Honors & AP Class Information

2009-2010 Summer AP/Honors Assignments 

SCHOOL EXPECTATIONS FOR HONORS AND ADVANCED PLACEMENT STUDENTS

The Torrance Unified School District's high schools maintain comprehensive Honors and Advanced Placement programs to make it possible for academically talented and high achieving students to increase the challenge of their studies.  Teachers in the honors/AP programs are committed to preparing students to achieve academic excellence that will ensure superior preparation for college course work.  an Honors level course is more rigorous than regular courses.  Teachers cover curriculum at a faster pace and in greater depth while incorporating more complex analysis.  An Advanced Placement class is a college level course that culminates with an exam, which can earn college credit for the student.  The instructional program offers in-depth study and is not intended to accelerate the date of graduation.

INDICATORS FOR SUCCESSFUL PLACEMENT

Students are encouraged to enroll in Honors/AP courses on the basis of a variety of indicators:

• Completing all prerequisite classes with a grade of B or highe.Past performance as indicated by grades.
• Test scores may be utilized as necessary.
• Teacher recommendation.

SUMMER SCHOOL CLASSES DO NOT QUALIFY AS A PREREQUISITE FOR HONROS/AP CLASSES

EXPECTATIONS

Upon acceptance into the Honors/AP program, students are expected to:

• Maintain A/B grades in all Honors/AP courses.
• Remain in the course(s) for the duration of the year.  Student success is the goal of TUSD and students not succeeding in an Honors/AP class will be handled on an individual basis.  Students earning a final grade lower than a "C" may not move to the next Honors/AP class.
• maintain high standards of academic integrity.
• Be in class every day.  Excessive absences are grounds for removal from the course.

CHRACTERISTICS OF HONORS/AP STUDENTS

Students in Honors/AP courses are expected to have the following characteristics:

• High academic achievement and intellectual ability;
• Self-motivation and self-discipline;
• Good organizational skills;
• Excellent written expression;
• An avid interest in reading;
• Good oral communication skills;
• An ability to work independently and collaboratively;
• Good citizenship and attendance

SKILLS TO BE A SUCCESSFUL HONORS/AP STUDENT

The ability to:

• Identify and formulate problems, as well as the ability to propose and evaluate ways to solve them.
• Recognize and use inductive and deductive reasoning, and to recognize fallacies in reasoning.
• Draw conclusions from information found in various sources, whether written spoken, tabular, or graphic and defend one's own conclusions rationally.
• Distinguish between fact and opinion.
• Engage critically and constructively in the exchange of ideas.
• analyze and edit one's own writing.
• Gather information from primary and secondary sources; to write a report using this research; to quote, paraphrase and summarize accurately; to cite sources properly.
• Prepare for various types of examinations and to devise strategies for success.
• Accept constructive criticism and learn from it.

Assessing Strengths & Weaknesses for Honors/AP Class Selection

TUSD Honors/AP Course Commitment Form

Honors & AP Lunch Meeting Schedule - 2009