Course Guide

Middle School Curriculum Information 2024-2025

This course guide gives you information about the courses offered at each Middle School. Middle school requirements are explained on the following pages. Each course description contains learning recommendations as well as a description of the content and skills taught in the class. Learning recommendations are descriptions of what a student should know and be able to do prior to taking the class. The learning recommendations are designed to serve as a guide to help inform the course request process.

Use the planning guide to map out your three-year middle school plan for the required 6-period day. We also encourage you to think ahead about the sequence of courses you will want to take in high school, the courses you take now can impact your options later. This way you will know what courses to choose in middle school to be prepared for the high school courses that reflect your interests, future goals and aspirations.

Opportunity to select more advanced coursework

The choices you make now are important building blocks to future learning. By taking rigorous courses in middle school, you gain knowledge and a learning environment that you might not otherwise experience.

The greatest benefit of any of these programs is the experience of taking academic courses in an enriched environment with classmates that are also seeking additional intellectual challenges. Advanced courses are courses where students learn above grade level content, students learn concepts at a faster rate, and/or courses where concepts are taught with greater complexity and depth.

Advanced Middle School Courses

Students choosing courses should:

• reflect student’s interest and aspirations in that course of study
• ready and willing to develop and apply
  • advanced study habits and organizational skills.
  • effective communication and reading skills for engaging with rigorous material.
  • motivation, maturity, perseverance, and stamina for learning challenging material.
• consider the increased time commitment to studies outside of the school day. Please consider all responsibilities, including sports, music, and club affiliations.
• consider the possibility that grades could be lower than if students took the typical course sequence(s).
• consider the possibility that by skipping courses in math and science your student may have some gaps in content knowledge.

High school credit for courses taken in Middle School

Grades earned in courses designated as earning High School Credit will be automatically posted to the high school transcript. Students can request to have the course transcribed only for credit toward graduation and not include the grade in the student’s high school GPA calculation. Students can also request to have these credits removed completely from their transcript and if credits are removed from the high school transcript, the grade and credit cannot be added back and will permanently be excluded from the student’s grade point average.