Pilot Courses

Career and Technical Education

Real Estate Marketing

Course Code 821200

Grade(s): 10-12

Prerequisite: Intro to Business/Marketing

1 Credit

Elective In this course students will examine the practical applications of real estate principles, the impact the industry has on the economy, home ownership, entrepreneurship, and careers in the industry. Students will investigate topics including contracts, financing, land descriptions, legal concepts, marketing, titles, appraisals, agency responsibilities, and management of real estate. Upon successful completion of the course students are eligible to take the Virginia Real Estate Salesperson Exam, which covers both state specific and national topics.

Contextual instruction and student participation in co-curricular career and technical student organization (CTSO) activities will develop leadership, interpersonal, and career skills. High-quality work-based learning (HQWBL) will provide experiential learning opportunities related to students' career goals and/or interests, integrated with instruction, and performed in partnership with local businesses and organizations.

This course also meets the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation's (DPOR's) required 60 class/clock hours of real estate salesperson pre-license education. (The 60-hour requirement does not expire.)

*Individuals must be 18 years of age and have a high school diploma before applying for licensure as a real estate salesperson in Virginia. Additionally, those interested in pursuing licensure should be aware of the costs involved (e.g., application fee, testing fee, continuing education fees). Refer to DPOR regulations for current information. Further details are provided in the Related Material section of this course.

This course is offered at IHS.

Computer Science

Data Structures/AI DE

Course Code 588700

Grade(s): 11-12

Prerequisite: AP Computer Science A

1 Credit

NOTE: LCPS awards an elective credit for this course only. It does not count for a Math, Science or CTE credit. 

The Data Structures/Artificial Intelligence course is an advanced guided independent study course that will introduce students to data structures including stacks, queues, deques, linked lists, dictionaries, sets, maps and trees. Students will also cover artificial intelligence topics including data collection, linear regression, k nearest neighbor, and neural networks. The course will be Dual Enrolled with Richard Bland CSCI 221. Students have the potential of earning 4 college credits.

This course is offered at RRH. 

English

English 11 DE

Course Code 160506

Grade(s): 11

Prerequisite: English 10

1 Credit

LCPS provides students the opportunity to earn college credit while fulfilling their English 11 course requirement. English 11 Dual Enrollment (DE) is a rigorous, college-level course that focuses on composition, argumentation, and critical reading skills. It is a fast-paced course that covers not only the Virginia English 11 SOL, but also two full semesters of college-level composition and reading. English 11 DE is taught by LCPS teachers who are also adjunct faculty members at participating colleges. This course awards 6 college credits.

This course is offered at PFH.

English 12 American Literature DE

Course Code 170506

Grade(s): 12

Prerequisite: English 11 DE

1 Credit

Examines American literary traditions and texts from diverse time periods, genres and authors. Analyzes literary works within their historical, cultural, social and/or literary contexts. Emphasizes skills of close reading. Develops critical thinking and interpretive skills through discussion, interpretation, and analysis of these texts. This course awards 3 college credits. 

This course is offered at PFH.

Reasoning and Rhetoric

Course Code 184000

Grade(s): 10-12

Prerequisite: None

1 Credit

Elective This course will engage students in an in-depth study of critical thinking and reasoning and the use of rhetoric. After studying the basics of claims, evidence, facts and opinions, the class will examine formal and informal logic along with deductive and inductive reasoning. Students will consider the role of fallacies in their own work as well as public medica and communications and will study a number of experiential and error biases. Discussions of justifications, quality of evidence, truth, rationality and responsible belief will become central to the course. Students will also learn classical rhetoric and the Socratic method. They will engage in formalized debates on current social, political, and economic policy issues complete rhetorical analysis activities and write argument papers throughout the course. 

This course is offered at RRH.

Young Adult Literature

Course Code 172000

Grade(s): 10-12

Prerequisite: None

1 Credit

Elective This course is an introduction to the multiple genres of contemporary young adult literature and will explore a range of literary works written or marketed as young adult. Our focus will be on critical reading and analysis of a variety of literary narratives by aware-winning authors, that reflect on human experiences with an emphasis on diverse voices and perspectives. Readings, discussions and writing assignments will require critical analysis of the literary features of these books and invite discussion on the perspectives of genre, theme, representations of adolescence and adulthood, and approaches to interpretation. By the end of this course, students will have an opportunity to analyze the complexities of adolescence, diversity, literature and the contexts in which they meet.

This course is offered at BWH. 

Science

Environmental Pathway (EP) Biology Honors

Course Code 656300

Grade(s): 9  

1 Credit

Prerequisite: None

SOL Test Students taking Biology gain detailed knowledge of living systems. Areas of study include core experiences that integrate environmental concepts into cellular organization and processes, molecular biology, classification of organisms, genetics, evolution, and ecosystems. WEA Biology is designed to give students multiple experiences conducting environmental science research as a means to develop biology content knowledge and scientific thinking as a part of a larger school of thought that involves sustainability on our planet. Students interpret biological information and utilize technology, and biological protocols to organize and analyze data about environmental themes throughout the year.

Students learn the role that scientific evidence and scientific thinking plays in development of new scientific knowledge in the field of environmental biology. Students are expected to collect and communicate data with descriptive statistics and graphical representations with regards to the environment. In addition, students answer environmental biology research questions using scientific data and draw conclusions using their biological and environmental  content knowledge.

During WEA Biology, students develop the science thinking and process skills required to generate a scientific research question about the role of biology in the environment, and design an investigation to collect data that will answer their question. Additionally, students develop a deeper understanding of the role of inferential statistics in data analysis and drawing conclusions. All WEA Biology students are expected to complete an in-depth, independent environmental Science Research Investigation (SRI) as a required part of their course work that may be used as a foundation for future environmental research.

WEA Biology students may participate in the process leading to possible selection for participation in the Loudoun County Regional Science and Engineering Fair (RSEF). WEA Biology students may participate in a course pathway leading to an environmental seal on their diploma their senior year.

All WEA Biology students will participate in core and field experiences designed to develop skills that address environmental issues in the local and global communities of our world.

This course is offered at WHS.

Social Science and Global Studies

AP African American Studies

Course Code 774000

Grade(s): 10-12

Prerequisite: None

Elective AP African American Studies is an interdisciplinary course that examines the diversity of African American experiences through direct encounters with authentic and varied sources. Students explore key topics that extend from early African Kingdoms to the ongoing challenges and achievements of the contemporary moment. Given the interdisciplinary character of African American studies, students in the course will develop skills across multiple fields, with an emphasis on developing historical, literary, visual, and data analysis skills. This course foregrounds a study of the diversity of Black communities in the United States with the broader context of Africa and the African diaspora.