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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]AP listing

AP –Art History, Biology, Calculus AB, English Language & Composition, English Literature & Composition, Environmental Science, Statistics, US Government, US History and World History, African American Studies, Pre-Calculus, Computer Science, Microeconomics
Honors – Pre-AP Algebra I, Honors Algebra II, Pre-AP Algebra II, Pre-AP Biology, Pre- Pre-AP English I, Pre-AP English II, Pre-AP Geometry with Statistics, Pre-AP Music, Pre-AP World History, Pre-AP Chemistry
[/quote]

Thanks. That is not a very big list for a high school. They don’t offer AP Calculus BC or AP Physics or AP Chemistry? No AP Psychology? What about foreign language APs. Perhaps this is an incomplete list [/quote]

Unfortunately, not an incomplete list. Banneker's STEM curriculum hasn't kept up with the times. That's right, no AP BC Calc (but they're talking about offering it), Chemistry or Psychology. There have been high SES Banneker students who prepped for these APs independently though, through on-line programs, Johns Hopkins CTY or pre-college residential programs on college campuses. It's easy to sign up for AP exams at nearby schools via the College Board web site ($200/exam).  With more high SES families coming in, independent AP prep is creeping in.

The worst of it is, they don't teach any AP Physics, no prep for any of the four physics exams, not the algebra-based Physics 1 or Physics 2, or the calculus-based Physics C: Mechanics or Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism. Again, there have been Banneker students who prepped for and took AP Physics exams independently.

The only AP foreign languages they offer are French and Spanish. But there have been cases where families successfully lobbied Banneker admins to opt out of those languages to self-prep for a different AP/IBD language if a 9th grader arrived with advanced proficiency in (e.g. German, Italian, Chinese). If your kid cracks Banneker and you and can make a strong case for opting out, document language background. You can lobby for flexibility before enrolling with strong proof of background. You can even contact DCPS World Languages to ask for your kid to be evaluated by a language instructor at a DCPS school teaching the AP language you're aiming for, if it's taught in the system (e.g. Chinese at Walls and J-R, Italian at MacArthur). Map out a plan for Banneker telling them how you're going to get your kid to an AP language exam, e.g. we will continue with German heritage language classes until taking AP German in 10th grade. Banneker's admins are open-minded but not accustomed to kids coming in with strong language background outside Spanish.[/quote]

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