The AP Biology course is designed to be the equivalent of a college introductory biology course taken by biology majors during
 their freshman year.  Its aim is to provide students with the conceptual framework, factual knowledge, and analytical skills to
 deal critically with the rapidly changing science of biology.  Thus the primary emphasis will be on developing an understanding of
 concepts rather than on memorizing terms and technical details.  Essential to this conceptual understanding are the following: a
 grasp of science as a process rather than an accumulation of facts; personal experience in scientific inquiry; recognition of themes
 that integrate the major topics of biology; and application of biological knowledge and critical thinking to environmental and
 social concerns.
  
 An integral part of the AP Biology curriculum is the laboratory experience.  AP Biology labs are intended to challenge the
 students’ abilities to understand problems, develop and implement appropriate experimental designs, manipulate data, draw
 conclusions, think analytically, and develop hypotheses.  Labs deal with some of the more important areas of modern biology,
 including biochemistry, cell structure and function, energy transformation, molecular genetics, heredity, plant structure and
 physiology, behavior, and ecology.  There are twelve recommended labs for the course and several supplementary labs.  A
 college lab is typically three to four hours long and students have one lab for every three lectures, therefore, extra time must be
 built into the program.  Since the lab component is as much as 40% of the course, students will require extra time to prepare for
 and carry out labs.  The labs incorporate the use of modern equipment to allow the student to properly learn both the use of
 equipment and to arrive at accurate data in their experiments.

 

 Following the course students are encouraged to take the AP Biology exam.