honors classes?

[ldkgates]

So, I am new to homeschooling. we have been doing FLVS for 7th and 8th grade. My daughter has been on a honors track with FLVS. She has a gifted IEP with FLVS. Her counselors at FLVS suggested she continue on the honors track. What courses Language arts and Literature curriculum in particular would be considered Honors classes. I was hoping to not do too many online classes this year since she is burnt out from staring at the computer all day. She has asked for actual books to read this year. We were considering using Brave Writer online courses, but I am assuming they would not be considered Honors. Price is a factor as well since we are one income and homeschooling a high schooler and middle schooler. 

  I was planning on using Apologia Biology. If we add Dive to it would it be too difficult for a 9th grader with limited knowledge of Biology? If I add the Dive should I call it AP? Thank you for any thoughts or suggestions. I am really confused as to what to do.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

 

  I was planning on using Apologia Biology. If we add Dive to it would it be too difficult for a 9th grader with limited knowledge of Biology? If I add the Dive should I call it AP? Thank you for any thoughts or suggestions. I am really confused as to what to do.

 

I can address the AP part.

AP is Advanced Placement, a trademarked term owned by College Board.  It isn't just a general description of honors or college level work.  

 

In order to be labeled as AP or Advanced Placement on a transcript, the syllabus for the course must be reviewed by College Board through their Course Audit process and approved.  This can be done by a traditional school, an online provider or a homeschooler.  Several regular posters here have gone through the audit process and had their syllabus for a course approved.  The Course Audit reviews the level of the textbook, the level of the work in the course, and also that it meets course description requirements.

 

It is very possible to create a challenging course that wouldn't pass the course audit because it didn't meet the specific requirements of the description of the AP course.  (Just as an example, a year spent on US history from 1850 to the present wouldn't meet the time span requirement for the AP US History course.  Similarly, a comparison of the governments of Russia, Brazil, China, India, Germany and Japan wouldn't meet the specific requirements of the AP Comparative Government course description.  Even though both of these courses might be really good and worth doing.)

 

It is possible to take the AP exam without taking an approved AP course.  Some use an exam prep book to self study.  Other people cover the material in their own courses, but don't bother with trying to get an official AP designation.

 

What many people do when they take the AP exam without going through the course audit is to list the class as something like: "US History with AP exam" and then list the AP scores on the transcript.

 

You really only have to report the official AP scores to the college that you are trying to get credit from.  The credit granting policy is up to the college/university.  It may vary based on the specific course, if the college has a similar course, or even on what the major of the incoming student is.

[StillStanding]

This is what my umbrella school has to say:

 

Honors Courses:

Please be aware that not all homeschool courses are honors, even though the material is more advanced than traditional public school resources. Please use the following guidelines when determining if a course is designated as an Honors course:

• The honors course is taken through a tutorial and designated by the teacher as an Honors course.

• The curriculum is designated as an Honors course by the publisher.
• The course is supplemented to MAKE the course Honors. Please provide documentation such as a detailed course description in the grade reporting section of your account.
• Note: Honors courses are normally taught on a college level using college level texts. 

• Note: In TN, we do not weight the Honors courses, but if a student needs a weighted transcript for a particular scholarship, we can provide one.

 

AP Courses

• AP Exams are rigorous, multiple-component tests that are administered at high schools each May.
• High school students can earn college credit, placement, or both for qualifying AP Exam scores. 
• Each AP Exam has a corresponding AP course and provides a standardized measure of what students have learned in the AP classroom.
• AP courses must be audited by and approved by College Board in order to be designated as such on the students' transcript.
• Information about the audit process
• FAQ
• HLA will only designate a course as AP under the following conditions:
• If the transcript from the previous school designates the course as an AP course. 
• If the parent provides documentation from the school where the class was taken that shows the course was an approved AP course. 
• If the parent has the course audited by College Board and provides the necessary documentation. 
• Otherwise, parents may title the course as an Honors course. 
• The AP tag may be used if the AP exam was taken and the student scored a 3 or above. Scores must be sent to HLA.
• The transcript will show the following information: Course title [Credit by AP Exam]
• HLA does NOT offer AP exams.,
• For information concerning how to schedule an AP exam visit Registering-for-exams .
• For more information about AP courses visit the www.collegeboard.com.

 

[Julie of KY]

I've chosen not to label any of my classes as Honors. AoPS is a rigorous math curriculum that anyone would call an honors level class, well beyond what is normally taught. Some of my classes may be just as rigorous, but since they are designed by me, it is harder to say I'm using this high level text. I will write course descriptions that speak to the work done in the class and I will let ACT/SAT and AP scores justify my course load without calling it honors.

 

I'm afraid that it would be very easy to label certain classes as honors and more difficult to "label" others. If only some are labeled as honors it implies that my other classes are not and I don't want that distinction.

[daveswife]

Here are the honors requirements for the diploma program we use here in PA:

 

Honors Requirements for Subjects Other Than English

In addition to meeting all standards for the Academic Diploma, specific requirements must be met to receive honors in any given subject. It is understood that only very good students will receive honors. Each chosen honors course should be mastered well enough that the honors student could major in that subject in college if so desired.

Mathematics – The student must complete Algebra I & II, Geometry, Trigonometry, and Calculus sometime prior to graduation. The courses may be completed at any grade level; however, four full math credits, including a full credit in Calculus, must be earned during the four years of high school to qualify for honors in mathematics.

Science - The student must complete four science credits. A minimum of two credits must be earned in two of the higher sciences such as biology, chemistry, physics, or a college level science. In addition, the student must write at least two science research papers* based on student designed experiments. In designing his own experiments, the student will explore his own hypotheses and defend them.

Social Studies - The student will take four social studies credits and will write at least two research papers* which explore original hypotheses and defend them. On the diploma, honors will be stated "in Social Studies" unless four full courses were taken in one specific social studies discipline.

Computer Science / Programming - The student will take four computer science credits and write at least two original computer programs with explanations for how they are to work. The papers should be written so that anyone could use the programs. If the courses deal primarily with computer building and repair, they would be considered for vocational specialization.

Foreign Language - The student will take four credits in one foreign language. Student will write a paper in that language and read a novel or other non-textbook in the language in each of the last two years. Student will also demonstrate fluency in speaking the language. For those who are taking sign language the requirements change to writing a paper on deafness, adventitious deafness, etc., watching five videos about deaf people (fiction or non-fiction), and twenty hours of interpreting to CDs.

Humanities - At the discretion of the evaluator and with adequate documentation - including two research papers* - four years of concentrated study in one field of humanities (e.g. philosophy) will be accepted.

Fine Arts - At the discretion of the evaluator and with adequate documentation, four years of concentrated study in any fine arts area (e.g. art, music, design, or dance) will be accepted. Theory and history of the subject should be studied each year. In addition to performance or exhibition of work, two papers* shall be written on history, theory, or another aspect of your fine arts area.

*Please note: If "completion of a research paper" is the method used to provide evidence for one credit in any given subject, then the research paper required for honors must be in addition to the ten page research paper written for course credit.

 

Requirements for Honors English

Earning honors in English suggests that a student's work is well above average. Not only the quantity, but the quality of his work is exceptional and distinctive. For Honors English to be specified on the diploma, one would expect superior work in literature, composition, language/grammar, and speech/public speaking. Begin with requirements for the Academic Diploma and upgrade to honors level by adding the standards detailed below. In addition, as supervisor of the home education program or as an evaluator, you may add requirements that will improve the quality of the student's work even more. Make Honors English really impressive!

1. Literature
The student's Honors English program should be based heavily on literature, including both fiction and non-fiction from various genres such as novels, short stories, poetry, drama, essays, and periodicals. It is recommended that each year's study be concentrated on a specific type of literature to include American Literature, English Literature, and World Literature. Each year, the honors student will read a minimum of twenty-five books, including at least three classics. Classics must be written at a high school level. Lists of appropriate classics can be found on websites, at the local library, or through an evaluator. It is vital to remember that the quality of literature read by an honors student is as important as the quantity.
Literary analysis is an important aspect of a good Honors English literature curriculum. The honors student should understand and identify literary terms (plot, setting, characterization, etc.) and devices (refrain, parallel structure, simile, metaphor, foreshadowing, etc.), and should be able to recognize logical fallacies and ad hominem attacks.

2. Composition
The minimum composition requirement for each year of high school for Honors English is six papers, however an honors student should write significantly more, with an emphasis on the quality of writing. Writing, proof reading, and revising are integral aspects of a composition course, therefore frequent writing assignments are expected. The honors student's compositions should show continual improvement in purpose, organization, language mastery, and effective elaboration of selected topics. Yearly composition portfolios could include character analyses, narratives, persuasive papers, short essays, critical reviews, expository writings, and research papers.
In addition, at least one research paper must be written each year - five, seven, eight, and ten pages for grades nine through twelve respectively. The research paper must include a title page, an outline, a body with a clear introduction and conclusion, correct use of parenthetical citations, a bibliography, a thesis statement which is followed throughout the paper, and evidence that the student's research was thorough and comprehensive. Follow MLA guidelines (or another standard format) to ensure a properly formatted research paper.

3. Language
It is essential that an honors student acquire a thorough knowledge of English grammar. Not only should the student be able to recognize the eight parts of speech, he should also be able to analyze and/or diagram sentences. One important goal of language and grammar studies is to prepare the student to produce written work free of mechanical errors.

4. Speech
An honors student should be familiar with persuasive, argumentative, informative, impromptu, humorous, and extemporaneous speeches. All require different preparation and are beneficial to the student's development as a public speaker. Therefore, the yearly speech requirement should come from one of these categories. The student must present a minimum of one self-prepared speech per year to a group outside the immediate family.

 

 

[Lori D.]

… I am new to homeschooling...

… My daughter has been on a honors track… Her counselors at FLVS suggested she continue on the honors track

… What courses Language arts and Literature curriculum in particular would be considered Honors classes. I was hoping to not do too many online classes this year since she is burnt out from staring at the computer all day. She has asked for actual books to read this year. We were considering using Brave Writer online courses, but I am assuming they would not be considered Honors. Price is a factor as well since we are one income and homeschooling a high schooler and middle schooler. 

  I was planning on using Apologia Biology. If we add Dive to it would it be too difficult for a 9th grader with limited knowledge of Biology? If I add the Dive should I call it AP? Thank you for any thoughts or suggestions. I am really confused as to what to do.

 

Welcome! :)

 

Since Sebastian is tackling the AP part of your question, I'll try to address the Literature questions… At the high school level "Language Arts" becomes an "English credit", and that credit is typically about 1/2 Literature and 1/2 Composition/Writing.

 

The Literature includes reading, discussing, analyzing, and writing about the Literature. Typically readings include a variety of types of works -- novels, novellas, short stories, poetry, plays, and essays -- and in a variety of genres -- realistic, adventure, gothic, sci-fi, fantasy, etc.

 

The Composition/Writing includes instruction in the parts of a piece of writing (paragraph, intro, conclusion), and writing assignments typically include various types of essays (compare/contrast, process, persuasive, analysis, etc), research papers with citations, and other types of business and "real life" writing. The Writing portion overlaps with the Literature in that some of the writing is done

 

 

Is your student a strong reader and writer already? Is your student familiar with literary analysis elements, and has she done some literary analysis already? That would make it easier to recommend programs.

 

If your student has not done much literary analysis or writing about Literature, I recommend starting off with Windows to the World, a 1-semester program that teaches annotation, how to write a literary analysis essay using your annotations as specific support, and then focuses on how 8-10 of the most common literary elements are used in analyzing Literature, by focusing on 6 classic short stories. You can make the program 1 year by adding the Jill Pike syllabus, which adds 3-4 longer classic works and incorporates the Teaching the Classics program, which teaches you how to use the Socratic questions for analyzing literature. You could make it an Honors program by adding in 4-6 additional classics of interest to you and DD, and discuss / analyze / write about them using the tools learned in WttW and TtC.

 

One idea is Excellence in Literature (EiL). Each of the 1-year programs of EiL has an honors option. The programs use complete works (rather than excerpts), and there is a heavy emphasis on writing assignments. Each program is worth a full credit for English, although you could add in a Brave Writer online class for more writing instruction, and use that to replace some of the EiL writing assignments.

Intro to Literature (gr. 8-10)

Literature & Composition (gr. 9-11)

American Literature (gr. 10-12)

British Literature (gr. 10-12)

World Literature (gr. 11-12)

 

Then, in grade 11 or 12, you could plan on AP Literature & Composition, which is quite rigorous and would be more of a stand-out on your student's resume than Honors English in the later grades. :)

 

 

Just one quick thought about "Honors" classes… frequently, the "Honors" designation does not carry much weight in the eyes of colleges when the student is applying for admission to college, as every school means something different by "Honors" -- there is no standard to judge how rigorous it is. In contrast, colleges DO know what the scores on AP tests mean, as the tests are national standardized tests, making it more possible to compare students more equally.

 

So, while I'm not trying to discount shooting for Honors courses for your student, esp. for 9th grade, I'd want to make sure the student transitions well into working at a high school level, and is developing all of the skills needed for successful high school and Honors / AP level of work. (Skills like: solid writing ability, sound Algebra understanding, how to do a science lab and write up a lab report, touch typing, study skills, etc.)

 

If your student is working at Honors level all throughout high school -- great! Document it as such, and work to include even more rigor as your student is ready through AP coursework and tests and possible dual enrollment courses at the local community college or university. If your student needs the year of 9th grade to transition into high school and get solid in foundational skills, then work where your student's level is, and most likely you'll be ready for Honors level courses in the following years. :)

 

 

Just my 2 cents worth -- use or not as it helps or not. :) BEST of luck as you and DD start your high school homeschool journey! Warmest regards, Lori D.