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ACADEMIC PLANNING INFORMATION
REQUIRED CORE COURSES:
REQUIRED CORE COURSES:
Three years in each of the following:
English/Language Arts
Math
Science
Social Studies
6th: Contemporary World
7th: Texas History
8th: US History
OTHER REQUIRED COURSES:
OTHER REQUIRED COURSES:
One year of Fine Arts in the following disciplines. *All electives may not be available at all campuses.
Band
Choir
Orchestra
Theatre Arts
Visual Arts
Three years of Physical Education
PROMOTION STANDARDS
PROMOTION STANDARDS
In grades 6–8, promotion to the next grade level shall be based on an overall average of 70 on a scale of 100 based on course-level standards (essential knowledge and skills) for all subject areas, a grade of 70 or above in mathematics and in language arts, and a grade of 70 or above in either social studies or science. Board Policy EIE Local.
PURPOSE: Lewisville ISD is proud to offer a variety of HONORS courses that are open to all secondary students. The purpose of these courses is to meet the needs of students eager to engage in a challenging curriculum as they consider the multiple pathways that will lead to future college and career success. HONORS courses will offer an additional layer of depth and complexity applied to the standard core content alongside the high expectations and authentic learning experiences found in all LISD courses. Depth and complexity applied to the standard curriculum offers rich learning experiences for students interested in taking on the challenge of advanced coursework.
COURSE DESIGN: HONORS courses address the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for the course and are grounded in five shared approaches to teaching and learning across content areas. Applying a level of depth and complexity to the learning in LISD Honors courses will result in the following student outcomes. Click HERE for Course Design handout.
Positive Learning Environment in Honors Courses: Students in an Honors course will see themselves as a connected part of a community of learners where perspectives, passions, and prior experiences are valued. The community of learners will build and foster a sense of belonging and support for taking risks in the pursuit of academic excellence.
Academic Clarity in Honors Courses: Students in an Honors course will express a clear vision of essential learning outcomes and a shared understanding of success. Pacing and content in Honors courses will enrich the grade-level TEKS for the course and ask students to apply their learning to new and novel situations. Students will routinely grapple with concepts, skills, and ideas that will require perseverance and time to build complex understanding.
Academic Ownership in Honors Courses: Students in an Honors course will routinely engage in exploratory experiences that generate questions and theories as a way to make meaning and gain a deep understanding of a concept. Students take on an appropriate amount of the thinking in the classroom, where justification and exploration are a means to building understanding together.
Academic Conversations in Honors Courses: Students in an Honors course will routinely engage in discourse with others around the essential questions/enduring understandings as they make connections and explore concepts. Equitable participation in conversations builds a community of engaged learners where ideas are explored.
Academic Evidence in Honors Courses: Students in an Honors course will routinely take an active role in measuring their learning in an ongoing cycle of feedback, reflection, and action to refine their understanding. Participation in unit performance tasks in the course will serve as a way for students to make connections across skills and concepts in a relevant and authentic context.
COURSE ENROLLMENT: LISD begins offering HONORS courses to any interested student at the middle school level. Teacher recommendations or specific grade/assessment requirements are not required to participate in an HONORS course, only the desire and passion to engage in challenging learning in an area of personal interest. Recent legislation beginning in the 2024-2025 school year will require that students scoring in the top 40% on the Math 5 STAAR be automatically enrolled in our HONORS Math 6 course. Parents may opt their students out of this requirement. See your campus counselor for opt-out information.
MS HONORS COURSE OFFERINGS:
Honors ELAR Courses: ELAR 6, ELAR 7, ELAR 8
Honors Math Courses: Math 6, Math 7, Algebra I
Honors Science Courses: Science 6, Science 7, Science 8
Honors Social Studies Courses: World Cultures 6, Texas History 7, US HIstory 8
Honors Middle School Advanced Language Program (Continuation of Elementary Spanish Immersion and Dual Language Programming): Adv MS Spanish II 6, Adv MS Spanish III 7
HIGH SCHOOL COURSES OFFERED AT MIDDLE SCHOOL
HIGH SCHOOL COURSES OFFERED AT MIDDLE SCHOOL
The following courses are offered for high school credit on middle school campuses. Not all courses are offered at every campus.
Information regarding courses taken in middle school:
With the exception of Spanish 4 AP, no classes taken prior to the fall semester of 9th grade will count in GPA. Spanish 4 AP will count toward high school GPA, weighted at a Level 3.
All high school courses taken in middle school WILL be listed on the transcript with the numerical grade and the credit, including failed courses. Once a student completes a course, it cannot be removed from the official transcript.
To receive credit for a high school course taken at the middle school level, a student must successfully complete the entire course. Students may average pass for full credit IF the second half of the course is a 65 or higher.
For core courses and LOTE courses, students must pass or average pass the course to earn a full credit. If a student does not earn the full credit, the .5 remaining credit will be changed to an “N” grade on the transcript to remove the .5 credit. This is so students can retake the entire course in high school. These grades will not count toward GPA and rank in class but will remain on the high school transcript.
Other high school courses taken during middle school by students who have met course prerequisites in mathematics, science, social studies, and English will receive high school credit but will not count in high school GPA/rank in class
FAQs
Which grades will be on the high school transcript?
The grades for S1 and S2 will show on the high school transcript. This includes the average of the two 9-week terms (19T, 29T, 39T, 49T) and the semester exam (EX1, EX2) for each course.
Why do all grades have to show on the high school transcript?
All official transcripts follow the Texas Education Agency’s Academic Achievement Record Minimum Standards. This states that once a student completes a course, it may not be removed from the official record, which is the high school transcript. Academic Achievement Record | Texas Education Agency
If a student takes a Virtual Learning Academy Course the summer after 8th grade, will that count in GPA/rank in class?
No, only courses taken beginning in the fall semester of 9th grade and beyond will be calculated into GPA/rank in class. The only exception is Spanish 4 AP taken during 8th grade in an Advanced MS Spanish program.
STAAR TESTING REQUIREMENTS
STAAR TESTING REQUIREMENTS
Required Middle School School STAAR Tests:
Grade 6 – Reading, Mathematics
Grade 7 – Reading, Mathematics
Grade 8 – Reading, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies
STAAR and High School Level Courses taken in Middle School (e.g.
Algebra 1)
Beginning with the 2011-2012 school year, middle school students enrolled in high school level courses will be required to take the corresponding end-of-course (EOC) assessment.
STAAR and Student Performance
There are three cut scores on STAAR assessments, which separate student performance into four categories. For the STAAR program, the labels for the performance categories are:
Masters Grade Level (passing)
Meets Grade Level (passing)
Approaches Grade Level (passing)
Did Not Meet Grade Level (not passing)
TRANSFER GRADES
TRANSFER GRADES
Students who transfer to Lewisville schools from other U.S. schools with letter grades will receive the following numerical-grade equivalencies if there is no numerical equivalency on the transcript. If there is a range, the midpoint grade will be used.
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