Gifted EducationSecondary ServicesSecondary Level Gifted Education Services Junior High Programming Senior High Programming
Question: My son/daughter talked about a DVD shown in class about Standards PLUS and HP Math choices. Where can I view the video? As an introduction to junior high services, each Gifted Education teacher presented an informational video in all sixth grade classrooms. To view this brief overview of seventh grade Standards PLUS and HP Math courses, please go to the district YouTube Channel or click here to watch the video - Looking Ahead to Junior High: Considering Standards PLUS. Junior High Programming, Grades 7, 8 and 9In the fall of 2013, Standards PLUS (S+) classes in English, science and social studies will be provided for students in grades 7, 8 and 9. In addition, High Performance Math will provide accelerated programming for students beginning in grade 7 and continuing through grade 12. Gifted Education programming focuses on rigor and challenge grounded in the Minnesota Academic Standards. Standards PLUS 7, 8 and 9 and High Performance Math 7, 8 and 9 What are Standards PLUS classes? What is High Performance Math 7? What is High Performance Algebra 1? For a sixth grader, what needs to be done to enter S+ English, S+ Science, S+ Social Studies, or HP Math 7? For a seventh grader and eighth graders, what needs to be done to enter S+ English, S+ Science or S+ Social Studies? Students seeking entrance into S+ classes, should contact the Placement Manager, located in each junior high school. Each student will need to complete a content-specific application, interest survey, and have a qualifying RIT score. Data will determine placement. Additional Information What does the student RIT score tell us? What additional information does the interest survey provide? Students in S+ and HP math classes cover the regular curriculum at a faster pace and are expected to demonstrate proficiency in the basic skills. S+ and HP math classes emphasize interdisciplinary studies, professional thinking skills related to career development in specific subjects, and the creation of quality products through strong visual, oral and written communication skills. Reading and writing skills to receive and convey meaning, learning and understanding are essential entry-level skills in all Standards PLUS and HP math classes. What is an Appeal? When will I know my 7th grade class placements? What if my son/daughter qualifies for an S+ or HP math class, and then we decide it is not a good fit? Standards PLUS English 9 Standards PLUS Science 9 Standards PLUS Social Studies 9 High Performance Mathematics International Baccalaureate – Middle Years Programme Senior High Programming, Grades 10 - 12High Performance MathHigh Performance (HP) math classes include content standards as well as additional content that bring the courses into Pre-Advanced Placemen (Pre-AP) alignment. The courses are presented at an accelerated pace and challenges students with more advanced applications and extensions. All HP courses are not available at all sites. Please check your school’s registration handbook. HP Algebra 2 - (there is a prerequisite for this course – see registration handbook) HP Algebra enriches the Algebra 2 curriculum. This course operates at an accelerated pace emphasizing higher level thinking skills and creative problem solving. The student that will be successful in this course is one who is self motivated, organized, and who appreciates a challenge. A Texas Instruments 84PLUS Sliver Edition calculator is recommended for this course. HP Biology – HP Biology covers materials at a faster pace and in greater depth the general education biology. The experimentation occurs with greater sophistication and professional detail. This course is designed to introduce the student to concepts of biology, through the study of ecological relationships, cells, DNA, genetics, evolution, and systems of living organisms. An emphasis is placed on laboratory work and quality products. Advanced reading, writing, and study skills are necessary. HP Chemistry – This course is designed for academically talented and gifted students in science who are interested in a science-related career. Emphasis is placed on accelerated pacing, in-depth coverage, interdisciplinary study, professional thinking skills, and quality products. This course emphasizes the experimental nature of Chemistry, and topics include a study of atomic, kinetic, and nuclear theories. Major types of chemical reactions such as redox, acid/base, and equilibrium are also studied. Laboratory work is important in this course. Strong skills in math, reading, and writing are necessary. HP English 10 – This course is a challenging and exacting course enjoyable for those students who are prepared to read widely, analyze in-depth material, and write with enthusiasm and accuracy. Self-discipline is necessary to be the most successful. Emphasis includes analysis of short stories, novels, poetry, films, and various kinds of compositions. This course is designed for academically talented students and/or college-bound students. This course prepares students for AP Language and Composition. HP Geometry – (there is a prerequisite for this course – see registration handbook) HP Geometry students will develop reasoning and problem solving skills. Topics include congruence, similarity, and properties of lines, triangles, quadrilaterals, and circles. Geometric proofs are also emphasized. A Texas Instruments 84PLUS Silver Edition calculator is recommended for this course. HP U.S. History – This course is designed for gifted and talented students and/or college bound students who are interested and motivated in the area of U.S. History. This course replaces the U.S. History requirement usually taken in tenth grade. HP U.S. History covers material at a faster pace with greater depth than general education U.S. History. Students will examine U.S. historical events from 1945 to the present with the methodology of historical inquiry used by professional historians. This course will require students to read extensively, analyze and interpret primary sources of information to generate historical conclusions. Students should be self-disciplined to be prepared for classroom activities and discourse. HP Physics – This course is designed for academically talented and gifted students in science who are interested in a science-related career. Emphasis is placed on the study of relationships that occur in the physical world and includes the study of optics, mechanics, and electricity. Students are expected to produce quality lab reports, manipulate mathematical concepts easily, and work independently. Laboratory work is an important part of this course. Learning includes accelerated pacing, in-depth coverage, interdisciplinary study, professional thinking skills, and quality products. Strong skills in math, reading, and writing are necessary. HP Pre-Calculus – (there is a prerequisite for this course – see registration handbook) HP Pre-Calculus enriches the Pre-calculus curriculum. Topics include conics and limits will be introduced. This course operates at an accelerated pace emphasizing higher level thinking skills and creative problem solving which prepares students for AP Calculus or a college calculus class. The student that will be successful in this course is self motivated, organized and appreciates a mathematical challenge. A Texas Instruments 84PLUS Silver Edition calculator is recommended for this course. Autonomous Learner Program (ALP)All ALP courses are not available at all sites. Please check your school’s registration handbook.ALP courses are designed to meet the diverse cognitive, emotional, and social needs of academically talented and gifted students. ALP grades are weighted on the student transcript. ALP service is designed on the ALM (Autonomous Learner Model) developed by Dr. George Betts. The ALP model is divided into five major dimensions:
ALP Biology – this year-long, interdisciplinary course is recommended for college-bound students who are interested in an advanced Biology course and/or a science-related career. It provides opportunities for academically talented and gifted science students to cover content at a faster pace and in greater depth than general Biology. Choice of experiments and experimental design is more student-directed than tealcher directed. This course requires student products to be more sophisticated and creative than general Biology. Students are expected to be self-motivated and interested in pursuing original investigations. Advanced reading and writing skills are necessary. ALP Integrated English 10 and U.S. History – This course is designed for academically gifted and talented learners in English and social studies. The course provides opportunities to discover the notion of giftedness, to develop individual talents, allow enrichment to curricular matters, to participate in self-directed seminars, and to conduct in-depth studies. Students will be challenged with rigorous content in both English and social studies. This course will meet the district objectives and state standards in three trimesters of English, U.S. History A, and U.S. History B. ALP Integrated English 11, Geography and World History – This course is designed for academically gifted and talented learners in English and social studies. Students in this course will meet the district objectives and state standards for both English and social studies. Upon successful completion of the course, students will receive six credits: English 11, A, B, and C; and Geography and World History A, B, and C. ALP Integrated English 12, Economics, Government and Citizenship - This course is designed for academically gifted and talented learners in English and social studies. Students in this course will meet the district objectives and state standards for both English and social studies. Upon successful completion of the course, students will receive six credits: English 12 A, B, and C; Government & Citizenship and Economics. Advanced Placement* (AP) & Pre-AP/Vertical AlignmentAs a result of the “Raised Academic Achievement: Advanced Placement Programs” grant (December, 2007-June, 2009) six additional Advanced Placement courses were added to course offerings at Osseo Senior High School and Maple Grove Senior High school. Advanced Placement (AP) courses are provided primarily in the high school setting and are developed by a committee composed of college faculty and AP teachers. AP courses are taught by highly qualified high school teachers who are guided by the AP Course Descriptions written college faculty in collaboration with high school teachers and provided by the College Board. Teachers participate in rigorous course-specific training and receive authorization from the College Board. Course-specific AP Examinations are administered each year in May and results may be sent to colleges and universities, as indicated by student choice. Authorized AP courses carry a weighted grade and are identified on the student transcript, as well. AP courses offered in ISD 279 include:AP Language and Composition - This course is designed for academically talented and gifted students in English and/or college-bound students. Students focus on literature, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama and improve their writing and discussion skills. Students should be prepared to advance their reading, writing, and thinking skills. Students must be responsible and should be willing to do significant reading and lengthy writing projects on their own time. This course develops the skills necessary to take the Advanced Placement Test in Language and Composition. AP Literature and Composition – This is a course designed for academically talented and gifted students in English and/or college-bound students. This course accelerates and augments the English 12 curriculum by asking students to make an in-depth study of required materials through application, analysis, syntheses, and evaluation. Students will be expected to work independently and/or cooperatively on assignments outside of class and to produce quality projects. This course is a college prep class structured to teach students how to analyze and discuss literature, find subtext and classical allusions, and write formal literary analyses. This course prepares students to take the Literature and Composition exam. AP Calculus – This course is designed like a first semester college Calculus class. Academically talented and gifted math students and/or students seeking college rigor will be the most successful in this course. Topics include analytic geometry, functions, limits, continuity, differentiation with applications, integration, logarithmic, exponential, and trigonometric functions. This course is designed to prepare students for the AP Calculus exam. AP Statistics – the first eleven chapters of the AP Statistics text will give students examples, explanations, and experiences needed to learn and retain statistical concepts. Students will conduct experiments and work with practical problems. Students will be prepared to complete the AP Statistics exam in the spring of the year. After the exam, the final chapter of the text covers more advanced material and provides opportunities to examine data from case studies. Students will also apply statistical concepts learned throughout the year. AP Art History (Prehistoric – 1500’s) and (1600’s – Present) - The AP US History course is designed to provide students with the analytic skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the problems and materials in US history. The program prepares students for intermediate and advanced college courses by making demands upon them equivalent to those made by full-year introductory college courses. Students should learn to assess historical materials—their relevance to a given interpretive problem, reliability, and importance—and to weigh the evidence and interpretations presented in historical scholarship. Topics covered will include: American Diversity, American Identity, Culture, Demographic Changes, Economic Transformations, Environment, Globalization, Politics and Citizenship, Reform, Religion, Slavery and Its Legacies in North America, and War and Diplomacy. AP Course additions resulting from MDE grant funding:AP Computer Science - AP Computer Science A - Prerequisite: Algebra 1. AP Computer Science A emphasizes object-oriented programming methodology with a concentration on problem solving and algorithm development and is meant to be the equivalent of a first-semester college-level course in Computer Science. It also includes the study of data structures, design and abstraction. NOTE: Students who take the AP Computer Science A course must take the AP Computer Science A exam in May. AP French Language – Students who enroll in AP French Language should have a good command of French grammar and vocabulary and have competence in listening, reading, speaking, and writing. Students should have completed substantial course work in French. The course will emphasize the use of language for active communication and help student develop the ability to understand spoken French. Students will develop a vocabulary sufficiently ample to read newspapers, magazines, literary texts, and non-technical writing without a dictionary and the ability to express themselves coherently with reasonable fluency and accuracy in both written and spoken French. AP Spanish Language - AP Spanish Language is intended for students who whish to develop proficiency and integrate Spanish language skills, using authentic materials and sources. Student should already have a basic knowledge of the language and cultures of Spanish-speaking peoples and should have attained a reasonable proficiency. The course is designed to help students prepare to demonstrate proficiency levels across three communicative modes (interpersonal, interpretive and presentational,) and in five goal areas (communication, cultures, connections, comparison, and communities.) the course is meant to be comparable to fifth and sixth semester college and university courses that focus on speaking and writing in Spanish. AP Macroeconomics – Economics is the study of how people decide to allocate scarce resources among alternative courses of action. The process of choice necessitates the development of economic systems for resolving problems and issues dealing with what to produce, how to produce, and how to distribute the fruits of production. The focus of this course will be on Macroeconomics, which examines the determination of economic aggregates, such as total output, total employment, the price level, and the rate of economic growth. This course will also examine several aspects of International Economics. Units covered in this course will include fundamentals, Aggregate Demands and Supply, fiscal and Monetary Policy, and International Economics. AP Microeconomics – This course focuses on the principles of Microeconomics that address the economic behavior of individual units such as consumers, firms and resource owners under four market structures. Some of the major topics in the course include supply and demand, cost curves, market structures, and distribution of income. AP Psychology - The AP Psychology course is designed to introduce students to the systematic and scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of human beings and other animals. Students are exposed to the psychological facts, principles, and phenomena associated with each of the major subfields within psychology. They also learn about the ethics and methods psychologists use in their science and practice. The following content areas will be covered: History and Approaches, Research Methods, Biological Bases of Behavior, Sensation and Perception, States of Consciousness, Learning, Cognition, Motivation and Emotion, Developmental Psychology, Personality, Testing and Individual Differences, Abnormal Psychology, Treatment of Psychological Disorders, and Social Psychology. NOTE: Students who take the AP Psychology course must take the AP Psychology exam in May. AP US Government and Politics - This Advanced Placement course will give students an analytical perspective on government and politics in the United States and will include both the study of general concepts used to interpret US government and politics and the analysis of specific examples. It also requires familiarity with the various institutions, groups, beliefs, and ideas that constitute US government and politics. Students will become acquainted with the variety of theoretical perspectives and explanations for various behaviors and outcomes. The following topics will be covered: Constitutional Underpinnings of United States Government, Political Beliefs and Behaviors, Political Parties, Interest Groups and Mass Media, Institutions of National Government, Public Policy, and Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. NOTE: Students who take the AP Government and Politics: US course must take the AP Government and Politics: US exam in May. AP U.S. History – This course is designed to provide students with the analytic skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the problems and materials in United States history. The course prepares students for intermediate and advanced college courses by making demands upon them equivalent to those made by full-year introductory college courses. Students learn to assess historical materials for relevance, evidence, and interpretations presented in historical scholarship. The course is designed to develop skills necessary to arrive at conclusions on the basis of an informed judgment and present reasons and evidence clearly and persuasively in essay format. AP Studio Art: Drawing - AP Studio Art: Drawing and 2-D Design: The AP Studio Art courses are designed for students who are seriously interested in the practical experience of art. AP Studio Arts are not based on a written exam; instead, students submit portfolios for evaluation at the end of the school year. The portfolios share a basic, three-section structure, which requires the student to show a fundamental competence and range of understanding in visual concerns (and methods). NOTE: Students who take the AP Studio Art: Drawing or AP Student Art: 2-D Design courses must submit a portfolio for evaluation in May. New addition to the AP Line-up AP Spanish Literature - The AP Spanish Literature course is designed to provide students with a learning experience equivalent to that of a third-year college course in Peninsular and Latin American literature. The course is designed to introduce students to the formal study of a representative body of Peninsular and Latin American literary texts. This course is available in the fall of 2013 at MGSH. AP Biology - The AP Biology course will enable each student to develop advanced inquiry and reasoning skills, such as designing a plan for collecting data, analyzing data, applying mathematical routines, and connecting concepts in and across domains, with an emphasis on thinking and working like a scientist. AP Biology is a highly rigorous and challenging course. Students with strong reading, math and science skills and an interest in data collection and analysis will find this course engaging and mentally demanding. For incoming tenth graders, prerequisites for this course include HP Geometry and HP Science 9. Juniors and seniors must have successfully completed Biology. Mentor Connection ProgramThis course is designed to provide academically talented juniors and seniors with an opportunity to study a specific topic with a mentor in the community. The course is eighteen weeks long and meets off-campus. Students are required to provide their own transportation to the mentor's place of work. The Mentor Connection Program is offered both semesters or on a trimester basis. Credit is earned.
International Baccalaureate Programme MYP (Park Center)This magnet program is an internationally recognized, rigorous course of study that incorporates an extensive liberal arts curriculum, including foreign, language, math and science. Designed for every student of every ability level, the International Baccalaureate magnet focuses on a wide range of material taught from a global perspective. Through integration of subject matter, students gain strong academic skills, a significant body of knowledge, and develop attitudes of acceptance and cooperation. Tenth grade students attending Park Center will have the opportunity to complete their Middle Years Programme in an environment that is dynamic and student centered. This extension of the North View Junior High program uses a variety of teaching and learning methods to help student come to a deeper understanding as they see relevance and meaning in their own education. Park Center is developing the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. |
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