Honors Placement
Many students find they are most successful if they enroll in only one or two Honors classes freshman year. The adjustment to higher academic expectations and the high school environment is often a difficult one for freshman and those enrolled in fewer Honors classes make the adjustment more smoothly.
Students may enroll in college preparatory academic classes one year and then the next year enroll in Honors classes. Since the curriculum is parallel, motivated students find the transition from college preparatory academic classes to Honors classes a smooth one.
All traditional academic classes at Chaparral High School are considered college preparatory classes. The purpose of the Honors classes is to prepare students to be successful in Advanced Placement courses their sophomore, junior and senior years.
Students who enroll in an Honors class may move to a traditional academic class any time during the first two weeks of school, at the quarter (9 weeks), or at the semester. When students move at the quarter, the grade earned in the Honors class moves with them. However, their semester grade is averaged with their continued work in the college preparatory class.
Any student earning a D in an Honors class at the end of the first quarter or semester will be moved to a college preparatory class.
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English
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College Preparatory
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Honors
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9th
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College Preparatory English I
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English I Honors/Pre AP
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10th
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College Preparatory English II
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English II Honors/Pre AP
AP Language (elective)
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11th
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College Preparatory English III
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English III Honors/Pre AP
AP Language (elective)
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12th
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College Preparatory English IV
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AP Literature
AP Language (elective)
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Science
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College Preparatory
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Honors
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9th
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College Preparatory Biology I
College Preparatory Earth Science
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Biology I Honors/Pre AP
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10th
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College Preparatory Chemistry I
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Chemistry I Honors/Pre AP
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11th
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College Preparatory Physics or
Zoology/Botany
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Biology AP or
Chemistry AP or Physics Honors or
Human Physiology/Anatomy Honors
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12th
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College Preparatory Physics or
Zoology/Botany or
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Biology AP or
Chemistry AP or Physics Honors or Astrophysics Honors or
Human Physiology/Anatomy Honors
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Social Studies
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College Preparatory
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Honors
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9th
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College Preparatory World History/Geography
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World History/World Geography Honors/Pre AP
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10th
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College Preparatory World History/Geography
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World History AP
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11th
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College Preparatory American/AZ History
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American/Arizona History AP
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12th
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College Preparatory Government / Economics
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Government AP / Economics Honors
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Math
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College Preparatory
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Honors
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9th
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Algebra I
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Geometry/Trigonometry Honors
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10th
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Geometry
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Algebra II Honors
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11th
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Algebra II
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Trigonometry/Pre-Calculus Honors
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12th
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Trigonometry/Pre-Calculus
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AP Calculus AB or
AP Calculus BC or
Statistics AP
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Chaparral High School
Honors Screening Process
Students who are seeking an additional academic challenge are invited to register for Honors classes. After registering for Honors classes in English, Science or Social Studies, each student’s academic profile will be assessed to determine their readiness for the academic rigor of Honors classes. The Honors Screening Committee will review each student’s academic profile based upon the following criteria:
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Criteria
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Standard
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Scottsdale English Proficiency (SEP) Test given to 8th graders
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Score of at least an 8 stanine
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Grades in English, Science and/or Social Studies in both the Fall 2008 and the Spring 2009 semesters of 8th grade.
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GPA of 3.8 or all As and one B in the content area in which you are registering for an Honors class
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Reading Benchmarks (given quarterly to 8th grade students)
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Score of 80% or above
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Writing Assessment (given at Chaparral HS)
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Exceeding AIMS standard based on six trait rubric
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The most successful Honors students have:
- Strong writing skills that exhibit organization, clarity, and a widely developed vocabulary. Writing should be free from mechanical and grammatical errors.
- Motivation to read challenging material and complete homework on time. Students should be organized and possess the ability to plan ahead.
- Maturity to accept constructive criticism and a willingness to adapt to an increased workload
- Exemplary classroom behavior
