Typical AP course is only a one semester/one quarter not an entire year. Non calculus AP Physics doesn't really help you unless all you need is a Gen Ed Science credit. AP Calculus can replace anywhere from the first semester to the whole year, it depends on what your going to do with it. Are you a Engineering Major or studying pre-Med?
My experience with AP courses (me taking them) is like ancient history at this point, but as my ds is moving into high school I've been a bit surprised at how they seem to have evolved since I was in high school. It's disappointing to me to see that so many of them seem to be the equivalent of 1 semester's worth of a college course rather than a full year's worth, and my dh and I are now seriously rethinking - do we send our ds to the high school program that allows for the most AP courses or do we send him to a program which will allow him to start taking college courses earlier and just skip the AP courses.
Back when I was taking AP courses, my one year of AP Calculus was equivalent to what I would have had in my first year Calculus course at my very highly respected engineering college, and getting a 5 on that test allowed me to place out of that first year of Calculus, which worked out a-ok. My AP Physics course was the full first-year Calculus-based physics course typically taught at engineering and science university programs, one semester mechanics, one semester ee. Credit for AP courses at my college was determined by individual department heads, so for whatever reason my 5 on the AP Physics exam only earned me one semester credit - for the mechanics semester. There was absolutely *nothing* new presented in the semester of ee I had to sit through - and again, I was attending a very rigorous highly respected engineering college. (and I'll be honest here - I didn't mind sitting through one class that first semester where I already knew everything lol!)
Personally I'm just a bit bummed about what seems to be available for my ds to take in terms of rigor and pacing with AP courses. There are a lot of them out there now, but I'm not sure the choices (where wer'e at) are all that great for a kid who is really capable of working at a college level. Even for kids who aren't DYS-level in ability but who are one-two years ahead academically, I don't understand why the AP courses need to be watered down? Is there something that is supposed to happen overnight developmentally when a student receives their high school diploma that makes them all of a sudden ready for a twice-as-much-material in one year course?
Stepping off my little soapbox for now!
polarbear
