Advanced Level
MIDDLE SCHOOL COURSES
ADVANCED COURSES: RATIONALE
The advanced middle school courses are designed to meet the academic needs of students at the highest achievement levels. In each discipline, the course design will emphasize the following:
Exceptional interest and motivation These courses are designed for outlier students who“ live, eat, sleep, and breathe” the discipline.( They are not merely“ good at school”).
Compacted curriculum The advanced course is a significantly accelerated learning environment, with a target pacing nearly twice as fast as the grade-level course.
Independent inquiry Advanced courses will incorporate significant student-led, studentinitiated, independent, projectbased work within the discipline.
Advanced English Language Arts Courses
The advanced course in each grade typically moves through the concepts at a faster pace, includes more challenging readings, and has higher expectations in the area of writing. Students considering advanced ELA courses are expected to enter as strong readers and writers. They should demonstrate high-level inferential thinking and see connections that others miss. These students organize and elaborate on their ideas effectively and they use clear and creative language in writing and speaking. They should be willing to take risks in their writing and they must willingly accept feedback on how to improve. These students should be motivated to focus on their reading, writing, and language skills.
Advanced Science Courses
Students who will be most successful in these courses demonstrate a high level of curiosity in the area of science with a motivation to ask questions and identify possible explanations for natural phenomena. Using engineering, design, and mechanics to solve problems are major parts of middle school advanced science courses. Students should be able to make connections between concepts quickly and with minimal review. Independently motivated students able to complete inquiry and engineering projects and with strong communication skills will be most successful.
Advanced / Above Grade Level Math Courses
Students who will be most successful in these courses demonstrate a high level of proficiency with problems involving abstract reasoning, recognizing relationships and patterns in varied contexts( tables, graphs, sequences, diagrams, formulas, and mathematical symbols) and are able to independently apply knowledge to new contexts. Students are able to experience frustration and persevere with strategies such as questioning, independent inquiry, and extending what is known to new situations. In Anoka-Hennepin there are rigorous placement guidelines that have been developed for enrollment into these above grade level math courses to respond to significantly more rigorous course expectations. There are multiple data decision points that have been considered( including, but not exclusively MCA, MAP test scores and / or placement exams, etc.)
6 Middle School Registration Guide