The Advanced Placement® course in Biology is equivalent to a full-year Freshman Biology course taught at any major University. Students will be reading the same text that is used at many major colleges and universities, and working at a rigorous pace to cover the material and prepare for the Advanced Placement® Examination in May. Upon successful completion of the exam, students may receive college credit and will be well-prepared for any future Biology course.
This class will build upon prior knowledge of Biology. The course covers topics such as molecular genetics, biochemistry, human anatomy and physiology, cell biology, plant biology and ecology. Using the text, the Internet, class discussions, and projects, the course will cover a tremendous amount of material in order to give students a complete understanding of the study of biology. Biweekly examinations will test students' knowledge of the material as well as prepare them for the AP® examination. Due to the volume and level of the material, this course is designed to challenge extremely motivated students who have a strong interest in the Biological Sciences.
This AP® course has a required summer assignment. Students are expected to complete their summer assignment before the course begins and submit their work by the end of Week 1. Students who register on or after September 1st will receive an extension to complete the summer assignment by the end of Week 3. The summer assignment is intended to review crucial content associated with pre-requisite knowledge for the course, where applicable, as well as to allow students to better understand the rigor associated with the content.
Students enrolled in Advanced Placement® VHS Learning courses are expected to take the AP® exam, and to report their AP® exam scores to VHS Learning. By enrolling in an AP® VHS Learning class, the student authorizes their school administration to report AP® exam scores to VHS Learning. Exam results will not affect the student's VHS Learning grade or future enrollment in VHS Learning courses.
This AP® course has a required summer assignment. Students are expected to complete their summer assignment before the course begins and submit their work by the end of Week 1. Students who register on or after September 1st will receive an extension to complete the summer assignment by the end of Week 3. The summer assignment is intended to review crucial content associated with pre-requisite knowledge for the course, where applicable, as well as to allow students to better understand the rigor associated with the content.
There is also a lab kit for this course that must be purchased for an additional fee of $225. Lab kits shipped internationally may incur additional fees. The kit allows students to perform modified versions of several AP® Biology labs suggested by the College Board. Students will need to care for kit contents responsibly, follow directions carefully and work independently to successfully complete these labs. The lab kit price of $225 is for courses running on a standard VHS Learning schedule. International schools will be responsible for the shipping cost for the lab kit.
Please Note: This course requires use of Java to access some course content, which will require regular access to a computer with a Windows/Mac operating system running Safari or Internet explorer. This part of the course cannot be completed on a Chromebook or mobile device.
Please Note: This course requires regular access to a computer with a Windows[/Mac] operating system in order to install the software required for the course. This part of the course cannot be completed on a Chromebook or mobile device.