Middle Schools Offer Variety Of High School Credit Courses

WOODSTOCK, GA -- The lineup of high school credit classes in the Cherokee County School District continues to expand in its middle schools, allowing rising eighth-grade students to get a jump on graduation requirements.

A total of 14 different high school courses are available across middle schools, the district said Thursday. While course offerings vary by school, each middle school offers at least eight high school-level classes.

“Starting high school with several credits boosts students’ confidence and provides more room in their high school schedule to explore electives including career paths,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower said. “This opportunity also opens the door for some students to graduate early if they continue to accelerate their academic path in high school. It’s one of our strategies to continuously improve academic achievement and our graduation rate.”

For the 2017-18 school year, all seven district middle schools will offer:

• Honors GSE Algebra I
• Accelerated Honors Algebra I and Geometry A
• Physical Science
• Spanish I
• Beginning Band I
• Beginning Chorus I

While the school district has long offered Spanish I, physical science and accelerated 9th/10th grade mathematics for academically advanced students, it expanded high school credit offerings in fine arts and other elective areas in the last few years to allow more students to earn high school credit ahead of their freshman year.

Beginning Band I was added to all middle schools for 2013-14, then Cherokee County launched a major expansion of course offerings for 2014-15, including orchestra, visual arts, drama, chorus, business and technology, and drafting and design. Languages offered have expanded to include French and Latin at several schools, as well as a limited offering of German and Chinese.

The high school science and math courses are taken in lieu of eighth-grade science and math, while world language courses are taken in lieu of eighth-grade reading class. The fine arts and business classes can be taken as electives instead of a Connections class. Students who qualify to take physical science or algebra are required to take the End Of Course exam for that class just as a high school student would.

Parents who'd like to know more information about high school credit and the eligibility and availability for these courses should contact their child's school.

Photo 1: Cherokee County School District middle schools are expanding their selection of high school credit courses, with subjects offered including Physical Science, as pictured at Dean Rusk Middle School.

Photo 2: Cherokee County School District middle school students, including those at E.T. Booth Middle School as pictured, can choose from an expanding menu of high school credit courses in electives like band and chorus, as well as in advanced academics.

Images via Cherokee County School District