How to help your student succeed in Advanced Placement Classes

 
1. Find a quiet, structured study time

• Help your child establish a study routine by setting up a quiet study area and a consistent study time. The routine will help them practice good study habits for college.  
  
  
• If your child works well by themselves, a quiet desk space in their bedroom works well. However, if the bedroom is equipped with distractions like a stereo or TV, the family area may work better. 
  
  
• Remember, cell phones and computers are extremely distracting. 

2. Work on each AP course EVERY night

• For your child to stay caught up, they need to spend some time on each of their AP courses every night. The ideal would be about 1-1.5 hours per night or approximately 7-10 hours per week.

3. Explore the APCentral website

• Encourage your child to regularly check apstudent.collegeboard.org  for great resources that will help them succeed. This website has useful information about each AP course and provides practice exams with answers.

4. Find or create study groups

• Encourage your child to arrange a study group with other students in the class. Students learn best through discussion and collaboration.  

5. Ask for help!

• Remind your child to ask for help. All our AP students have their teachers' email addresses and can email at any time.  Do not allow them to feel like they are intruding. 
  
  
• Many teachers have class websites that can help your child keep up to date in case of absences or if they’ve fallen behind.  

6. Don’t Panic! Stick with it!

• Some parts of AP courses will come more easily than others. Encourage your child to work steadily and not to be discouraged. Success will build as they improve their critical thinking skills and their writing ability through practice.
  
  
• This is a college course and they are working on more than learning a specific subject.  They are developing the critical writing, reading and thinking skills that are necessary to excel in college. 
  
  
• Students often want to drop out of AP classes during the first month.  Make sure your child speaks to their counselors or teachers to find resources and strategies that will help. 

taken from http://www.rjuhsd.us/Page/2180