AP Seminar is set to be added to course selection for the 2025-2026 academic year, and incoming sophomores may choose between AP Seminar or the standard English 2H. The new AP class will be joining Oxford’s other English AP courses, AP English Language & Composition and AP English Literature.
AP Seminar is a research-intensive course that involves longer projects, with the intent of students researching, discussing, and dissecting issues. The test itself differs from other AP tests as the AP score is based on two performance tasks culminated throughout the school year and submitted to the College Board, in addition to four FRQ responses during the testing period in May.
The introduction of the class to Oxford was proposed by Mrs. Fong, who currently teaches AP English Language & Composition and will teach and spearhead the AP Seminar curriculum. Being an established College Board class, its objectives have already been created, but teachers have freedom in selecting the works to be read, guided by College Board requirements and California’s Common Core State Standards. Other AUHSD campuses will also “fly” the class next academic year.
“I’m hoping that the class itself can help support the other AP courses at 10th grade, because it’s the first [time] sophomores take an AP exam,” said Fong. “They have to spend time learning how to write for those exams and answer those questions [for other AP exams], so I can support those classes with the writing part. [I’m] hoping to give the sophomores more skills to succeed.”
AP Seminar focuses on non-fiction works, research, and rhetorical analysis, while English 2 HP offers a primarily literature-based and analysis approach.
“We’re going to be exploring topics outside of the humanities, even — research, argument writing, argument research writing. I also think that the cross-curricular component is something a little bit different in comparison to the standalone English Honors. There’s more of a synthesis [here],” said Fong.
As a newly-added AP course, AP Seminar’s success depends entirely on whether students choose to take it. If not enough incoming sophomores choose to enroll in the class, then it will not be offered, as is the case with other electives. The master schedule must also take into account teacher contracts, credentials, and staffing, alongside how many students actually select the course as their primary choice during course selection in January/February.
“Having [more] offerings are good because Oxford was designed to be a college prep school… And still to this day the purpose is to be college prep. One of the things that AP has going for it is you can get college credit,” said Assistant Principal Mr. Hurley. “Within our offerings here at school, people just need to be well-versed on which of those are going to benefit them and which aren’t.”
