Student/Parent Handbook - Braintree Public Schools

Advanced Placement Program (AP)
The Advanced Placement Program, which the College Board has sponsored since l955,
offers able and ambitious secondary school students an opportunity to study one or more
college-level courses and then, depending on examination results, to receive advanced
placement, credit, or both when they enter college.
There are many AP course offerings at BHS. The course descriptions are prepared by
committees of school and college teachers and are revised biannually.
The same committees also prepare three-hour examinations in these subjects, which
Educational Testing Services administers to AP candidates each May. Readers from
schools and colleges then grade the examination on a five-point scale: 5, extremely well
qualified; 4 , well qualified; 3, qualified; 2, possibly qualified; 1, no recommendation.
Students enrolled in AP courses are expected to take the AP exam at the end of the year.
Each candidate's grade report, examination booklet and other materials in support of his/her
application for advanced placement or credit are sent in July to the college she/he will enter.
It is then up to the individual college to decide whether and how it will recognize the work.
Braintree High School offers Advanced Placement courses in English
(Literature and Composition), U.S. History, Environmental Science, European History,
Psychology, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Calculus (AB and BC), Government and Politics,
Human Geography, Statistics, Computer Science, French, Spanish, Art Portfolio and Music
Theory. (Enrollment will determine course offerings each year.)
Change of Program
Program changes must be made by following the process listed below:
I. Program errors will be corrected immediately:
A. when verification list differs from printed schedule.
B. when prerequisites are not met due to failing or not attending summer school.
C. when course load requirements are not met.
II.
III.
Deadlines for Course/Level Changes
A. Requests for course changes will not be considered after the second week of
classes.
B. Requests for level changes in full year courses must be made no later than
one week after term one report cards are distributed.
C. Requests for level changes in semester courses must be made no later than
one week after the first progress reports are distributed.
D. Cases involving extenuating circumstances may be reviewed by the
counselor and the academic directors on an individual basis.
Request for Level Change
A. Student discusses the request with the counselor. If the student desires, at
the conclusion of this conference, a Program Change Request form will be
completed.
B. Student obtains teacher and parent comments and signatures and then
returns the form to the counselor.
C. If the counselor, student, parent and teacher agree that a change is in the
best interest of the student, the form will be forwarded to the appropriate
Curriculum Director or Department Head for review.
D. If the Director agrees that the change is appropriate, he or she will sign the
form and return it to the counselor for processing.
E. If the Director does not agree, he or she will call the parent or counselor/
F. A parent/student/teacher/counselor/Director conference then will be arranged
by the counselor to resolve the problem.
G. Where agreement does not exist at Step C, the counselor will arrange for a
conference, as described in Step F.
H. If agreement cannot be reached in Step F, the decision shall be referred to
the Headmaster. All appropriate information will be forwarded to him.
I. The counselor will summarize the data and record the final decision in the
student’s temporary record file.
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