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High School Course for Middle School

High School Course Information

Three major questions typically come about as parents start to wonder and gather information about high school courses:

What is an “honor point” or weighted class and how does it affect my student?

What is an AP class?

What is a dual credit course?
 

  • An “honor point” or a weighted class is a more challenging course for any student. It is a system that rewards students for selection and achievement in more difficult courses by improving their GPA. These weighted courses require increased rigor, higher order thinking skills and typically, more home study.

    In a standard grade point average (G.P.A.), each grade is given a point value A = 4.0, B = 3.0, C = 2.0, D = 1.0 and F = 0

    Weighted courses in the BSSD are given an extra point for each grade to be factored into a student’s G.P.A. In many cases, this allows for colleges to look at a student’s transcript and know the number of more challenging courses a student has taken.
     

  • Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course credit to students who obtain high scores on the examinations. The curriculum is determined by Advance Placement and is offered to the student at no extra cost. At the end of the course, a student can choose to pay a small fee to take an AP test. If the student scores at a certain level on their 5-point scale, many post-secondary institutions will award college hours and credit at NO COST for that test score.

    For example, currently for the school year, the cost of the AP Biology test is $98. If your student scores a 3 or higher, the University of Central Missouri (UCM) will award 3 hours of Biology credit at no additional cost. The current cost of one credit hour at UCM is approximately $277.50. This is a savings to a student of $832 for the one course!
     

  • Dual-credit courses are college courses, taught in the Blue Springs School District, by a Blue Springs School District teacher, but a student pays to receive college credit earned from one of the local post- secondary institutions at a significant cost savings to a parent. Please see page 23 of the High School Course Guide for the estimated cost per credit hour.

  • View the High School Course Guide

Career Paths Overview

What Are Career Paths? Career paths are clusters of occupations and careers that are grouped because many of the people in them share similar interests and strengths. All paths include a variety of occupations that require different levels of education and training. Selecting a career path provides you with an area of FOCUS, along with FLEXIBILITY, and a VARIETY of ideas to pursue.

  • Occupations related to the humanities and the performing, visual, literary, and media arts. These may include architecture, interior design, creative writing, fashion design, film, fine arts, graphic design and production, journalism, languages, radio, television, advertising, and public relations.

  • Occupations related to the business environment. These may include entrepreneurship, sales, marketing, computer/information systems, finance, accounting, personnel, economics, and management

  • Occupations related to the promotion of health and the treatment of disease. These may include research prevention, treatment, and related technologies.

  • Occupations related to economic, political, and social systems. These may include education, government, law and law enforcement, leisure and recreation, military, religion, childcare, and social services.

  • Occupations related to the technologies necessary to design, develop, install, or maintain physical systems. These may include engineering, manufacturing, construction, service, and related technologies.

  • Occupations related to the environment and natural resources. These may include agriculture, earth sciences, environmental sciences, fisheries, forestry, horticulture, and wildlife.

Science High School Course Map

  • Physical Science (9th)
    Biology 1 (10th) 

    Elective Options:
    Chemistry 1 and /or Physics (10th, 11th, or 12th) CSI (10th, 11th, or 12th)
    Environmental Science, Earth Science, Astronomy/Meteorology (10th, 11th, or 12th)
    Dual Credit Biology (11th or 12th) Dual Credit Principles of Chemistry (11th or 12th)
     

  • Physical Science (9th) 
    Biology 1 (10th) 

    Elective Options:
    Chemistry 1 (10th, 11th, or 12th)
    Dual Credit Biology or AP Biology (11th, or 12th) Microbiology (11th, or 12th)
    Dual Credit Principles of Chemistry or Dual Credit Chemistry (11th or 12th) Anatomy/Physiology (11th or 12th)
     

  • Pre-AP Biology (9th)
    Pre-AP Chemistry (10th)

    Elective Options:
    AP Biology (10th, 11th, or 12th) Microbiology (10th, 11th, or 12th)
    Dual Credit or AP Chemistry (11th or 12th) Anatomy/Physiology (11th or 12th)
    Dual Credit Physics (11th or 12th)  AP Physics C (12th)
     

  • Pre-AP Biology (9th)
    Pre-AP Chemistry (10th)

    Elective Options:
    Dual Credit Chemistry or AP Chemistry (11th or 12th) 
    Dual Credit Physics (11th or 12th) AP Physics C (12th)
    AP Biology (Biochemical or Biomedical Engineering) (10th, 11th, or 12th)
    Microbiology (Biochemical or Biomedical Engineering) (10th, 11th, or 12th) Anatomy/Physiology (Biochemical or Biomedical Engineering) (11th or 12th) AP Environmental Science (Civil Engineering) (10th, 11th, or 12th)
     

Social Studies High School Course Map

  • United States History

    -OR-

    Advanced American Government and Political

  • Dual Credit World History

    -OR-

    World History

    -OR-

    AP European History

  • American Government

    -OR-

    United States History

    -OR-

    Dual Credit American History

    -OR-

    AP United States History

     

    11th Grade Elective Options

    • African American Studies
    • AP American Government
    • Civil War
    • Contemporary Issues
    • Economics
    • Global Issues
    • Psychology
    • Sociology I
    • Sociology II
    • World Cultures
    • World War II

  • 12th Grade Elective Options

    • African American Studies
    • AP American Government
    • AP Psychology
    • Civil War
    • Contemporary Issues
    • Economics
    • Global Issues
    • Psychology
    • Sociology I
    • Sociology II
    • World Cultures
    • World War II

English Language Arts High School Course Map

  • If you took English I Literature and Composition your Freshman year:

    • Sophomore Year: World Literature and Composition
    • Junior Year: AP English Language and Composition
    • Senior Year: You have three main options (take one or a combination):
    • AP English Literature and Composition
    • English 110 (Composition) / English 200 (Intro to Great Books)
    • English 210 (Writing Across the Disciplines)

  • If you took English I your Freshman year:

    Sophomore Year: English II
    Note: If your teacher recommends it, you can jump to World Literature and Composition.

    Junior Year: English III
    Note: If your teacher recommends it, you can jump to AP English Language and Composition.

    Senior Year: English IV and/or Intro to College Writing or Modern Literature.
    Note: If your teacher recommends it, you can take AP English Literature and Composition.

Math High School Course Map

  • 6th Grade
    Honors 6th Grade

    7th Grade
    Honors 7th Grade

    8th Grade
    Algebra 1

    9th Grade
    Honors Geometry

    10th Grade
    Sophomore Algebra 2

    11th Grade
    College Pre-Calculus

    12th Grade
    College Calculus
    AP BC Calculus

  • 6th Grade
    6th Grade Math

    7th Grade
    7th Grade Math

    8th Grade
    8th Grade Math

    9th Grade
    Algebra 1

    10th Grade
    Geometry

    11th Grade
    Algebra 2

    12th Grade
    College Algebra
    College Statistics
    College Trigonometry
    Advanced Algebra