Dear AP Biology student and parent/guardian:

I want to welcome you to AP biology. I hope that you had a great summer, and are refreshed and ready to go to work. I am looking forward to spending time together and preparing for the AP exam that will be administered in May 2008. 

AP Biology is a very intensive course based on the Advanced Placement Biology Course Description set forth by College Board.  This course is designed to be the equivalent of a first-year college biology course.  The course is divided into three general areas:  25% Molecules and Cells, 25% Heredity and Evolution, and 50% Organisms and Populations.  The AP Biology Exam taken in May seeks to be representative of these course contents and is constructed using the percentage goals above as guidelines for question distribution.

The Advanced Placement Biology curriculum is equivalent to a college course usually taken by biology majors during their first year of college. Students obtain weighted credit by successfully completing the AP Biology exam at the end of the course. The course differs significantly from a first year high school Biology course with respect to the kind of textbook used, the range and depth of topics covered, the kind of laboratory work done by students, and the time and effort required by the students. The primary emphasis of the course is on developing an understanding of concepts; a grasp of science as a process rather than as an accumulation of facts; personal experience in scientific inquiry; recognition of unifying themes that integrate the major topics of biology; and the application of biological knowledge and critical thinking to environmental and social concerns.