2008 Twelfth Grade Advanced Placement English
Requirements for Enrollment
Students must meet at least three of the following criteria to be considered for AP English placement:
1. A score of five (5) or higher on the Tennessee Eleventh Grade Assessment
2. A minimum 82 average in Advanced Placement Eleventh Grade English
3. Teacher recommendation
4. A minimum score of 20 on English/Reading sections of ACT
5. Enrollment of completion of second year foreign language
6. A weighted 3.2 or higher GPA
7. A score of 950 on the SAT
Course Description
This course in literature and composition is designed to be comparable to the workload students experience in an undergraduate college level English course. The successful AP student must enjoy literature, be willing to accept criticism, and develop skills needed for evaluation. Help is always available and gladly given by the instructor.
This course focuses on the requirements found in the AP English Course Description. We read and analyze half the time and study, plan, write, rewrite, make journal entries, and evaluate the rest. All is geared toward the student becoming an effective evaluator (critic) of writing and owning the writing skills needed to excel at the collegiate level. Students also receive hints, encouragement, suggestions, and honest feedback on original writing. Students correct most papers using the Harbrace Handbook. Scoring rubrics for organization, planning, unity, and coherence are developed from models in the Harbrace and Sorenson's models.
Grades
Most assignments are given point values based on the merit, length, and time involved to complete. For example, an in class composition is usually worth 100 points, a documented paper might be 150 points, while a quick paragraph or list might be assigned 20 points. Major assignments and point values are covered in the class schedule, while smaller point value assignments are added by the instructor. A grade is determined by dividing possible points in the number of points earned with the percentage grade converted to the state grading scale of letter grades.
Extra Credit
Living near Knoxville and the University of Tennessee and other colleges offers the opportunity to attend performances not readily available to others in our state. Students may turn this opportunity into extra credit once per nine-week grading period. Attending a traveling acting company's performance, especially opera, is probably weighed more in point value than a performance at Clarence Brown Theatre. Extra credit may also be earned by reading classical novels. The instructor will determine a point value for any extra credit. A student's persuasive argument as to the amount of extra credit earned by performing a particular activity is an important part of the process. No more than 1.5 points may be earned per nine weeks.
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