High AP Psychology

Segment One

AP Psychology Science Practices

• Evaluate research methods and design
• Interpret data
• Propose and support a claim with evidence from research

Biological Bases of Behavior

• Understand heredity and environmental influences
• Describe the subsystems of the human nervous system
• Explain the structure and function of the neuron and neural transmission
• Understand the structure and function of the brain, including sleep/wake cycles and the senses

Cognition

• Explain the role of internal and external factors on perception
• Explain theories related to thinking, problem-solving, judgment, and decision-making
• Understand memory and forgetting
• Explain how intelligence is measured and how it compares to academic achievement 

Development

• Explain development before birth, during infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood
• Describe the components of language and communication and how language develops in humans
• Explain social development related to behavior and mental processes

Segment Two

Learning

• Explain classical conditioning
• Understand how reinforcement and punishment impact behavior
• Describe social learning theory

Social Psychology and Personality

• Describe attribution theory
• Understand how stereotypes and implicit attitudes impact behavior and mental processes
• Explain how groups impact behavior
• Understand theories of motivation and theories of emotion

Mental and Physical Health

• Describe the impact of stress and identify factors that lead to well-being, resilience, positive emotions, and psychological health
• Describe how psychological disorders are defined according to various psychological perspectives 
• Understand the symptoms and possible causes of selected disorders
• Describe research and trends in the treatment of psychological disorders

 

Besides engaging students in challenging curriculum, the course guides students to reflect on their learning and evaluate their progress through a variety of assessments. Assessments can be in the form of practice lessons, multiple choice questions, writing assignments, projects, research papers, oral assessments, and discussions. This course will use the state-approved grading scale. Each course contains a mandatory final exam or culminating project that will be weighted at 20% of the student’s overall grade.***

***Proctored exams can be requested by FLVS at any time and for any reason in an effort to ensure academic integrity. When taking the exam to assess a student’s integrity, the exam must be passed with at least a 59.5% in order to earn credit for the course.  

Advanced Placement Policy

Students entering high school grades 9-12 have access to Advanced Placement courses that may result in earning college credit for high school coursework. These courses are used to calculate overall Grade Point Average (GPA) and typically count extra in the calculation. These courses are also available at no charge to Florida public school students, whereas they may have a tuition cost if taken in college. (S. 1003.02, F.S.)

A passing grade in the course will be accepted for high school credit.  Postsecondary institutions determine college credit awarded, based on the AP Exam score earned.  FLVS strongly encourages students who take AP courses to sit for the course AP Exam in May. Florida students shall be exempt from payment of any fees associated with AP Exam participation, with the exception of late test registration fees incurred by the student. 

To achieve success, students are expected to submit work in each course weekly. Students can learn at their own pace; however, “any pace” still means that students must make progress in the course every week. To measure learning, students complete self-checks, practice lessons, multiple choice questions, projects, discussion-based assessments, and discussions. Students are expected to maintain regular contact with teachers; the minimum requirement is monthly. When teachers, students, and parents work together, students are successful.