AP Science courses require an intensive laboratory component extending beyond the regular class meetings. Once per week for 50 minutes, the Laboratory course will meet outside of the regular bell schedule. Meetings will occur before or after school. Students who anticipate a scheduling conflict in the time period before school are asked to contact the Science Department chair.
*This course receives a half-credit – graded pass/fail
AP Science courses require an intensive laboratory component extending beyond the regular class meetings. Once per week for 50 minutes, the Laboratory course will meet outside of the regular bell schedule. Meetings will occur before or after school. Students who anticipate a scheduling conflict in the time period before school are asked to contact the Science Department chair.
*This course receives a half-credit – graded pass/fail
AP Science courses require an intensive laboratory component extending beyond the regular class meetings. Once per week for 50 minutes, the Laboratory course will meet outside of the regular bell schedule. Meetings will occur before or after school. Students who anticipate a scheduling conflict in the time period before school are asked to contact the Science Department chair.
*This course receives a half-credit – graded pass/fail
Students perform one or more additional independent science or engineering research projects, beyond those completed in the first semester Science Research Project course, or perform a substantial extension of a project completed in the previous course. This is an independent study course, with flexible meeting times that will be arranged to fit the schedules of the students. This course is taken in addition to the science requirement for graduation. Enrollment in Advanced Science Research does not qualify a student for a study period during the regular academic day.
*Taken as an independent study with the guidance of science teacher
The AP Biology course is equivalent in content, depth, and complexity to an introductory biology course at the college level. This course is designed to prepare the student to excel on the AP exam offered in May, and follows the AP curriculum. AP Biology is an in-depth, content-intensive study of biological principles that allows students the opportunity to engage hands-on in scientific experimentation. Units of study include but are not limited to evolution and natural selection, the chemistry of life, cell structure and function, cellular energetics, cell communication and the cell cycle, heredity, gene expression and regulation, and ecology. Students are required to take the Advanced Placement exam in May. Students are required to complete an assignment over the summer due on the first day of school.
Corequisite – Students enrolling in this course must also enroll in the corresponding AP Science Laboratory course, which meets once per week for 50 minutes outside of the regular bell schedule. Meetings will occur before or after school.
* Class receives honors weighting in SI weighted GPA and UC/CSU GPA calculations
The AP Chemistry course is equivalent in content, depth, and complexity to an introductory chemistry course at the college level. This course is designed to prepare the student to excel on the AP exam offered in May, and follows the AP curriculum closely. AP Chemistry is an in-depth, content-intensive study of chemical principles that allows students the opportunity to engage hands-on in scientific experimentation. Units of study include chemical reactions, modern atomic theory, molecular bonding, hybridization, organic chemistry, stoichiometry, thermodynamics, kinetics, aqueous equilibrium, acids, bases, precipitation, reduction, oxidation, electrochemistry, and nuclear chemistry. Students are required to take the Advanced Placement exam in May. Students are required to complete an assignment over the summer due on the first day of school.
Corequisite – Students enrolling in this course must also enroll in the corresponding AP Science Laboratory course, which meets once per week for 50 minutes outside of the regular bell schedule. Meetings will occur before or after school.
*Class receives honors weighting in SI weighted GPA and UC/CSU GPA calculations
AP Computer Science Principles (AP CSP) is equivalent to an introductory college-level computing course that introduces students to the breadth of the field of computer science. Students learn to design and evaluate solutions and to apply computer science to solve problems through the development of algorithms and programs. They incorporate abstraction into programs and use data to discover new knowledge. Students also explore how computing innovations and computing systems work (including the Internet), explore their potential impacts, and contribute to a computing culture that is collaborative and ethical. Roughly half the course is focused on learning to program in either the Python or Javascript programming languages, but the selection of a programming language is at the teacher’s discretion while the other half of the course covers non-programming topics of computer science.
*Class receives honors weighting in SI weighted GPA and UC/CSU GPA calculations
**This class will be offered pending adequate enrollment.
***Students are required to take the AP Computer Science Principles exam in May.
The AP Physics course is equivalent in content, depth, and complexity to an introductory physics course at the college level. This course is designed to prepare the student to excel on the AP Physics C: Mechanics exams offered in May. The course follows the AP curriculum closely. AP Physics is an in-depth, content-intensive study of physical principles that allows students the opportunity to engage hands-on in scientific experimentation. Core units of study include kinematics, Newton’s laws, conservation laws, harmonic motion, and rotational motion. Additional topics will vary but may include electricity & magnetism, relativity, quantum mechanics, particle physics, thermodynamics, and other advanced topics. Use of calculus in problem solving is expected to increase as the course progresses. Students are required to take the Advanced Placement exam in May. Students are required to complete an assignment over the summer due on the first day of school. This is a mathematically rigorous course which requires a solid foundation in both physics and math.
Corequisite – Students enrolling in this course must also enroll in the corresponding AP Science Laboratory course, which meets once per week for 50 minutes outside of the regular bell schedule. Meetings will occur before or after school.
*Class receives honors weighting in SI weighted GPA and UC/CSU GPA calculations
Astronomy is the scientific study of celestial objects and phenomena. This course allows a student to apply fundamental concepts learned in biology, chemistry, and physics to new problems in astronomy. Units of study include the apparent motion of the sky, the characteristics of the planets and moons of our solar system, the properties and evolution of stars, the structure and behavior of galaxies, the Big Bang and early universe, and exotic and exciting concepts such as black holes, pulsars, extrasolar planets, curved spacetime, dark matter, and dark energy. A handful of nighttime observation sessions are recommended.
*This course is offered as an on-line class.
NOTE: For the 2024-2025 academic year, this course will be offered 8th period.
Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. This course aims to develop students into scientifically literate citizens who have mastered the critical thinking skills that will allow them to make informed decisions in a world increasingly impacted by scientific discovery. This course also aims to develop in students an appreciation for the natural world and our role in its stewardship. Units of study in this course include evolutionary biology, genetics, heredity, cell structure and function, human reproduction, and ecology.
