The foundation of the St. Stephen's experience is the school's rigorous academic program. Long acknowledged as one of the region's pre-eminent college- preparatory schools, St. Stephen's has emerged as a national leader in preparatory education, and its graduates consistently go on to study at the country’s most prestigious colleges and universities.

The St. Stephen's academic program is designed for able, motivated young people who plan to attend college. Much is asked of these young people in terms of time, dedication, and effort while at St. Stephen's. In return, they receive a world-class education from teachers who are deeply committed not only to teaching but also to the success and well-being of their students. Small class sizes and personal interaction with faculty, both in and out of the classroom, ensure that every student can develop his or her potential to the fullest.

Teachers at St. Stephen's are characterized by their deep involvement in the challenging and rewarding work of educating young people. Because learning at St. Stephen's takes place in a tightly-knit community, it's going on all the time. Students interact with one another and with their teachers over meals and during extracurricular activities, and the result is an ongoing process that doesn't stop at the classroom door. Boarding students particularly benefit from this environment: Since many teachers live on campus, they are literally more approachable than their counterparts at day schools.

The faculty's enthusiasm for teaching is rivaled only by its expertise. Approximately half of the school's staff and faculty have master's degrees, and 15 percent hold doctorates. And almost every teacher has a degree in the subject he or she teaches.

St. Stephen's exposes students to the fundamentals of a classic liberal-arts education, incorporating English, history, math, science, languages, theology, and a number of elective options, including visual arts, performing arts, computer science, and much more.

It is the goal in every St. Stephen’s class to produce not only knowledgeable graduates but thoughtful and engaged human beings. The fundamentals of a subject are only the raw material for the development of each student's powers of observation and their ability to think clearly and analytically about the world.

These skills are relevant to every field–whether chemistry, poetry, or history– and in emphasizing the life skills of disciplined thought and sustained effort toward a complex goal, St. Stephen's prepares its students for the challenges of college-level classes.

During the 2006-2007 school year, the Curriculum Committee at St. Stephen’s decided to explore the issue of whether following an AP curriculum at St. Stephen’s made good sense, both as an issue of curricular philosophy and as a lens through which colleges evaluate the strengths of applicants from SSES. The College Counseling Office was charged with exploring the issue, both by contacting other schools which have dropped the AP program, and by contacting colleges which receive applications from our students. Discussions continued through the fall of the 2007-2008 school year, and in November, 2007, the Curriculum Committee voted to eliminate the AP curriculum designation, beginning with the 2008-2009 school year.

This decision is not one we have made lightly. As a college preparatory school, St. Stephen’s takes seriously its charge to ensure that our graduates are as prepared as possible for the rigors of the curricula at the most demanding colleges in this country and abroad. We are fortunate as a school to have both a sterling reputation among college admissions offices, and a dedicated faculty committed to an educational experience that transcends the classroom. This allows St. Stephen’s to take on the responsibility of developing our own advanced curriculum, instead of following an outside system imposed by The College Board. Since one of our publicly stated core values is to provide a “rigorous academic environment that encompasses active inquiry and fosters a love of learning,” we believe that a locally developed curriculum will allow our teachers the flexibility to design advanced and challenging courses that incorporate new and innovative ideas in each field of study with goals that exceed preparation for a nationally standardized test, like the AP Exam. While some elements of the AP curriculum may be included in what is taught, we want to allow departments the flexibility to design their own advanced course content. We already follow this model in the English, History and Foreign Language departments, and we want to be consistent in implementing this philosophy across the disciplines.

We will continue to be an AP test center, and we will support students who wish to sit for AP examinations in any subjects they choose. Our students currently pass (with a score of 3 or better) AP examinations at an overall rate of 90%, whether they are enrolled in an official AP course or not. For example, in English and U.S. History, not subjects in which we offer AP classes, students who elected to take the exams over the last two years passed at a rate of 100%. Scores on AP examinations are not generally considered as part of an applicant’s credentials for college admission, but they can sometimes be used for advanced standing at the college level. However, the amount of credit granted by colleges has been shrinking over the years, and many colleges and universities have set higher standards for scores required to receive that credit. In addition, many colleges will also grant advanced standing in subject areas such as math, English, and foreign language based on the results of SAT Subject Test examinations, which are currently taken by approximately 75% of our students every year. We understand that scores on standardized examinations are important to our students, and we have explored ways in which we will help prepare students who choose to sit for the AP or SAT Subject Test examinations. (See below for descriptions.)

The AP program has historically helped schools, especially large ones with students of widely varying abilities and backgrounds, to offer a set of pre-designed courses to challenge those students at the top end of the ability range. We are lucky at St. Stephen’s to enroll students who can all benefit from extremely rigorous coursework, and to be an institution committed to providing a challenging and innovative curriculum across the board. For these reasons and more, we are excited to join approximately fifty other excellent independent schools across the country which have either eliminated all AP courses or which offer them on an extremely limited basis. Some of these schools include: The Boston University Academy, MA; The Bush School, WA; Concord Academy, MA; The Crossroads School, CA; The Dalton School, NY; The Fieldston School, NY; Francis W. Parker School, IL; The Haverford School, PA; Phillips Exeter Academy, NH; St. Paul’s School, NH; Shady Side Academy, PA; The Spence School, NY and Westtown School, PA.

Recognizing the need to help students prepare for important standardized tests, here is what individual departments will do in the 2008-09 school year for courses which either had been AP or are courses in which there is a possibility of taking an AP or SAT Subject Test:

Latin IV:
At the conclusion of Latin IV, students may take the Latin SAT Subject Test. (It is not required that they do so.) The Classics Department will provide practice on the SAT Subject Test. The department head will meet with students planning to take the test in order to describe ways the SAT Subject Test differs from those typically set at St. Stephen’s, and to help students plan appropriate strategies for what is simply a multiple-choice grammar test over several passages from Latin literature read “at sight.” Students will find that the best way to succeed on the SAT Subject Test is for them to have worked continually throughout the year on assignments that develop and strengthen their grasp of Latin grammar.

Advanced Latin V:
In Advanced Latin V, students elect in alternate years whether to finish the epic sequence by reading at greater length and in greater depth Vergil’s Aeneid, or to begin the lyric/elegiac sequence by reading selected poems of Catullus and Ovid. Readings will include all of those required by the Advanced Placement syllabus in Latin. It is anticipated, but not required, that at the completion of Latin V, a student will take the pertinent Advanced Placement examinations. In any case, the department head will teach the class the skills necessary to tackle an AP Latin exam. In the spring term the department head will give each student a candid assessment of his/her prospects of success on this very challenging evaluation. The AP Latin exam should be thought of as supposing the preparation of a college-level Latin course.

SAT Reasoning Test Writing Section:
Teachers of juniors will describe the kind of writing assignment which this test requires and discuss strategies and sample essays.

SAT Subject Test:
Concerning the Literature subject test, the College Board states that "The best way to prepare for the test is through close reading of English and American literature from a variety of historical periods and in a variety of genres. The more skilled you become at understanding and analyzing literary texts, the better prepared you will be. There is no reading list for the Literature test. It doesn't cover specific facts or background information about particular books or writers. If you have practiced your interpretive skills thoroughly and can apply them to a number of different types of literary works, you are ready to take the test." Thus, the English Department does not need to do any specific preparation for this test since students practice using their interpretive skills on a daily basis in our classes and are exposed to a wide range of genres and historical periods in English and American literature.

AP Literature Exam:
The department head will meet during the spring term with students planning to take the test in order to describe ways the AP essays differ from the those typically assigned at St. Stephen's and to help students plan appropriate strategies.

Art History:
This course will follow the curriculum created by the instructor, but will also cover essential aspects of the AP curriculum. Review sessions will be offered in the spring for those who are preparing for the AP exam.

Music Theory:
While not focused directly on the AP exam, the class will cover the musical elements included in the exam. Melody, rhythm, harmony, composition, sight singing, ear training, and dictation are integral to the course and to the exam. Review sessions that include practice tests will be offered in the spring for those preparing for the AP exam.

Students in the advanced art classes will be able to build strong portfolios for college applications and for other uses, but the projects in class will not be the same as those required for completion of an AP Portfolio. Because most students use time in the summer to create work to add to the AP portfolio, an information session will be offered in the spring for students who are interested in building an AP Portfolio for submission in May of the following year.

The Foreign Language Dept. will continue to work toward helping St. Stephen's students achieve the highest proficiency possible in the languages they are studying. An increased emphasis on listening comprehension and oral production, together with our traditional emphasis on grammar, reading comprehension, and written production will ensure that most of our upper-level (IV-V-VI) students will be prepared to score well on national standardized foreign language tests. Interested students will also have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the test formats and to do practice tests.

U.S. History:
The best preparation for these tests is to maintain “very good” and “honors” grades in history classes. As standardized tests, the AP and the SAT Subject Tests require practice with their format within the allotted timeframe. All students are encouraged to take a full-length, timed practice test to gauge the amount of review they will need to do to perform well. The library has purchased review books with practice tests. The history department offers review sessions for the AP in the spring, and Ms. Sallee's website offers an AP link to help students become familiar with the format of the test. Students taking either the AP or the SAT Subject Test can benefit from these reviews because the content of the test is similar. The format for the AP includes multiple-choice and three essays, including a document-based question. The format for the SAT is only multiple-choice, and thus depends more on recall of facts. Teachers will use practice questions on their quizzes throughout the year to help students become familiar with the multiple-choice format of the SAT Subject Test and AP multiple-choice section. The History Department stresses essay writing throughout its curriculum, which prepares our students well for the AP free response questions. Review sessions deal with the specific nature of the document-based question.

European History:
This course offers an in-depth exploration of European history. Essential aspects of the Advanced Placement curriculum will be covered and thus students will be prepared to take the AP exam in May.

AP Calculus Exams:
Though the AP designation will no longer be used at St. Stephen’s, the Math Department will continue to provide the same thorough preparation for the Calculus AB/BC and Statistics exams that it has in the past. The Calculus AB and BC and the Statistics classes have not been limited by or to the AP curriculum, and therefore will not be affected by the lack of an AP designation.

SAT Subject Test Mathematics Level 1:
Students who have completed Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II will have been exposed to all of the material covered on the SAT Subject Test Mathematics Level 1, as well as the types of questions and question format. Sample questions will be given throughout the year, both as out of class assignments and as test questions. Students who choose to take this test are recommended to do so in May or June of the academic year in which they are enrolled in Algebra II.

SAT Subject Test Mathematics Level 2:
Students who have completed Precalculus will have been exposed to all of the material covered on the SAT Mathematics Subject Test Level 2, as well as the types of questions and question format. Sample questions will be given throughout the year, both as out of class assignments and as test questions. Students who choose to take this test are recommended to do so in May or June of the academic year in which they are enrolled in Precalculus. Science

Students planning to take the SAT Subject Test or AP examinations in biology, chemistry, or physics should plan to take the appropriate advanced science course in that discipline. They should also inform their teachers that they are interested in taking these tests so that the nature and scope of the test can be discussed, a study plan can be developed and extra assignments could be given during the year which will help them to prepare for not only those few topics which are not heavily emphasized, but also the format of the questions which are asked. The content of our advanced courses includes all of the major topics found in advanced placement courses, but also takes special care in including many more laboratory and inquiry-type experiences. We believe that students should be given as much opportunity to perform experiments and to conduct other forms of research as possible at this stage in their learning of science. This approach then also requires appropriate allocation of class time for experimentation and discussion. Thus, there will be certain topics, equations, and types of problems which are emphasized less in our courses. To help our students, teachers will provide them with extra assignments, practice tests, and time to review their progress. Students should take the initiative to set up periodic meetings with their teachers during the year. The best way to succeed on these standardized tests is for the student to work continually throughout the year by reviewing and expanding their understanding of each topic as it is introduced in class.