Honors classes are more rigorous than standard high school classes. To join an honors class a student must meet certain criteria which are determined by the department. Usually students are invited to join an honors class. In addition, some honors classes may require that a student pass a test before he/she can be admitted.

Advanced Placement classes are college level courses offered at high schools. In May, students must take an AP exam for each AP course. Some colleges offer college credit to students who score within a certain range on the exam. (For more info on tests and scoring, go to collegeboard.com). Qualified students can elect to take AP courses in their sophomore, junior and senior years. For the 2007-2008 year, BLA offered AP courses in Biology, Calculus, Chemistry, Economics English Literature, English Language & Composition, Government & Politics, Latin-Vergil, Latin-Catullus, Physics, Spanish, Statistics, US History, and Computer Science. For more information on how to qualify for AP courses at BLA, your student should ask the subject teacher or his/her guidance counselor.

Grades are weighted for Honors Courses and Advanced Placement (AP) Courses. BLA uses a 4.0 scale to compute grade point averages. Honors courses receive additional .5 points, while AP Courses receive an additional 1 point.

hi, my daughter may be eligible for honors biology in the fall...she is finishing up 8th grade now.  My question is...what is the difference between an honors class and ap classes?