Course Levels

Standard Level Courses are offered in each discipline and are open to any student.

 Honors courses substantially exceed the content standards, learning expectations, and performance indicators approved by the State Board of Education.  They include instructional approaches that facilitate maximum interchange of ideas among students:  independent study, self-directed research and learning, and appropriate use of technology.  They must include multiple assessments exemplifying coursework (such as short answer, constructed-response prompts, performance-based tasks, open-ended questions, essays, original or creative interpretations, authentic products, portfolios, and analytical writing).  Additionally, an honors course shall include a minimum of five of the following components: 

·         Extended reading assignments that connect with specified curriculum

·         Research-based writing assignments that address and extend the course curriculum

·         Projects that apply course curriculum to relevant or real-world situations

·         Open-ended investigations in which the student selects the questions and designs the research

·         Writing assignments that demonstrate a variety of modes, purposes, and styles

·         Integration of appropriate technology into the course of study

·         Deeper exploration of the culture, values, and history of the discipline

·         Extensive opportunities for problem solving experiences through imagination, critical analysis, and application

·         Job shadowing experiences with presentations which connect classroom to the world of work

Advanced Placement (AP) courses are college-level courses with a prescribed core curriculum.  The AP National Examination is provided by and graded by the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) and is administered to AP students in May of each year.  Individual colleges and universities have their own specific standards for granting credit for AP work.  To enroll in an AP course, students should be recommended by their present teacher in that discipline.  Teachers add five points to each nine-week average.  The GPA is weighted by adding 1.0 quality points.  Each student is responsible for paying for his/her exam.  The CEEB number is 430-701.

Dual Enrollment Credit is available to juniors or seniors enrolled in high school who may take college courses for dual credit at any district recognized post-secondary institution in agreement with the policy.  A student who meets the admission requirements of the college, pays the tuition/expenses, and successfully completes the course receives high school credits on his/her transcript and also college credits on his/her college transcript.  The high school records the courses as pass/Fail.  Courses will not be weighted for honors or AP but will count toward the Williamson County Schools’ Honors diploma.  Qualifying students may receive partial payment for dual enrollment courses from the Tennessee Dual Enrollment Grant.  The counselor must approve any courses students wish to take for dual credit.  Go to http://www.state.tn.us/tsac for guidelines. Students need to see their school counselors to check eligibility and to obtain a dual enrollment application.