2026-27 Advanced Placement United States History Syllabus Vocabulary

Flashcards covering the terminology, grading policies, exam structure, and historical themes detailed in the 2026-27 APUSH syllabus by Kevin Simmons.

i.R.E.P.S.

The five major categories for course themes: Intellectual developments and challenges, Religious history, Economic history, Political history, and Social history.

Historical Narratives

Unbiased, factually accurate assignments written for each AP Topic that must follow the i.R.E.P.S. method and incorporate specific terminology.

AI Threshold

The $30\%$ limit for AI-generated content in digitally submitted work; exceeding this results in a grade of $0$.

Historical Thinking Skills

Skills emphasized by the College Board including historical argumentation, contextualization, comparison, causation, continuity and change over time, and interpretation of primary/secondary sources.

AMSCO APUSH BOOK

The recommended supplemental resource for the class, specifically the LATEST VERSION - 4th Edition (ISBN: $978-1-6903-0550-7$).

Composition Notebook

A required material for note taking that must not have spirals.

South Carolina Phone Policy

A state-wide zero tolerance policy requiring phones to be checked in upon entering class so they are not accessible to students.

DBQ

Document Based Question; a required portion of the APUSH exam where all students complete the same question.

LEQ

Long Essay Question; an exam section where students choose one of three questions from different time periods sharing the same theme.

SAQ

Short Answer Questions; a portion of the exam where students complete questions $1$ and $2$, then choose between question $3$ or $4$.

EOC

End of Course examination for US History which serves as the final exam and accounts for $20\%$ of the 2nd semester average.

Major Grades

Assignment category including tests, projects, LEQs, and DBQs that accounts for $60\%$ of the course grade.

Minor Grades

Assignment category including classwork, homework, quizzes, and SAQs that accounts for $40\%$ of the course grade.

Writing Days

Designated days occurring every Thursday that may include specific writing assignments or unannounced quizzes.

Get out of jail free cards

Three passes provided per semester for late work extensions that result in a $10$ point deduction; unused passes are worth $5$ points extra credit.

Redo Policy

A policy allowing students scoring below $70$ to redo an assignment once for a maximum grade of $70$ after attending a tutoring session.

Period 1 and 2

The inaugural unit of the course covering the years $1491-1754$.

Period 7

A study unit covering the years $1890-1945$, typically occurring in February.