CMCSS Course Catalog - TN Education Lottery Scholarship Program

Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship Program

HOPE

Currently, the HOPE scholarship requires either a minimum 21 composite ACT (980 SAT math and critical reasoning score) or 3.0 final cumulative GPA. Information regarding additional scholarships available through the lottery scholarship program is available at www.tn.gov/collegepays. Please check with the school counseling office or the Tennessee state website for the most current information concerning the available scholarships and requirements.

Tennessee Promise

Tennessee Promise is both a scholarship and mentoring program focused on increasing the number of students that pursue post-secondary education in our state. Students must apply online by the November 1st deadline of their senior year and meet the other TN Promise requirements. Full information including a list of eligible institutions is available at www.TNPromise.gov.

Courses

High School Course Descriptions

Part two of the catalog provides the course descriptions for courses available at your school. Some of the courses listed are honors, dual enrollment and AP (Advanced Placement) courses. Please refer to the information below for details about how these courses differ from the regular course counterpart.

Honors Courses

Honors courses in English, math, science, and social studies are available in each high school. Individual schools determine enrollment in honors courses. Honors course descriptions are listed within the content areas in this document.

The State of Tennessee defines honors courses as follows:

Enrollment requirements for honors courses are established at each school.

Honors courses will substantially exceed the content standards, learning expectations, and performance indicators approved by the State Board of Education.

Independent study, self-directed research, and appropriate use of technology are used to maximize interchange of ideas among students.

All honors courses must include multiple assessments.

All honors courses include a minimum of five of the following components:

i. Extended reading assignments

ii. Research-based writing assignments

iii. Projects connected to relevant or real-world situations

iv. Open-ended investigations

v. Writing assignments that demonstrate a variety of modes, purposes, and styles

vi. Use of appropriate technology

vii. Deeper exploration of the culture, values, and history of the discipline

viii. Problem solving experiences

ix. Job shadowing experiences

Each student with a passing average at the end of the nine weeks will be awarded a three-point increase in the nine weeks and semester exam for that honors course.

CMCSS forms INS-A021 and INS-A022 provide further detail about honors courses in our high schools. Any changes in those policies will impact the information published here on the effective date of said change.

Dual Enrollment

The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System allows high school juniors and seniors to enroll in college classes with state institutions governed by the University of Tennessee or Tennessee Board of Regents. Private and non-Tennessee institutions will be approved on a case-by-case basis.

Dual enrollment is a college course option, taught either on a college or university campus or at the high school by college or university professors. Participation in dual enrollment courses will allow students to earn high school and college credits simultaneously. The curriculum and materials utilized in each dual enrollment course are determined by the university from which the credit is offered. Students who meet the eligibility and participation requirements for the Dual Enrollment Grant can take a limited number of courses free of charge. Students must qualify for enrollment at the partnering institution in order to register for a dual enrollment course.

Local Dual Credit

Local dual credit options allow high school teachers to align their courses to those offered at a partnering post-secondary institution. At the end of an LDC course, students who take and pass an exam designed by the postsecondary institution will earn credit recognized by the college or university that created the exam.

Advanced Placement [AP] Courses

Individual schools determine enrollment in AP courses. Students entering the AP program must be highly motivated, committed to the course, and understand the higher level of expectations.

The following information is excerpted from the College Board’s overview of its AP Program.

“AP® is a rigorous academic program that provides willing and academically prepared high school students with the opportunity to study and learn at the college level. AP teachers help students develop and apply the skills, abilities, and content knowledge they will need later in college. Each AP course is modeled upon a comparable college course, and college and university faculty play a vital role in ensuring that AP® courses align with college-level standards.”

AP courses culminate with college-level assessments developed and scored by college and university faculty members as well as experienced AP teachers. AP Exams are a required part of the AP experience, enabling students to demonstrate their mastery of college-level course work. Individual colleges determine if course credit is granted for the AP exam score. Each student with a passing average at the end of each nine weeks will be awarded a five-percentage point increase for the quarter for that AP course when the student takes the required culminating exam per state policy.

As an incentive for CMCSS students, those earning a score of 3 or above on a scale of 1 – 5 will be reimbursed the amount they paid for their test. Reimbursements should be received around the second week of December of the following school year. NOTE: AP Exams are administered in May according to a national schedule established by the College Board. CMCSS reimburses students who earn a score of 3 or higher on any AP exam if they are in the class or if the class is not offered or available. Additional information concerning the national Advanced Placement program may be found at www.collegeboard.org.

Career Technical Education (CTE)

CTE does more than simply prepare students for careers; it provides students with an opportunity to develop the specific academic, technical, and professional skills necessary to be successful in a career and life. Rigorous course standards have been intentionally chosen to design CTE programs of study aligned to industry expectations. Students engage in pathway-relevant content through experiences such as career and technical student organizations (CTSOs), EPSOs, work-based learning courses, and industry certifications. Industry Certifications can be earned through exams aligned to some secondary and postsecondary career and technical education pathways. Through the earning of industry certifications, students can showcase content and use of technology or equipment, solve industry aligned problems, meaningfully interact with industry professionals, and produce industry-specific outcomes. Industry certifications are broken into three tiers. Although all certifications showcase mastery of specific knowledge and skills, Tier 3 Industry Certifications are considered to be the most desirable to business and industry partners as they typically take the most time and expertise to obtain.