Bloomfield Hills High School
High School
AP/IB Exams
It is the mission of BHHS to prepare students for their post-secondary goals. To that end, students should create a high school resume that reflects their passions, interests, talents, academic skills, and knowledge. For students seeking college admission to competitive or highly competitive institutions, submitting a transcript with AP or IB courses along with the respective AP or IB test score is how students can be most competitive in the college admissions and scholarship process. The focus for BHHS (and students and families) is college acceptance and admission over college credit. Taking an IB or AP course and the respective exam OPENS doors to admission, it does not close them.
BHHS prepares students to be successful on the AP and IB assessments through thoughtful, engaging, and comprehensive learning experiences embedded in each advanced course. Students are encouraged to engage fully with the collegiate preparatory course including taking the official AP or IB exam or taking the comprehensively equivalent course final.
Understanding that not all students want to take the official exam for each AP or IB course, BHHS has provided a pathway for students to still have the AP or IB designation on their transcript as well as the 5.0 grading scale. (The 5.0 grading scale is only useful for scholarships. Colleges do not use a weighted scale for admissions determinations.)
The graphic below outlines the three pathways for students enrolled in AP or IB* courses.
*Students in an IB1 course need to complete and submit all required year 1 assessment and coursework to receive IB on the transcript and 5.0 weighted grade.
Counselors and the BHHS administration will be speaking with each and every IB and AP course student in September to review the “why” behind taking the exam, the “what” it offers, and the “how” to prepare. As it has always been, any student that indicates financial hardship will be supported fully in participating in the IB and AP testing session.