For School and District Administrators
Each school that offers AP courses needs to name an AP Course Audit administrator. This is usually the principal or principal’s designee.
This person is responsible for finalizing AP Course Audit forms, renewing authorizations annually, and checking the AP Course Ledger each academic year to make sure it accurately lists their school’s AP course offerings.
Why Complete the AP Course Audit?
Your school’s AP courses must be authorized by the AP Program in order to use “AP” in those courses’ names. The only way to do that is through the AP Course Audit.
The process is designed to confirm teacher awareness of course scope and occasional exam changes, and to ensure that practice exams and other resources are only accessible to teachers verified by a school administrator.
Once they’re authorized, teachers of AP courses will have access to practice exams and other resources (e.g., formative assessments, authorized AP Course Logo, and the AP Question Bank).
And your school’s courses will be included in the AP Course Ledger—the official list of all AP courses—so colleges and universities can check student transcripts.
How to Begin
Your AP Course Audit tasks are done online. You’ll have to sign in to, or create, your AP Course Audit account and follow the steps below.
Download the AP Course Audit User Guide for detailed instructions on participating in the course audit.
For a new AP course:
The AP Course Audit process is kicked off by the teacher of the planned course. See the steps a new AP teacher must take.
After the teacher submits the AP Course Audit form online, you’ll receive an email notifying you that the form is ready for you to approve. You’ll need to sign in to your AP Course Audit account to do this.
Within 60 days of materials submission, you’ll receive a notification letting you know whether the course has been authorized or needs revision. If the course is authorized, you should check the AP Course Ledger when it’s updated in November to make sure the course appears in your school lists. You’ll also have to renew the course each year. If the course is not authorized, it’s likely that the course syllabus does not show that the course fulfills all the curricular requirements. The teacher should revise the syllabus and resubmit it.
For an already authorized AP course:
After your school’s AP courses are authorized, you simply renew them each year. You can sign in to your AP Course Audit account to do this for each course your school offers that school year. Be sure to check the AP Course Audit calendar to see when you can begin renewing courses.
As before, if a subject has significant course and/or exam changes or if a teacher has made substantial changes to their AP course, teachers will need to submit a new Course Audit form and confirm awareness of the changes by submitting a pre-approved course plan or syllabus or updating their original syllabus. You’ll have to review and approve the form just as you would for a new course.
Offering AP Courses Through Online or Distance Learning Providers
If your school’s students take AP courses through an online or distance learning course provider, such as a virtual school, those courses may only be listed as AP courses on students’ transcripts if those providers have qualified through the AP Course Audit to label their courses “AP.”
While it’s the responsibility of the online providers to submit materials to the AP Course Audit to be reviewed for authorization, it is your school’s responsibility to ensure that the AP courses listed on students’ transcripts, in course catalogs, and on the school’s website are authorized and annually renewed through the AP Course Audit process.
Choosing an online or distance learning provider:
To add authorized online/distance learning AP courses, the AP Course Audit administrator should:
- Sign in to your AP Course Audit account.
- Navigate to the Add Online or Distance Learning Course
- Select your school from the list of providers and the authorized courses your school offers.
These AP courses will then be included with your school’s other authorized courses in the AP Course Ledger.
If your chosen online/distance learning AP course provider does not appear on this list, it could mean that the provider has not yet submitted course materials, or that the materials are still under review. Contact your online or distance learning provider for more information. You can also encourage your provider to contact the AP Course Audit help line directly by calling 877-APHELP-0 (274-3570).