The John Paul II Advanced Placement Program gives students a chance to work through first year university courses at JPII.
Currently, AP Calculus and AP English are offered. If the students in the class pass the college board exam, they receive university credit for that class.
"The exams are international. Last year, 250,000 students wrote the calculus exam. Seven of our students passed the exam last year. Almost every major university in North America and Europe will then recognize this mark," said Doug Sieben, John Paul II's AP Calculus teacher.
Any student can enter the program, however, due to the challenging nature of the exams, not all Grade 12 students will choose to be in an AP Class. AP Calculus is considerably more difficult than high school calculus curriculum.
"The course covers all concepts that would normally be taught at universities in a first math course, and also covers around half of the concepts in the second math course in Canadian Universities," said Sieben.
"In only our second year with the program, John Paul II students had a significantly higher average score than the international average," said Sieben.
The program is an excellent opportunity for students to not only obtain university credit, but to develop their studying skills, and gain an early introduction to the rigors of university life.
The AP programs are extremely challenging, but choosing to take part in the classes and putting solid effort and dedication into the work is a decision that pays off in time.
