[Quiteria]

Originally Posted by Katigre

A key component of AP courses scores is demonstrating historical analysis skills, including evaluating and contextualizing primary and secondary source documents. A fairly comprehensive set of historical knowledge is also required of the period of history being studied. I don't know the primary text your recommended, and if it is not comprehensive US history then I would steer clear of it.

I would recommend reading the college board site for further exam information including course outline and content.

https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/...states-history

Passing an AP Exam is a lot of work and requires a particular set of test taking and essay skills. There are rubrics and sample essays so you can see how they are graded. Youtube has a lot of songs to help in memorizing key events.

Does your student have a strong interest in history? If they're not really into it as a subject (or aren't skilled test takers/writers), I wouldn't necessarily recommend doing the AP exam.

This.

It's been eons since I took AP American History, but the biggest distinction I remember is being asked to write essays on things like WHY the political trends of one decade led to the next decade, with specific examples of contributing factors.

It was the first history course I'd ever taken where I wasn't simply required to memorize boring, disconnected names and dates to take a multiple choice exam, but to view them as context, as cause and effect, as supporting details.

Anyhow, that's just my very outdated and very minimal perspective as a student. You should absolutely look up samples and descriptions for a more accurate understanding.

It's just that for me, the big picture was that it felt like a completely different flavor than my previous history classes. I *think* that my homeschool classes have covered things a little more like a story, a little more of a connected narrative, but even so, I've not seen the strong demand for essay skills emphasized like AP History, nor even the degree of comparing and contrasting between different periods...most younger curricula seems to be written with smaller transitions...here's a description, then a couple sentences to segue into the next period, then a description of that period...But AP History really, really made the connections...here's how this period relates back to several previous periods in great detail, and how it sets the stage for the following one by putting these factors into play...lots of analytical skills emphasized.

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I have heard that you CANNOT list the course as APUSH on a transcript unless following an approved syllabus/curriculum. You can list that your student took the exam, however, and the grade received, but you cannot title the course as AP without pre-approval.

Last I knew, you can petition for approval. I've only heard of homeschoolers doing so for math and chemistry...a bit more straightforward. I don't know whether there are acceptable syllabi posted anywhere, or whether that's considered proprietary or what. I decided that I've got too much on my plate to aim for that, so tuned it out. It was on the Well-Trained Mind forums where I heard about the math/science being discussed a few years ago. Again, it's one of those areas where you'll probably have to read even more from the College Board, straight from the source.

I'm very sorry to babble if you've heard all this already. I'm in awe that you're attempting it, honestly.