The Advanced Placement (AP) Program offers students the opportunity to study university level courses and earn college credit through standardized exams.

Taipei American School currently offers more than twenty Advanced Placement examinations in a variety of subject areas. A prescribed curriculum is followed, and a standardized external examination prepared by the College Board is administered by the school in May of each year. College catalogs generally contain an accurate description of an institution‘s policy on placement, and what credit, if any, is given for an Advanced Placement examination. This will include any exceptions or qualifications to granting the credit, as well as procedures for applying for such credit. All students who take AP courses must sit the AP exam in order to receive AP credit and weighted grade. 

AP COURSE OFFERINGS

History & Social Studies
United States History
Economics
European History
World History: Modern
Art History

Political Science & Forensics
Psychology
United States Government & Politics/Public Policy
Seminar: Capstone Yr 1
Research: Capstone Yr 2

Math  
Calculus AB
Calculus BC
Statistics

English
English Language & Composition
English Literature & Composition

Science
Chemistry
Physics 1
Physics 2
Physics C (Mechanics, E & M)
Environmental Science
Biology

Computer Science
Computer Science A

World Languages
Spanish Language and Culture
Spanish Literature and Culture
Chinese Language and Culture
Japanese Language and Culture

Classics
Latin

Visual Arts
Art History
Drawing
2D Art & Design
3D Art & Design

Performing Arts
Music Theory

AP CAPSTONE CURRICULUM

AP Capstone Certificate - Those students who earn scores of 3 or higher in both of the AP Capstone courses but not on the four additional AP Exams will receive the AP Capstone certificates, signifying successful performance in those courses.

AP Capstone Diploma - Students who earn scores of 3 or higher in both of the AP Capstone courses and on four additional AP exams of their choosing will receive the AP Capstone Diploma.

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE DIPLOMA PROGRAM

Explanation of Course Selection for an IB Diploma

• A student wishing to do a full IB Diploma must take a total of 6 courses at TAS, plus Theory of Knowledge and complete the Extended Essay and Creativity, Activity, and Service (CAS) requirement (explained below).
• Students take Theory of Knowledge (TOK) in 11^th and 12th grades
• A student must take one course from each of the first five subject groups, the 6th course may be from the 6th group (Arts) or a student may do a second courses from groups 2, 3, or 4.
• A student must take a minimum of 3 Higher Level (HL) and 3 Standard Level (SL) course, or maximum of 4 HL and 2 SL courses.
• Students may elect to enroll in individual IB courses without doing the full diploma.  
• All students who take IB courses must sit the external IB exam in order to receive IB credit and a weighted grade.
• Only students enrolled in the IB course are eligible to sit the external exam. 

 

IB COURSE OFFERINGS

Group 1 Studies in Languages & Literature (Literature Based)
English Language and Literature SL
English Literature HL
Chinese A Language and Literature SL, HL

Group 2 Language Acquisition (Communications Based)
Spanish B: SL, HL, AB Initio
Japanese B: SL, AB Initio
Chinese B: SL, HL, AB Initio
Classics: SL, HL

Group 3 Individuals and Society
History SL, HL
Psychology SL, HL
Philosophy SL
Global Politics SL, HL
World Religion SL

Group 4 Experimental Sciences
Biology SL, HL
Chemistry HL
Sports, Exercise & Health Science SL

Group 5 Mathematics
Math: Applications and Interpretation SL, HL
Math: Analysis and Approaches SL, HL

Group 6 the Arts 
Dance SL, HL
Theater SL, HL
Visual Arts SL, HL
Film SL, HL
Music SL, HL

The Extended Essay

A 3,500 - 4,000 word research paper completed as part of the diploma core. This independent research paper is done with guidance from a faculty advisor. Students choose a topic and a teacher "advises" them through the essay. The essay is assigned second semester of the first year in the IB diploma program and is due the following year. TOK and the extended essay combine to give students up to 3 points on their final IB diploma score.

Creativity, Activity, and Service (CAS)

Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) is at the heart of the Diploma Program. It is one of the three essential elements in every student’s Diploma Program experience. It involves students in a range of activities alongside their academic studies throughout the Diploma Program. The three strands of CAS, which are often interwoven with particular activities, are characterized as follows.

• Creativity: arts, and other experiences that involve creative thinking.
• Activity: physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle, complementing academic work elsewhere in the Diploma Program.
• Service: an unpaid and voluntary exchange that has a learning benefit for the student. The rights, dignity and autonomy of all those involved are respected.

Officially CAS is completed during both years of the 2 years of the diploma program.  Students will do a variety of activities over the 2 years, write reflections of these activities in a portfolio, and meet with the CAS supervisor to complete the CAS requirement.

Theory of Knowledge (TOK)
TOK is only available to IB-diploma candidates

A course that teaches the thoughtful and purposeful inquiry into different ways of knowing, and into different kinds of knowledge, TOK is composed almost entirely of questions. The most central of these is “How do we know?” Students taking TOK become aware of the interpretative nature of knowledge, including personal ideological biases, regardless of whether, ultimately, these biases are retained, revised or rejected.