Mayfair Adds AP Seminar

Starting next school year, Mayfair is going to offer AP Seminar as an option for sophomores to take in place of their English course. The class is a year-long course used to help students mainly with their presentation skills. It strengthens students' research, collaboration, and critical thinking skills in order to develop a strong presentation, essay, or project. 

The class uses a format called “QUEST” and this framework helps students analyze different pieces of information in order to create a strong project. QUEST stands for Question, Understand, Evaluate, Synthesize, and Team. This format assists students in having strong skills with working in teams to present a topic strongly.

For the AP test itself, it is divided into three sections. Section one is team projects and presentations and it is worth 20% of the test. This includes a 1,200 word research paper with a team presentation on the research found. Part two is an individual written argument and presentation and that is worth 35% of the test score. This involves a 2,000 word paper based on the provided material given and an individual presentation based on the information provided. Lastly, section three contains an EOC exam which stands for an ‘end of course’ exam. That is based on analyzing the first two sections of the test and writing an argumentative essay as well as three short answer questions worth 45% of the overall score. Overall, AP Seminar is considered an easier AP class to take and is recommended for beginners. The test has a very high pass rate with the average being 85-89% of students receiving a 3 or better and gaining college credit. 

At Mayfair, AP English Language and Composition and English 10 teacher, Ms. Ugale is teaching the class for upcoming sophomores who are interested in the class. Taking the class can give the chance of receiving college credit which can help shorten a class you have to take in college. AP Seminar is a great opportunity for students who are interested in improving their presentation skills and receiving college credit for when they graduate.

Image Courtesy of JulianBleecker on Flickr.