Course Levels

Courses are leveled according to a student’s ability and needs:

• Advanced Placement. Twenty-four wide-ranging Advanced Placement courses are offered to qualified students who experience college level classes and potentially earn college credits while still in secondary school. With syllabi prescribed by The College Board, those students wishing to enroll for these classes must obtain the specific department approval, having demonstrated motivation and previous academic achievement, and must be ready to take responsibility for extensive reading and writing assignments as independent study. All students enrolled in an Advanced Placement course are required to pay for and take the Advanced Placement Examination in May. Nightly independent workload for Advanced Placement courses may vary between subject areas. In general, students should expect significant independent weekly work per Advanced Placement course, upwards of one hour of work per evening per course. In order to meet the Advanced Placement timetable, students may be required to complete summer work, although requirements may vary by course. AP courses are weighted by incrementing the quality point equivalent for College Prep courses by 0.3 points.

Any student scheduled for an Advanced Placement course must sign a contract (requiring parent signature) and commit to that course for the entire school year. There will be no exceptions. Students who are considering a roster of more than three Advanced Placement courses should be very clear on the time necessary to meet the demands of these rigorous courses and must seek Counselor approval.

Advanced Placement courses are offered in the following areas:

• Honors. Honors level courses are offered for academically strong students who are able to pursue in-depth study and who are willing to spend extra time outside of class working independently. These courses require additional reading and writing assignments. Entrance into these classes requires department approval. The nightly workload for Honors courses may vary between subject areas, but students can anticipate a significant amount of independent work, generally 3-5 hours per week per course. Students are expected to manage their time to meet nightly and long-term deadlines. Honors courses are weighted by incrementing the quality point equivalent for College Prep courses by 0.2 points.

• College Preparatory. College Prep courses are offered for students whose command of skills enables them to accelerate at the pace required of a college preparatory curriculum. The level of independent work assigned will vary from subject to subject and from course to course. Home study may be a reinforcement of previous learning for mastery attainment. It may also be exposure to new material for the purpose of engaging students in attainment of new information. Independent work is designed to be meaningful in support of content and process goals, generally upwards of 3 hours per week per course.