a.m. to their testing room for morning exams and by 11:40 a.m. for afternoon exams.
  
  
• Students will be excused from classes they miss for testing. They will eat lunch before or after their exam.
  
  
• Students should bring their photo ID, No. 2 non-mechanical pencils (with erasers) and a pen with black or dark blue ink.
  
  
• Snacks and water bottles are not allowed in the testing room. Water fountains will be available.
  
  
• Cell phones and other electronic devices (with the exception of approved calculators for math and science exams) are not allowed in the testing room.

Below is the AP exam schedule:

Biology: Monday, May 14 (morning)

Calculus AB: Tuesday, May 15 (morning)

Calculus BC: Tuesday, May 15 (morning)

Chemistry: Monday, May 7 (morning)

Comparative Government & Politics: Thursday, May 17 (morning)

English Language & Composition: Wednesday, May 16 (morning)

English Literature & Composition: Wednesday, May 9 (morning)

European History: Friday, May 18 (afternoon)

Human Geography: Friday, May 18 (morning)

Italian Language & Culture: Wednesday, May 16 (afternoon)

Macroeconomics: Wednesday, May 16 (afternoon)

Microeconomics: Friday, May 18 (morning)

Physics 1: Tuesday, May 8 (afternoon)

Physics 2: Wednesday, May 9 (afternoon)

Physics C Electricity and Magnetism: Monday, May 14 (afternoon)

Physics C Mechanics: Monday, May 14 (afternoon)

Psychology: Monday, May 7 (afternoon)

Spanish Language & Culture: Tuesday, May 8 (morning)

Spanish Literature & Culture: Monday, May 7 (morning)

Statistics: Thursday, May 17 (afternoon)

Studio Art: Portfolio Deadline: Friday, May 11

U.S. Government & Politics: Thursday, May 10 (morning)

U.S. History: Friday, May 11 (morning)

One of the benefits of taking AP exams is they offer students the opportunity to earn college credit. Students must receive a certain score on the exam to earn college credit, and that score varies depending on the college/university. However, all public colleges in Illinois must give students credit if they score a 3 or higher on the exam. For more information about AP credit, go to www.collegeboard.org/apcreditpolicy.

Gaining college credit while in high school can save students money by not having to take those courses in college. Exposure to AP exams also familiarizes students with high-stakes, college-level tests. The more comfortable and confident students become with those types of assessments, the better they typically perform.

For more information about AP exams, contact Addison Trail Guidance Counselor Dana Marine at 630-628-3373 or DMarine@dupage88.net. General information about the AP program can be found at https://apstudent.collegeboard.org.