Requirement:
A student may elect to take an Honors/Advanced Placement Course upon successful completion of the prerequisite course(s) with a “C” average.

Should a student encounter difficulty in making adequate academic progress in an Honors or Advanced Placement Course, the following procedures should be followed:

• The student must first consult the teacher for ways to improve.

• If academic difficulty continues, the parent may request a school meeting to include the teacher, the student, the parent(s), and the appropriate school counselor along with the appropriate assistant principal. This team will form a plan of action.

The final approval for a student to drop a course is at the discretion of the principal and shall be based upon multiple factors, including available space in an alternative class at the time of the request.

1. Framework of Standards for Honors Courses. Honors courses will substantially exceed the content standards, learning expectations, and performance indicators approved by the State Board of Education. Teachers of honors courses will model instructional approaches that facilitate maximum interchange of ideas among students: independent study, self-directed research and learning, and appropriate use of technology. All honors courses 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:

1. Extended reading assignments that connect with the specified curriculum.

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

3. Projects that apply course curriculum to relevant or real-world situations. These may include oral presentations, PowerPoint, or other modes of sharing findings. Connection of the project to the community is encouraged.

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

5. Writing assignments that demonstrate a variety of modes, purposes, and styles.
   (I) Examples of mode include narrative, descriptive, persuasive, expository, and expressive.
   (II) Examples of purpose include to inform, entertain, and persuade.
   (III) Examples of style include formal, informal, literary, analytical, and technical.

6. Integration of appropriate technology into the course of study.

7. Deeper exploration of the culture, values, and history of the discipline.

8. Extensive opportunities for problem-solving experiences through imagination, critical analysis, and application.

9. Job shadowing experiences with presentations which connect class study to the world of work.

All course types which meet the above framework will be classified as honors, eligible for additional percentage point weighting.

Technical courses that offer a National Industry Certification through a nationally recognized examination may be weighted by adding 3 points to all grades used to calculate the semester average.

If honors courses and courses that offer National Industry Certification are offered, the Board shall annually approve the list of such courses. This list of National Industry Certification courses and of approved honors courses with a complete syllabus for each course shall be approved by the Board and made readily available to all Shelby County Schools students.

Advanced Placement Courses and International Baccalaureate Courses. The Board shall annually approve a list of Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses. This list of approved courses shall be made readily available to all Shelby County Schools students. Approved courses must substantially incorporate the learning objectives and course descriptions as defined by the College Board or International Baccalaureate Agency.

Only Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses that have end-of-course national examinations qualify for the addition of 5 points to grades used to calculate semester averages.

Tennessee State Board of Education Rule § 0520-01-03-.05