Advanced Placement
Advanced Placement courses are college-level courses offered by trained high school teachers in the regular high school setting. AP® courses guarantee rigor in our classrooms. The high school teachers who offer AP® courses are trained by The College Board to offer the course at a college-level and have a syllabus approved by The College Board. AP® courses are challenging and require significant study time on a daily basis. Assessments in these classes require sophisticated critical thinking skills. In May of each year, AP students take the AP® exam(s). Students who score at the 3, 4 or 5 level may be able to earn college credit for these courses taken in the high school. Policies for credit differ from college to college, so take care to check college admissions and credit policies.
Performing well on an AP® exam means more than just the successful completion of a course. Research suggests that students who complete an AP®
Coursework are:
- Better prepared for college-level work
- Stand-outs in college admissions process
- More likely to continue beyond their freshman year in college
- More likely to graduate within 4-5 years
- More competitive in qualifying for scholarships
There are currently 38 AP courses that high schools in the US may choose to offer. Not all courses are offered in each high school. Communicate with your local school’s counseling department to learn which of these courses are offered in your high school.
- Complete Listing of CollegeBoard Advanced Placement Courses and Exams
- Advanced Placement Scholar Awards
- AP Exam Fee Reductions
- AP Student
- Send Your Advanced Placement Scores Mississippi Map
The MS State Board of Education voted in July to remove the requirement for the additional endorsement to teach Advanced Placement classes. Teachers are only required to hold the content area endorsement and to receive syllabus approval from the College Board. MDE highly encourages teachers to attend College Board AP Summer Institutes and to utilize the online College Board resources.
Additional information for licensure requirement to teach AP courses
Administrator AP Resources
- Student and Educator Sign-In to AP Resources
- 24/7 Teacher Support
- Tools for AP Coordinators - Downloads
- Tools for AP Coordinators - Trainings
- Tools for AP Coordinators - Discussion Groups
- Tools for AP Teachers - Discussion Groups
Advanced Placement Series
Advanced Placement Training
AP Kick-Off Training - Learn how to get started with the beginning of the year administrator, teacher, and student responsibilities and also dive into AP Classroom to help students and teachers access all things AP!
Advanced Placement virtual Training, October 2022
2022 – 2023 Advanced Placement Webinar Series
Advanced Placement Virtual Training Wednesday, September 7, 2022
msachieves.mdek12.org/advanced-placement-virtual-training-set-for-sept-7/
Cambridge Assessment International Education
International Baccalaureate
Dual Enrollment and Accelerated Programs
- Procedures Manual for the State of Mississippi Dual Enrollment and Accelerated Programs
- 2021-2022 MSIS Dual Credit Changes (PowerPoint)
- Dual Credit MSIS Codes (Excel Spreadsheet)
- Career Clusters to Community College Pathways to Degrees
- Directions for Entering a Community College for Dual Credit Instructor
Title IV, Part A Funding
Superintendents/Principals/Counselors
With the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2016, the federal Advanced Placement Test Fee Program expired. Mississippi used the AP test fee program to reduce the cost of AP test fees for students from low income households in districts throughout the state.
ESSA consolidated 40 previously funded educational programs, including the AP test fee program, into one unrestricted Title IV block grant distributed to the districts. The purpose of Title IV, Part A, of ESSA is to improve student academic achievement by increasing the capacity of districts to
- provide all students access to a well-rounded education
- improve school conditions for student learning
- improve the use of technology in order to improve the academic achievement and digital literacy of all students
Districts may use up to 20% of their Title IV, Part A funds to support “well-rounded educational opportunities” for students. Well-rounded educational opportunities include accelerated learning programs like AP, IB or Cambridge, STEM, Music and Arts, Foreign Language instruction, Dual Credit and Dual Enrollment, Civics instruction, College and Career Counseling, Social/Emotional Learning, and Environmental education. Specifically, these funds can be used to pay for AP test fees for students.
The MDE encourages the federal programs directors and district leadership teams to plan carefully for the allocation of Title IV, Part A funds, using the requirements set forth in ESSA. Administrators should ensure that funds are dedicated for accelerated program opportunities for students. This will secure a funding source to promote student participation rates in accelerated programs in the district for accountability purposes.
If you have questions concerning the use of Title IV, Part A funds, contact the Office of Federal Programs at 601-359-3499.
If you have additional questions regarding Accelerated Programs, please email Heather Morrison at hmorrison@ihl.state.ms.us.