Advanced Placement classes afford students the opportunity to complete college-level courses in high school. Participating colleges grant credit and appropriate placement based on the scores that students achieve on the AP examinations. Students who complete an Advanced Placement course are expected to take the appropriate Advanced Placement examination at their own expense. Those who qualify as low income may receive a waiver for the exam fees. Please see Mr. Dan Campagnolo for more information.

AP Classes

Fine Arts - Studio Art, Art History

Math - Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Computer Science, Statistics

Science – Environmental Science

English - English III, English IV

Social Studies - US History, Government and Economics

Foreign Language - Spanish

Honors Classes

Chemistry, Physics and Advance Science

Course names followed by an H, IB, or AP are honors courses. All honors courses have weighted grades and comply with the rubric for ESUHSD honors classes:

These classes:

1. Provide a foundation for success AP classes and consistently align with AP content.
2. Consistently align with college coursework.
3. Cover more breadth and depth in each subject area, thus requiring additional effort and perseverance on the part of the student. Summer reading or other outside activity is an expectation.
4. Consistently require thinking at the highest levels of Bloom's Taxonomy (application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation).
5. Require students to demonstrate higher levels of reading comprehension, analytical writing, oral communication, and test-taking skills across disciplines.
6. Require prior mastery of all prerequisite skills.

English 4 AP Grade 12 (UC, CSU)

Prerequisites: Teacher recommendation & summer reading list

This course follows the sequence of the accelerated and honors English courses and is designed with college-level curricula focusing on advanced rhetoric, in-depth study of major works of world literature, and significant developments in philosophy and the arts. Students are required to demonstrate completion of the summer reading list.

Calculus AB (UC, CSU)

Prerequisites: C (B- or higher preferred) in Math Analysis

This is another rigorous and demanding course designed to teach college-level curriculum. The student will study from a primarily intuitive, rather than totally abstract approach, the following topics: function relationships, analytic geometry and rectilinear motion, limits and continuity, differentiation of algebraic and trigonometric functions, maximum and minimum values with applications, and the study of areas using integration. Students are expected to take the College Board AP exam in May. Students scoring successfully on this examination may be granted college credit from their intended college.

Calculus BC (UC, CSU)

Prerequisites: C or better in Calculus AB

This course is a continuation of Calculus AB. Topics to be covered are advanced integration techniques improper integrals, infinite series and convergence, power series, Taylor Polynomials, Taylor and Maclaurin's series, conic sections, plane curves, parametric equations, polar coordinates, vectors and the geometry of space, vector valued functions, functions of multiple variables, multiple integrals and vector analysis. Students may take the AP exam for this course and, with the appropriate score, receive college credit for the course.

Computer Science AP/A Grades 11-12 (UC, CSU)

Prerequisites: B- (B or higher preferred) in Math Analysis. Must be at grade level English

This course is the equivalent of a first semester college course in Computer Science. Because the development of computer programs to solve problems is a skill fundamental to the study of computer science, a large part of the course is built around the development of computer programs or parts of programs that correctly solve a given problem. The course also emphasizes the design issues that make programs understandable, adaptable, and, when appropriate, reusable. At the same time, the development of useful computer programs and program modules is used as a context for introducing other important concepts in computer science, including the development and analysis of algorithms, the development and use of fundamental data structures, and the study of standard algorithms and typical applications. In addition, an understanding of the basic hardware and software components of computer systems and the responsible use of these systems are integral parts of the course. The programming language used will be Java. Upon successful completion of the course, students are expected to take the AP Computer Science A exam in May. With an appropriate score, the student may receive college credit for the course.

Note: This is not a business course or a computer applications course but is a rigorous introductory course in computer science.

Statistics AP Grades 11 - 12

Prerequisites: A- or better in Algebra 2, or a C or better in Math Analysis. However, this course could be taken concurrently with Math Analysis or with Calculus AP/AB. Must be at grade level English.

This course introduces students to the major concepts and tools for collecting, analyzing and drawing conclusions from data. Students will study four broad conceptual themes: Exploratory Data (observing patterns and departures from patterns), Planning a Study (deciding what and how to measure), Anticipating Patterns (producing models using probability and simulation), and Statistical Inference (confirming models). Topics explored in this course include: distributions of univariate data, exploring bivariate data and categorical data, correlation and linearity, methods of data collection, planning and conducting surveys/experiments, random samples, random variables, mean and standard deviation, probability, sampling distribution, normal distribution, statistical inference, confidence intervals, tests of significance and mathematical modeling. Upon successful completion of this course, the student can take the AP Statistics examination and, with an appropriate score, receive college credit for the course.

AP Biology Grades 10-12 (UC, CSU)

Prerequisites: C or better in Biology

Advanced Biology is a second year course designed for sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Included in the year's study will be units on botany, biotechnology, invertebrates, and environmental biology. The emphasis is upon laboratory activity. Experiments in scientific methods, at the beginning of the course, will be teacher directed. However, as the year progresses, more emphasis will be placed on individual student projects. Students will participate in the district's Science Palooza. The environmental biology component will require field trips to local environmental areas for scientific study. Students enrolling should be interested in continuing a study of biology, and should be likely to profit from an opportunity to perform laboratory work involving research.

Chemistry Honors Grades 10 - 12 (UC, CSU)

Prerequisites: B or better in Geometry and Biology or Integrated Science 2; currently enrolled in Algebra 2, and teacher recommendation

This course is a laboratory-centered science which deals with all the concepts presented in the standard chemistry course but at an accelerated rate and in more detail. This course is recommended for students planning to major in science, medicine, or engineering. This course can only be taken in place of, rather than in addition to, the standard chemistry course. This course meets the UC/CSU laboratory science requirement.

Physics Honors Grades 10 -12 (UC, CSU)

Prerequisites: C or better in Integrated Science 2 or Biology & Algebra 1 or currently enrolled in Geometry, and teacher recommendation

This is a laboratory and college preparatory science course for students interested in preparation for college. The course deals with the study of the physical laws of nature. It is concerned with motion, energy, heat, waves, sound, light, electricity, magnetism, and modern physics. This course meets the UC/CSU laboratory science requirement.

United States History AP Grade 11 (UC, CSU)

Prerequisites: Teacher recommendation

This course is designed to match the academic rigors of a college level class on the topic of United States history. Areas of study include the development of the colonies in North America, the American Revolution, the Westward Movement, the Civil War, and the Industrial Revolution. Students are expected to take the College Board Advanced Placement test in May. Students scoring successfully may be granted college credit from their intended college.

American Government Grade 12 (UC, CSU)

Prerequisites: None

This semester course is designed to actively involve the student in studying the free enterprise system and the importance of the individuals within our complex society. The toil and challenges of attempting to insure liberty, equality, and justice with the framework of our federal system of government also will be studied.

Economics in American History Grade 12 (UC, CSU)

Prerequisites: None

This semester course, taken in conjunction with American Government, is the study of the way individuals and groups use their limited resources to satisfy their “unlimited” needs. Students study the economic behavior of individuals and society to identify decisions and rules that will assist them to use their personal resources to achieve their objectives as consumers, producers, savers, investors, and citizens.

Leadership Class Grades 10-12

This course is designed for the motivated student who holds a position of leadership or aspires to hold a leadership position. Important skills introduced in leadership will include, but not be limited to: running effective meetings, priority and goal setting, speaking/listening skills, fundraising, organization, and time management. It will also include actual hands-on experiences with student activities of many kinds; e.g., athletic events, rallies, assemblies, dances, banquets, and more. This class is offered zero period (6:30 a.m.). This class will be mandatory for all ASB and class officers.