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Spanish Language Course Requirements
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The AP Program unequivocally supports the principle that each individual school must develop its own curriculum for courses labeled "AP." Rather than mandating any one curriculum for AP courses, the AP Course Audit instead provides each AP teacher with a set of expectations that college and secondary school faculty nationwide have established for college-level courses. AP teachers are encouraged to develop or maintain their own curriculum that either includes or exceeds each of these expectations; such courses will be authorized to use the "AP" designation. Credit for the success of AP courses belongs to the individual schools and teachers that create powerful, locally designed AP curricula.
The AP Spanish Language course should be designed by your school to provide students with a learning experience equivalent to that of a third-year college course in Spanish language. Your course should develop students' reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills at this level.
Students enrolling in AP Spanish Language are typically in their fourth or fifth year of language study, or have had equivalent experience with the language.
All students who are willing to accept the challenge of a rigorous academic curriculum should be considered for admission to AP courses. The College Board encourages the elimination of barriers that restrict access to AP courses for students from ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in the AP Program. Schools should make every effort to ensure that their AP classes reflect the diversity of their student population.
High schools offering this exam must provide the exam administration equipment described in the AP Coordinator's Manual, including a CD player for the listening part of the exam (part of the multiple-choice section) and recording equipment for the speaking part of the exam (part of the free-response section). Students must be familiar with the operating of the recording equipment prior to the exam administration.
Requirements
To request authorization to label a course "AP," complete the following two steps:
- Complete and submit an AP Course Audit form, on which the teacher and principal attest that their course includes or exceeds the following curricular requirements delineated by college and university faculty.
- Submit an electronic copy of the course syllabus that demonstrates inclusion or improvement on the curricular requirements (see Syllabus Preparation Guidelines). If your course does not include one or more of the curricular requirements but merits designation as a college-level course, see Instructions for Submitting Materials for the process for describing alternate approaches to the course.
 Syllabus Preparation Guidelines
Instructions for Teachers
Instructions on how to submit AP Course Audit materials via the Web will be posted on AP Central and mailed to principals in January 2007.
Curricular Requirements
- The teacher has read the most recent AP Spanish Course Description, available as a free download on the AP Spanish Language Course Home Page.
AP Spanish Language Course Home Page
- The teacher uses Spanish almost exclusively in class and encourages students to do likewise.
- The course provides students with a learning experience equivalent to that of a third-year college course in Spanish language. Instructional materials, activities, assignments, and assessments are appropriate to this level.
- Instructional materials include a variety of authentic audio and/or video recordings that develop students' listening abilities.
- Instructional materials include authentic written texts, such as newspaper and magazine articles, literary texts, and other nontechnical writings that develop students' reading abilities.
- The course provides students with regular opportunities, in class or in a language laboratory, to develop their speaking skills in a variety of settings, types of discourse, topics, and registers.
- The course provides instruction and frequent opportunities to write a variety of compositions in Spanish.
- The course provides frequent opportunities for students to integrate the four language skills through the use of authentic materials.
Resource Requirements
- The school ensures that each student has the course's rich variety of reading materials, which may include a textbook, for individual use inside and outside of the classroom.
- The school provides audio and video equipment and materials that facilitate significant speaking and listening practice for the students throughout the course. This equipment can include cassette/compact disc players or language labs, and video or DVD players or computers.
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