More flexible K-12 honors/accelerated program at DCS
DCS recently revamped its K-12 honors/accelerated program in an effort to stay on par with education trends being supported by Education Commissioner David Steiner.
Commissioner Steiner has been reaching out to school leaders to encourage them to change the mind set of students who believe that passing, or mediocrity, is enough.
“Our improved accelerated program is now more flexible to help keep students motivated, expose them to higher-level thinking and experiences as well as offer challenging course work that better prepares them for the rigors of college,” says Superintendent Christine Crowley. “We want to motivate students at all levels to raise their own expectations of themselves and challenge themselves. There’s a whole world out there waiting to be explored by our students,” she adds.
Program changes
The revised program removes some of the restrictions the former program had in
place. For example, students no longer have to be enrolled in two or more
accelerated courses to stay in the program.
“We are now allowing students who excel in one course but don’t meet the criteria for advancement in another course to remain enrolled in the accelerated program,” says Crowley. “It’s so much better for students’ self-esteem to be able to stay in the accelerated program— and studies show advanced courses tend to motivate students to raise their grades in other classes.”
Another change is in advanced science.
Eighth-grade honors students may take an Honors Biology course in ninth grade
instead of Living Environment.
The criteria for accelerated language has also been revamped to encourage more
participation. Students who earn an average of 85 percent or higher in both
their seventh- and eighth-grade language courses can bypass French/Spanish II in
ninth grade and move directly into French/Spanish III. From there they can take
French/Spanish IV in tenth grade, French/Spanish V UHS in eleventh grade and
finish with French/Spanish VI as seniors.
In math, all fifth graders will now take the TOMAGS to see if they qualify for placement in honors. Additionally, students in grades three through five can be enrolled in accelerated math and will study an expanded curriculum that uses multiple resources and enrichment text. Eighth graders who take Integrated Algebra will now take the June Regents.
For a complete list of changes, download a PDF of the program criteria.