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[quote=Anonymous]NP here. My kids go to West Springfield HS and we got this email the other day:

It is with great excitement that we introduce a new opportunity that was not available during Academic Advising.  Below you will find information on AP Human Geography.  For the first time in Fairfax County this class will be available to 9th graders.  AP Human Geography can now be used in place of Graduation Requirements.  If you are interested in the class please read below and you can make your request here.

AP Human Geography as a World History Credit

Advanced Placement (AP) Human Geography is a college-level introductory course that seeks to make students more geoliterate about the world around them. Much more than simply identifying where places are on a map, the course is organized thematically allowing for students to develop geographic problem-solving skills to be more engaged with contemporary global issues and multicultural viewpoints. Simply put, this class seeks to answer the question, “Why are things where they are?”

With the recent approval by FCPS to count AP Human Geography towards a student’s World History and Geography credit and not just elective credit, this provides a great potential opportunity for highly motivated and academically engaged freshmen to enroll in an introductory college class as a freshman. While this is a truly exciting development it is important to note that students should expect to be significantly challenged and should a schedule need to be changed for a student there is no readily accessible matching equivalent.  The expectations of students while in this introductory college level class are the following:

Reading both textbook and non-textbook sources both inside and outside of class including news articles, journal articles, etc. that are of a college reading level.
Readings are not simply to accomplish a task but rather FOR UNDERSTANDING!
Expectations of completing homeworking assigned nearly nightly averaging 45-60 minutes.
Advanced level work will require additional time and effort than students are used to.
Students should be able to:
Engage in effective class discussion both with instructor and peers.
Apply content learned to real world scenarios. 
Independently research and apply it to learned content.

While historically AP Human Geography has been an upper classmen elective, sophomores who have participated in the AP Human Geography program at WSHS have experienced great success. On the most recent AP exam in May of 2023, 100% of 10th graders passed the exam with an average score of 4.5 out of possible 5! While this does NOT guarantee success for all 9th graders, students who exhibit the characteristics above are in the best position to achieve great success. Please note if you are requesting AP Human Geography to fulfill your Social Studies Graduation Requirement, there is not an equivalent class to allow for a schedule change during the school year. Choosing this class will be a year long commitment.

The AP Human Geography team at WSHS is enthusiastic about the opportunity to bring this exciting and engaging class to more students. 
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