Course Selections

For placement in the following basic level classes:  English (grades 10-12), science, and social studies students must meet the following criteria:

• Scoring Below Basic on the most recent PSSA Reading Assessment

• Teacher recommendation

For mathematics basic level placement, the student must meet the following criteria:

• Scoring Below Basic on the most recent PSSA Math Assessment.

• Teacher Recommendation

The Butler Area School District offers College Tech Prep Programs in Allied Health Technologies, Child Development, Communications & Media Studies, Business Management and Finance, Engineering-Related Technologies, and Information Technologies. College Tech Prep is a college preparatory program leading to a two-year and four-year college degree with an emphasis on technical skills and practical applications of knowledge. An explanation of the programs and suggested course sequences can be in the College Tech Prep Section.

Look for the College Tech Prep Star logo in the following course descriptions to identify applied academic courses and technical courses in the College Tech Prep Program. 

Contact Mrs. Shannon McGraw, College Tech Prep Coordinator, at 724-214-3208 with any questions regarding the Program and/or courses.

Advanced placement courses are college-level courses for secondary school students. Students may elect to pay to take the “Advanced Placement Test” in any subject area in May. As a result of this test, students may qualify for college credits at participating colleges and universities.

For more information on these programs, contact your guidance counselor or Senior High Principal, Mr. Jason Huffman.

Butler Senior High School offers senior students the opportunity to enroll in dual enrollment courses offered at the BC3 Campus. Students wishing to attend will report to BC3's campus for the first three periods of the school day. Senior students are required to have a 2.75 GPA. To learn more, see the BC3 Early College Pioneer Program section.

For select Senior High School courses, students have the option to pay a tuition fee in order to receive both high school graduation credit and college credits through approved institutions. For a listing of the participating courses, fees, and accepting post-secondary institutions, please contact the guidance office.

Please see College in the High School Programs for more details.

Students in grade 11 and 12 will have the opportunity to pay a tuition fee and earn a minimum of 12 postsecondary credit hours through the Community College of Beaver County (CCBC) while participating in the Professional Piloting or Air Traffic Control programs.  These courses are taught in conjunction with Butler County Community College and are available there and at the Butler County Airport.  Students are required to complete an application, receive a recommendation from his or her school counselor, provide a transcript and possibly take placement exams.  Students are required to maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA throughout enrollment in CCBC courses. To learn more, see the CCBC Aviation Academy section.

Students have an opportunity to apply their academic, technical, and interpersonal skills to a work-based learning experience, including job shadowing, site visits, pre-apprenticeships and mock interviews all leading to possible employment. 

PLEx is a Personalized Learning Experience. 

As a district dedicated to fostering a culture of forward-thinking, innovative and life-long opportunities, it is our responsibility to meet the needs of all learners. PLEx is a customized approach to learning where students have the choice of different learning modalities that best meet their academic needs. Students will utilize the components of our Portrait of the Graduate in their acquisition of skills related to preparedness, responsibility, resilience and engagement. Students will participate in a personalized learning experience that provides them the agency of choice in customizing their learning.  

PLEx is only offered for select course offerings. To find out more, view the PLEx Program section.

Programs for the gifted child in the Butler Area School District may have three components, beginning with the Gifted Individualized Education Program (GIEP) and including options and modifications. The GIEP is a written form that spells out the specific programs and services the child will receive.  The GIEP also contains goals and objectives for the child, the date services are to start, and other information about the program. Options are all of those co-curricular activities and offerings of an enrichment nature from which any gifted student may select. Preparation for and participation in the selected options usually require a combination of some scheduled in-school time and/or out-of-class time and some out-of-school time on the part of the student. Modifications are those alterations of an acceleration and/or enrichment nature made in scheduling classes or within the classroom that are designed because there is strong evidence that the student has demonstrated advanced knowledge and/or skills in certain areas. Usually, this means acceleration in skill areas such as math and acceleration, enrichment, or both in the content areas such as social studies. Modifications within the classroom are made by the teacher as indicated in the GIEP.

For additional information on Gifted Education, parents and students should refer to Butler Area School District’s Gifted Education Program

Handbook.

English Learner Students (EL’s) will receive instruction in the same curriculum areas as the district’s English speaking students.  Equity in providing for these students’ successful achievement of the standards and graduation requirements will be addressed by the regular classroom teachers and/or the EL teacher. The amount and type of EL instruction provided will depend upon the student’s level of language development and proficiency as determined by an appropriate English Language Proficiency assessment. Instruction will take place as a “pull out” activity or in the mainstream classroom with supportive services.