Advanced Placement IV
The senior-level Communication Arts AP class prepares students to take the "English Literature and Composition" AP exam. A course description for both the "Language and Composition" test (the focus of the Blue Valley junior Communication Arts AP class) as well as the "Literature and Composition" test can be found at the College Board Web site.
As the name implies, the "Literature and Composition" test focuses more on the critical analysis of a wide variety of literature. The "Literature" test also relies heavily on writing skills. The first hour is devoted to multiple-choice questions that represent 45% of the overall score. After the multiple-choice section, two hours are devoted to essay questions. In the multiple-choice and essay examples provided in the official course description, works from the following authors are used: Henry Fielding, Elizabeth Bishop, Charlotte Bronte, and Gerard Manley Hopkins. Currently, not one of these authors is represented on the "approved" Blue Valley reading list.
The official AP course description for the "English Literature and Composition" course states, "There is no recommended or required reading list for the AP English Literature and Composition course." The official AP course description lists at least 150 authors whose works provide a sample of the range and quality of reading that is expected in the course. Throughout the course description the AP Board is extremely clear in stating that there is no particular book nor author whose works represent a mandatory prerequisite. The most specific reading recommendation is made in introductory comments that apply to both English AP exams, "Because the Bible and Greek and Roman mythology are central to much Western literature, students should have some familiarity with them."
The course description also states, "The AP English Committee agrees with Henry David Thoreau that it is wisest to read the best books first...", but the documentation does not identify which books are considered "best." The documentation asserts that students should experience, interpret, and evaluate a wide range of literature from multiple periods and cultures. It also says that the selections should be assessed for their social and cultural values, but a description of exactly which social and cultural values are to be studied is not provided.
Currently, the Blue Valley junior and senior-level Communication Arts AP classes use some very intense book selections. The degree to which these books are healthy brain food for your student is a matter for you and your family to discuss. There is certainly a long list of books and authors that can provide your student with the education he or she needs to score extremely well on either English AP exam. Your child is not required to read books that you deem inappropriate -- for whatever reason -- in order to receive an excellent education in an AP course. We hope this information is helpful to you as you seek the best possible education for your children.