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Health & Fitness

Capistrano Unified School District Changes Opening Day of School to August 25th for 2015-2016

Dawn Urbanek, Neighbor
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In order to maximize instructional time for AP testing, and to align with the majority of Orange County School Districts, Capistrano Unified is changing its Calendar:

Capistrano Unified School DIstrict Adopted 2015-2016 School Calendar:

  • Start Date: Tuesday, August 25, 2015.
  • Last Student Day: Thursday, June 9, 2016.
While many families have expressed disappointment about starting before the Labor Day holidays, this is a change that will benefit all AP students by giving them more instructional time to cover AP subject matter before the National testing period begins. Under the old calendar CUSD AP students had there less weeks of preparation for AP exams then their counterparts in other Districts. 

Advanced Placement examinations are taken each May by students across the nation. The tests are the culmination of year-long Advanced Placement (AP) Coursework. 

Benefits of taking AP courses and scoring well on Tests: 

IMPROVE COLLEGE ADMISSION CHANCES:  AP Coursework and Testing offer admissions officers a consistent measure of course rigor across high schools, districts, states and countries — because all AP teachers, no matter where they’re teaching, have to provide a curriculum that meets college standards.

EARN COLLEGE CREDITS IN HIGH SCHOOL: As college costs grow each year, the prospect of continuing education becomes less and less of a reality for many high school students. By making it through an AP course and scoring successfully on the related AP Exam, students can save on college expenses. More than 90 percent of colleges and universities across the country offer college credit, advanced placement, or both, for qualifying AP Exam scores.

SKIP INTRODUCTORY CLASSES: If you know what you want to major in at college, taking an AP course related to that major and earning a qualifying score on the AP exam can help you gain advanced placement out of introductory courses. This means that you can possibly place out of crowded required courses, and move directly into upper-level classes where you can focus on work that interests you most.

Source 2015-2016 Adopted Calendar: http://capousd.ca.schoolloop.com/file/1229223560406/1218998864154/8618922709406337324.pdf

For More Information on Advance Placement see: https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/home?navid=ap-ap

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