Students get a veritable avalanche of information about AP classes.
But parents and guardians often get left out in the dark. This can make it difficult to understand what's going on in your child's AP class.
In this guide, I'm going to cover major topics that I often get questions about when I meet with parents. If I've missed something, please don't hesitate to reach out. I'd be happy to help if I can.
US History and the College Board
AP US History is one of several AP classes. AP stands for Advanced Placement.
All Advanced Placement courses all share some common features.
- Your child will get high school course credit for completing the course. This means their grade in the class will show up on their high school transcript and affect their grade point average (GPA). Some schools use a weighted GPA so that scores in AP classes have a bigger impact on GPA.
- Your child can choose to take an exam in May. This exam is scored on a scale of 1 to 5 points. If a student's score is high enough, they can earn college credit. Each university sets their own policies regarding what scores and exams are accepted for college credit. You can usually find this information online or by contacting a school's admissions department.
- Advanced Placement courses are harder than standard-level classes.
- The content covered on an AP exam is determined by the College Board. They are a nonprofit organization. They create a course and exam description for each class that outlines what material is covered and how it will be tested. If you really want to see all the details, then click here!
The Jargon
Every AP class has it's own language. AP US History is no exception. Here are some common abbreviations. Here, I'm going to focus on the terms I see most often in the grade book and other messages from your child's teacher.
- APUSH is a common abbreviation for AP US History.
- Primary Source refers to any historical document created at the time of an event. This includes photographs, audio recordings, letters, speeches, and so on. Analyzing primary sources is a large part of the AP US History curriculum and exam. More information on that here!
- MCQ stands for a Multiple Choice Question. In AP US History, MCQs are typically stimulus-based. This means that the question will refer to a historical document. This could be a letter, picture, graph, speech, etc.
- SAQ stands for a Short Answer Question. Responses to these questions are typically between 1 and 3 sentences.
- DBQ stands for the Document Based Question. Students get seven documents, and they must use these documents within their essay. This includes speeches, letters, government documents, pictures, and so on. They use these documents. A high-scoring DBQ is usually between 3 and 5 paragraphs long.
- LEQ stands for a Long Essay Question. This is the second type of essay question. In this style of question, students do not get any documents. They must write a 3 to 5 paragraph essay using only their knowledge of the topic.
Early Wobbles and Increasing Difficulty
It's not uncommon for students to have a wobble at the beginning of the course. This includes things like lower grades than usual, difficulty keeping up with assignments, or spending a lot more time on the course. This may not be totally unexpected. AP classes are designed to be challenging courses. However, it can be unexpected for both students and parents. In some cases, it may be actively distressing.
If things go awry, remember that it's a sign, and not a prophecy. What I mean is, it's good to take your child's struggles seriously and intervene early. AP classes get progressively harder. The longer a problem persists, the more impact it will have on a student's grade. It can also have very negative effects on student's confidence and further entrench bad habits. I have seen many students struggle with their first exam and go on to earn 5s in May. It's entirely possible to address problems early. That's why it's not a prophecy.
How to intervene is more complicated. It's not always easy to find the right balance or approach. You don't want to see your child suffer. On the other hand, it doesn't help if you overreact. Here are some possibilities.
- Your child can meet with their teacher. Their classroom teacher may have insights into areas they should focus on.
- You can help your child problem solve. Students may know what went wrong, but be unsure about how to fix it. You can work together to create an actionable, specific plan. You may wish to check out my series on study skills for some ideas.
- You may wish to get help from a tutor or other specialist. If that's of interest, you can check out my offerings here. It may take less than you think to get back on track.
- You may decide to let your child try again without intervention. This is a good option if your child is proactively attempting to solve the problem. Similarly, they may not need a lot of help if they can explain their plan to do things differently.
Whatever you choose, please don't let issues fester. Early semester wobbles are a great opportunity for kids to develop new skills and resilience. Those are life skills that pay dividends long after your child is done with their AP class.
Exam Fees, Scholarships, and Fee Waivers
Most school do not charge students extra to take an AP class. However, there is a charge for taking the AP US History exam in May.
The specific charges change relatively frequently. You can get up-to-date information at this link. You can also expect information from the school regarding fees and due dates in fall.
Fees can be a burden to families. There are several ways to reduce the AP exam fee.
- State and School Scholarships. Some states pay all or part of each student's exam fees. However, this is not the case in all places. The College Board maintains a list of states that provide some form of financial assistance at this link. Similarly, some schools may pay all or part of the exam fee. You can reach out to your child's counselor, AP Exam coordinator, or an administrator for more information.
- College Board Fee Waiver. The College Board offers a reduced rate for families who meet specific financial criteria. You can read about the details here. Alternatively, reach out to your child's counselor, AP Exam coordinator, or an administrator for help applying. Note that this program doesn't eliminate fees. It only reduces them. However, some of the other options require students to qualify for the fee reduction before they are eligible for additional assistance.
- Private Scholarships. Some schools partner with businesses, nonprofits, or private donors to provide additional financial assistance. Other organizations may provide assistance like tutoring, review sessions, or review books. Some of this funding may be available for students who don't meet the College Board's criteria for a fee reduction. Reach out to your school's counseling or administration for information.
IEPs, 504s, and Exam Accommodations
I often hear from parents (and students) who have concerns about accommodations and modifications. It's completely understandable that you may be confused or apprehensive about how this will impact your child's AP classes.
First, I just want to make one thing completely clear.
Many (many!) disable and neurodiverse students take AP classes and are successful. Full stop. I know that it often doesn't feel that way. I know that you may be discouraged from enrolling your child in an AP class. But, I have seen full class rosters and tutored students for years now. Please let me reassure your child is not alone.
Second, you should know that students with IEPs and 504s get all of their accommodations and modifications in AP classes. It is unfortunately common for students to be told those things don't apply in AP. That is not true. The "AP" label should not be used to deny students access to the plan outlined in their IEP or 504 plan while they are in the classroom.
However, everything in your child's IEP or 504 may not apply on the AP exam in May. You must apply for accommodations if you want your child to have them on the AP exam. That application must be approved by the College Board before anything changes on exam day. Here are some key points.
- Most of the time, this entire process will be handled by your child's school. You don't have to submit anything independently if that's the case. If it's not, you can find information about submitting an application at this link. If you are submitting your application, please do it early in the year. There is a deadline to apply, and sometimes the College Board will request clarification or more information.
- It doesn't hurt to check with the school about your child's application for accommodations. You may wish to give input on which accommodations your child is eligible for. It's a good idea to make sure that it didn't slip through the cracks.
- The College Board doesn't approve modifications to the exam. This means that your child's exam will be the same length and have the same questions as all other students. The exam itself won't be shortened or altered.
- The College Board only approves specific accommodations to the exam. Accommodations are changes to the learning environment or the test's formatting. Common accommodations include extended time, larger front, additional breaks, test read out loud, and braille. There are also tools built into the exams that are available to all students. You can more information about accommodations and the application process here.
All blog posts are licensed using a CC-BY-SA 4.0 license. You are free to copy or share this information in any form. You may also adapt and build upon this material for commercial and noncommercial. If you chose to share, adapt, or use this information, you must give credit to Spring Learning Services, LLC and indicate if changes were made. All material must be shared using the same terms
This material is based on my experience working in education for the past decade. The views expressed on this page are my own. AP® and Advanced Placement® are trademarks registered and owned by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this site.