High Ability PCMS “Students who thrive on the HA path find joy in the journey. They enjoy exploring their thinking and that of others. They enjoy working cooperatively with others to extend their learning and enhance the experience for themselves and others.” Lisa Rogers
High Ability Courses • Language Arts 6,7,8 • Mathematics 6,7,8 • Science 7,8 • Social Studies 7,8
Why Participate? • More positive attitudes toward school • Higher achievement, better attendance • Prepared for rigor (AP and Dual Credit Courses) • Exposure to College Level Math • Higher enrollment rates in post-secondary education • Expand opportunities for post-secondary colleges and universities
What to Expect • • • • •
More rigor in core classes Challenging homework and projects More time required to study mathematics Expectation to read outside of the classroom Proficiency in argumentative, explanatory, and narrative writing that draw connections from and between texts.
Grading Philosophy • At PCMS we believe grades are the primary feedback for parents, students, and staff regarding student’s learning, understanding, and application of the content. • Grades should be supportive of learning, accurate, and consistent across all content areas. • Weighted Grades
Advanced Language Arts • Curriculums are aligned with the Indiana standards and based on pedagogy suggested by Gifted Center at the College of William and Mary and IDOE. • Springboard • Michael Clay Thompson suggested vocabulary: Caesar’s English and Word within a Word • Classical Literature • Multi-paragraph evidenced-based writing
Advanced Mathematics
GRADE 6 Pre-Algebra (ADV. Course 2)
GRADE 7 Algebra I
GRADE 8 Geometry
Advanced Mathematics
9th
Grade
Algebra II
11th Grade AP Calculus AB or
10th Grade Pre-Calculus/ Trigonometry Honors
12th Grade AP Calculus BC or
ACP Calculus I
ACP Calculus II
or
or
AP Statistics
AP Statistics II
Other Considerations: Credits, GPA, and Graduation • Algebra 1 and Geometry are high school credit bearing courses. • The credits become part of the student transcript. • The grades will be used to determine student GPA. • Students can retake the course for a better grade any time during their high school career. • Students will have to take the 10th grade math graduation test.
PHS AP Chemistry AP Physics 1: Algebra Based AP Physics 2: Algebra Based Adv Science/BIOLL100 IU (ACP) Project Lead the Way
Enriched Social Studies • Enriched Social Studies 7 • Enriched Social Studies 8 Critical reading and writing primary and secondary sources, comparison of text • • • • • • • •
PHS AP World History US History Honors – CHAP “We the People” AP US Government and Politics AP Microeconomics ADV Psychology (DC) ADV Sociology
Supports • Students in grades will have access to math support through Moby Max. • Study Island and Caesar’s English Quizlet • Khan Academy is another free digital resource for student support in all levels of math. • Social/emotional support (Addressing Intensities) • PSAT Preparation
Parental Support • What works, what doesn’t and tips for helping students take ownership of their learning path. • SEE HANDOUT • Schoology
The Commitment 1. The student must desire to be challenged. To be truly challenged, one must expect to stumble along the way. 1. Students must maintain a B- average or better every semester in order to remain in the class.