Course Levels

Houston High School wants you to take the most rigorous and challenging courses for which you are ready, willing, and able to accept. Remember: there is quite a fine line between challenging oneself and overwhelming oneself.

As you begin your course selection process, keep in mind every element of your life inside and outside of school. Do you intend to have a job? Do you participate in co-curricular or extra curricular activities? How well do you manage your time? What are your academic strengths and where do you see a need for improvement? Will you need additional academic help?  

CCRC 

CCRC courses are College and Career Readiness Courses. These courses are based on specific academic standards which develop mastery of skills necessary for students to be prepared for life after high school. Students who successfully complete standard courses will graduate on time and be prepared for the challenges of college, the workforce, or both. Standard courses are focused on postsecondary readiness and will prepare students for many early postsecondary courses available at HHS, especially Dual Enrollment courses Each Standard course is part of the state’s graduation requirements either within a sequence of required content credits or as elective credits which offer students more individualized choice Standard courses require students to apply prior and new learning across the curriculum, to think critically, and to practice content specific skills in order to evidence learning in multiple formats

Honors

Honors Honors courses are academically advanced courses offered as companions to many standard courses, and instruction is based on the same grade level and content standards. Like students of standard courses, students who successfully complete honors coursework will be well prepared for postsecondary life Like standard, honors courses are focused on postsecondary readiness and will prepare students for many early postsecondary courses available at HHS Like standard, honors courses require students to apply prior and new learning across the curriculum, to think critically, and to practice content specific skills in order to evidence learning in multiple formats, but additionally require deeper knowledge, synthesis of multiple content areas, and more mature or expert response. Honors courses will better prepare students for the rigor, depth, and expectations of future Advanced Placement courses In order to prepare students for AP courses, honors courses do often include challenging content, a brisker pace, and additional demands for independent, self-directed study in addition to summer enrichment assignments Students receive 3 additional quality points applied to grading periods & semester exams

EPSO

• Early Post Secondary Opportunities offer students the ability to: 

• earn postsecondary credits while in high school 

• become familiar with postsecondary expectations 

• develop confidence and skills for success in postsecondary 

• make informed postsecondary and career decisions 

• decrease the time and cost of completing a certificate or degree

Statewide Dual Enrollment Credit EPSO

Statewide dual credit classes are college-level courses taught at the high-school level by trained high-school teachers. Course content and objectives are designed and reviewed by high school and university faculty to ensure courses are aligned with postsecondary standards and expectations. All statewide dual credit courses are approved by the Consortium for Cooperative Innovative Education before they can be offered. All students enrolled in a statewide dual credit course take the online challenge exam, which is used to assess mastery of course content and standards. Students who meet or exceed the exam ‘cut score’ receive college credit that can be applied to any Tennessee public postsecondary institution. Exam scores are reported on student transcripts to ensure postsecondary credit is accurately awarded but, these scores are not used in any state accountability measures.

Dual Enrollment EPSO

DE options are widely accepted because they are, in fact, college courses taken through a cooperating college or university. They are transferable to any TN Board of Regents institutions of higher education and to most state colleges and universities which accept transfer credits from The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools or other certifying associations. Dual enrollment courses offer students opportunities not only to begin experiencing the rigor of college courses, but also to save a great deal of time and money after graduation. Students have an excellent opportunity to experience the expectations of collegiate study and are better prepared for the transition after high school. As students are "dually" enrolled, students receive two separate grades: one for the cooperating institution and one for Houston High School. These averages will differ: high school averages will receive additional quality points while postsecondary averages will not. The postsecondary average is made up solely of the assignments required by the postsecondary institution, but the HHS average may include additional assignments to ensure grades meet minimum requirements set forth by GMSD grading policies.

Industry Certification EPSO

Industry Certification (IC) credits are earned through secondary and postsecondary career and technical education programs and courses. High school students are encouraged to focus their elective credits on robust, career-aligned learning pathways. All state-promoted certifications are aligned with postsecondary and employment opportunities and with the competencies and skills that students should have acquired through their chosen programs of study. Students will earn four (4) percentage points added to the final average of each grading period and each semester exam grade. The two nine-week grades and the semester exam grade will be used to calculate the semester average, but additional quality points are not added to the semester average. In addition, students receive 0.75 quality points on the scale used to calculate weighted GPAs.

Advanced Placement EPSO

Advanced Placement (AP) courses are taught at a college level with curriculum and course content determined by The College Board to ensure student readiness for AP qualifying exams. AP courses require deeper content knowledge and content literacy skills as well as extensive reading, writing, and application beyond the classroom. Students in AP courses have an opportunity to earn college credit based on their performance on the associated AP exam. To enroll in an AP course, students should have successfully completed prerequisite coursework - often at an honors level - and be recommended by a prerequisite teacher.

Students should be aware that many Advanced Placement Courses require summer enrichment due at the onset of the course. Like in honors courses, summer enrichment is intended for students to further hone their skills, to access necessary content knowledge, and to practice model responses which might be new and unfamiliar to them. In addition to recommendations, students must submit a signed Memorandum of Understanding and Summer Enrichment forms acknowledging their understanding of course requirements.

Students will earn five (5) percentage points which are applied to the final average of each grading period and to each semester exam grade. The two nine-week grades and the semester exam grade will be used to calculate the semester average, but additional quality points are not added to the semester average. AP course grades also carry an additional quality point used in the calculation of weighted averages.

Students should additionally note that failure to participate in the qualifying AP exam delivered at the conclusion of the course requires that these points be retroactively removed from their averages, which may negatively impact overall averages and, ultimately, GPAs.

AP credits are nearly universally accepted, though the required cut scores for credit and the credit hours awarded vary by schools. Some schools, such as service academies, do not offer credits for AP courses despite a highly competitive admissions process that drives students to take them anyway

• AP options are suited for students who desire challenge and rigor in one or more content areas. AP courses are more rigorous and comprehensive than DE courses. Many AP courses have challenging prerequisites, but others are open to any student willing to accept the challenge and the workload 

• AP courses are taught by teachers with high levels of content expertise and who have attended rigorous training courses which seek to ensure students receive strong instruction

• College credits are awarded solely based on AP exam performance regardless of the student’s academic grade in the course
  There is no cost associated with the course, but there is a fee for the exam. Students who don’t sit for the exam retroactively lose the 5 quality points associated with the course, which can adversely impact their GPA

• There are AP courses that are accessible to students at every grade level, and students can take as many AP courses as they can manage