Honors courses are on-grade level academically advanced courses designed to challenge motivated students to understand rigorous content. The coursework requires students to engage in independent and analytical assignments and to complete a substantial amount of work outside of class. The curricula for the courses are built on the core academic curriculum following the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) expectations for each course. Honors middle school courses are designed to prepare students for high school Honors/Pre-AP, Dual-Credit/Dual-Enrollment, and Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Dual-Credit college courses are offered through Austin Community College and Dual-Enrollment college courses are offered through The University of Texas, Austin. AP courses are college-level courses taught in a high school setting. At the end of each AP course the corresponding AP Exam is given. Qualifying scores on the AP exams can enable students to receive college credit and/or advanced standing at a university or college.  The following Honors Courses are offered at LTISD Middle Schools: 

Enrollment into Honors coursework is open to any student interested in a challenging and rigorous curriculum.  Recommended guidelines have been included under each Honors Course to note suggested performance levels to ensure student success. Students who experience success in Honors courses typically exhibit the following personal and academic characteristics:

Personal Characteristics: 

Excellent study and organizational skills 

Ability to work well with others 

Persistence in pursuing goals 

A strong sense of responsibility 

Ability to become an independent learner  

A desire to be academically successful  

Reading on or above grade level  

Proficient oral and written communication skills  

Academic Characteristics: 

Grade of 90 or higher in a related academic content area course

Scores at the Advanced Academic Achievement level on the most recent STAAR test closely related to the Honors course being considered 

Students are encouraged to take Honors courses that are appropriate to their interests and academic strengths. The number of Honors courses also varies with students’ motivation, self-discipline, and available time outside of class. Students are not expected to enroll in Honors courses in all core subject areas. 

Coursework for Honors classes is advanced and requires academic discipline.  Students must maintain a passing average in order to remain in a Honors course. Students who are failing after 6 weeks will be placed on a probationary contract and parent contact will be made.  Student performance will be reassessed at the first 9 week grading period and those students still failing may be removed from the course. Students may need to be reassessed at the end of the second 9 week grading period for consideration of removal from the course at semester.

Honors Teachers have received subject-specific training to provide strategies and tools to engage their students in high-level learning. All teachers who teach Honors courses have received an initial 30 hours of intensive training in gifted and talented education as well as an annual 6 hours of training. 

*Any high school credit earned in middle school does not count towards the student grade point average or class rank at Lake Travis High School but the credits and grades will appear on the official high school transcript.