Honors Program

Current Honors Program Presentation Video & Presentations:

• Rising 5th-8th Grades Honors Program Slideshow on Canva
• Rising 5th-8th Grades Honors Video Presentation
• Presentación de diapositivas del Programa de Honores de 5.^o a 8.^o grado (Español)

Current Honors Program Flyers:

• General Overview of the FSD Honors Program
• Honors Program Course Qualifications
• Honors Program Qualifying Processes Chart
• High-School Credit Courses Chart

The Honors Program guidelines are approved by the FSD School Board. For more information, see FSD Board Policy 4.205 (Enrollment in Advanced Courses). If you have questions about the Honors Program, please reach out to your child's teacher, your school's principal/assistant principal, or the Student Performance Supervisor.

GENERAL INFORMATION

All eligible students in grades 5-8 may participate in the FSD Honors Program. Due to the limited number of students per grade level at Poplar Grove Middle School, students in the Honors Program may be clustered in differentiated classrooms but efforts will be made to avoid clustering when possible.

The Honors Program consists of the following classes:

• Honors English/Language Arts in grades 5-8
• Honors Science in grades 6-8
• Honors Math in grades 5-7
• Algebra I in grades 7-8 (high-school credit course)
• Geometry in grade 8 (Algebra I prerequisite; high-school credit course)
• World Language in grades 7-8 (2-year course) (high-school credit course)
• Introduction to Aerospace in grade 8 (high-school credit course), and
• Computer Science in grade 8 (high-school credit course)

The winter benchmark assessments for iReady Reading and iReady Math are used as the qualifying assessments for Honors classes. iReady Reading is also used for the qualifying scores for Honors Science. Rising 7th and 8th graders take the Iowa Algebra Aptitude Test (IAAT), in order to be considered for Algebra I in 7th and 8th grades. TCAP scores from the previous school year are also used as qualifying assessments in ELA, Math, and Science (see below for more details). 

The winter benchmark assessments, consisting of reading and math, will be administered to all rising 4th through 8th graders in December or January of each year. To ensure sufficient time for scheduling and parent reconsideration requests, scores from the winter benchmark tests will determine Honors admission. In addition, students may also qualify based on their TCAP scores from the previous school year. The IAAT will be offered to rising 7th and 8th graders in February of each year. The IAAT must be taken by the student during the calendar year he/she wishes to be considered for these Honors classes.

For students who are new to the district, school personnel will gather state or district assessment data from their previous school or state, if possible. If the scores are unavailable or cannot be interpreted in a manner consistent with the FSD benchmark tests, iReady Reading and iReady Math will be administered at the start of the school year and used as the qualifying measure. New students who wish to enroll in Algebra I will take the IAAT at the beginning of the school year.

Any district-selected Honors entry test (IAAT for Algebra I placement) is offered free of charge to students. A letter will be sent home prior to the administration of these tests for parents to opt out their child, if they choose to do so.

Upon receipt of the results from the IAAT, qualifying cut scores for each grade level cohort are determined by the Administrative Honors Committee on an annual basis. The committee evaluates the performance of current FSD test-takers and determines a minimum qualifying score. Cut scores may differ for each test and for each grade level, and they may vary from year to year. Students may participate in every subject/course in which the score requirements are met. 

HONORS QUALIFYING PROCESS

Rising 5th—8th grade students are eligible to participate in the FSD Honors Program classes if they meet one of the four criteria listed below:

A. Achieved the required qualifying cut score on the assessment appropriate for the grade level and subject area. 

• Benchmark tests: Students scoring at the 90th percentile or above on the winter iReady Reading test will automatically qualify for Honors ELA and Science. Students scoring at the 90th percentile or above on the winter iReady Math test will automatically qualify for Honors Math.
• TCAP tests: Students scoring at the 90th percentile or above on the prior year's subject area TCAP test (ELA, Math, Science) will qualify for an Honors class in those subjects. Administrators have the flexibility to place, with a parent's permission, a student in an Honors class for which the student scored at the Exceeded Expectations performance level on the most recent TCAP subject area test, given that the student would automatically qualify for this Honors class in the following year. (This applies only to Honors ELA, math, and science classes.)

B. Maintained passing grades and automatically advanced to the same Honors classes in 6th grade OR maintained passing grades in 7th grade Honors classes and automatically advanced to the same Honors classes in 8th grade. (Students cannot automatically advance in Honors classes from 6th grade to 7th grade due to an updated policy beginning in the 2024-25 school year. This is to ensure that all rising 7th grade students have maintained a high level of performance and are ready for the rigor and academic demands of middle school coursework.)

C. Placement is validated by evidence collected on the spring parent letters with qualifying scores or on the Honors Reconsideration Form (see A and B under the Honors Reconsideration section below) and agreed to by the parent and administrator.

D. Space may be available for families who have completed the Honors Reconsideration Form. If the form was received after the deadline of May 31st, there may be a waiting list based on the school’s space in Honors classes.

Parents and students will be notified by mail concerning their status for participation in the Honors Program. Students currently enrolled in Honors ELA and Math classes in 5th grade will automatically qualify for these classes next year, assuming they maintain the necessary grade requirements for the remainder of the school year. Students currently enrolled in Honors ELA, Honors Science, and World Language (French I-A or Spanish I-A) in 7th grade will automatically qualify for these classes next year, assuming they maintain the necessary grade requirements for the remainder of the school year. All rising 7th grade students must requalify for all Honors classes, due to the rigor of middle school coursework. Parents may choose to opt out of their child’s participation in Honors classes by completing the digital Honors Opt Out Form included in the mailing and posted on our Honors Program webpage. This Honors Opt Out Form should be completed based on the child’s upcoming school. An administrator will review the opt out requests and will automatically unenroll students in the Honors classes for which parents indicated on the form.

HONORS RECONSIDERATION PROCESS

If a student does not qualify for the Honors Program via the qualifying cut score on the appropriate assessment, the parent will receive a link to the digital Honors Reconsideration Form. Parents should submit the form to the upcoming school, in order to request that their child be reconsidered for one (1) specific Honors class per school year. The request will only be granted if the data collected on the Honors Reconsideration Form validate this class placement for the child and if space is available. Honors Reconsideration forms can be found on the Honors Program webpage.

Upon receipt of the Honors Reconsideration Form, the following steps will be taken during the summer planning months:

A. Data from the spring iReady Reading and iReady Math assessments will be recorded and analyzed by the administrator reviewing the reconsideration request. In addition, if a student scores at or above the 90th percentile on a spring benchmark tests, a parent may complete a second Honors reconsideration request for an additional Honors class. The second reconsideration request is validated by the spring benchmark being at or above the 90th percentile for the requested course.

B. The principal will analyze the teacher's perceived rate of learning (TPRL) traits from the previous year’s teachers, along with any other available data for the student from the previous school year.

C. A student may be placed in an Honors class if a) there is available space in such class, and if b) the student has a score on the winter/spring benchmark tests or other data that validates the reconsideration request. The principal and parent will discuss the above data and will make a shared decision related to the student being enrolled in Honors classes. Additionally, the Parent Commitment Form will be discussed to ensure a full understanding of the academic expectations of the program. If placement in Honors classes occurs, the parent will sign the Parent Commitment Form at the beginning of the school year, and the student will be placed in the appropriate Honors class(es).

Parents may complete a Honors Reconsideration Form for any Honors class with the exception of Algebra I  for 7th graders. Parents should submit one (1) Honors reconsideration request per school year in the subject area, based on the strengths and interests of their child. However, a parent may complete a second Honors reconsideration request for an additional Honors class, if one reconsideration is validated by the spring benchmark (iReady Reading or iReady Math) being at or above the 90th percentile, as noted above. Additional Honors reconsideration requests will not be granted, but parents may submit an additional Honors reconsideration request in the subsequent school year. Also, students may qualify for new Honors classes in any school year. The Honors Program Reconsideration Form will be used to evaluate data collected from the following sources: TCAP, iReady, and teacher perceived rate of learning (TPRL).

If a student does not qualify for an Honors class via the qualifying cut score on the appropriate assessment or through the reconsideration process, parents may request to be on the school’s waiting list for Honors classes, with the exception of Algebra I in 7th grade. Please submit this request in writing to either the principal or the assistant principal at the appropriate school.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Students who meet the TN standards as a student who is Intellectually Gifted do not automatically qualify for the Honors Program. If an Intellectually Gifted student does not meet the qualifying score for Honors, it is the eligibility team’s responsibility to determine whether or not an Honors class is the most appropriate placement.

Prior to participating in the program the first time, parents of eligible students should attend a virtual or in-person Honors meeting with a school administrator or review the presentation materials posted on the Honors Program  webpage. If a parent does not attend the official meeting or review the materials, he/she should contact the school to make other arrangements for Honors Program orientation. The principal will inform parents of the common characteristics—strengths and problems/challenges—of academically talented students as well as the implications for future coursework for students who participate in the Honors Program. Having this information will assist parents in making good decisions about whether this rigorous program is the most appropriate placement for their child, realizing that in a challenging program of this nature, students may not always earn a grade of A or B on every assignment or in every class. While student performance may vary in Honors classes, standards of performance for the Honors Program itself cannot waver.

Parents of students participating in the Honors Program will be required to sign a new Parent Commitment Form each year, agreeing to maintain the standards of the Honors Program. This Parent Commitment Form will be sent to parents at the beginning of the new school year via a digital form. In addition, the Parent Commitment Form will be posted online.

Students must maintain a quarterly grade of 70 or above in each Honors class, in order to remain in these classes. Students who score below a 70 in an Honors class will be exited from this Honors class for the remainder of the school year and rescheduled into a general education class for this subject. Students who exited an Honors class will be eligible for requalification in the subsequent school year, but they will not automatically advance in this Honors class due to failure to maintain the minimum grade requirement. (Automatic advancement in Honors only occurs from 5th to 6th grades and from 7th to 8th grades.)

When a student has difficulty in an Honors class, it is important to determine if Honors is the most appropriate placement for the student. The following steps will be taken:

A. If any student earns a grade below an 80% average (including for high school credit classes) on his/her quarterly progress report, the classroom teacher will contact the parent to share a reminder of the quarterly grade requirement that a student maintain a passing (70 and above) grade and encourage the parent to ask questions and provide support for their student.

B. The parent may contact a teacher or administrator at any time if they have questions about their child’s academic progress/performance in an Honors class.

C. If the student does not make the expected improvement by the end of nine weeks, as indicated by a grade of 70% or higher on his/her report card for the quarter grade, the student will be exited from the Honors class and rescheduled into a differentiated general education class. (See the below guidelines for High School Courses Taken for Credit in Middle School for exiting these courses.)

The FSD Honors Program Guidelines will be placed on the website and reviewed with teachers at the beginning of each school year. Teachers are expected to communicate with families if a student is struggling in their Honors classes.

The principal at each school have the authority to require additional criteria for the enrollment in advanced courses to fit the needs of the students within the school.

NOTIFICATION

HIGH SCHOOL COURSES TAKEN FOR CREDIT IN MIDDLE SCHOOL

High school courses offered in the FSD include Algebra I, Geometry, French I (A-B), Spanish I (A-B), Computer Science, and Introduction to Aerospace. All high school credit courses are availabe at both Freedom Middle School and Poplar Grove Middle School. Credit for the successful completion of these courses is granted by Williamson County Schools (WCS).

FSD students enrolled in high school courses will be subject to the Williamson County Board of Education’s Policy #4.600 (Report Cards and Grading Systems). The following grading scale will be used:

In accordance with WCS Board of Education Policy #4.6051 (Credit Requirements for Graduation), FSD students entering into Williamson County Schools will receive high school credit by (1) passing (grade of 60 or above) both semesters of the course. Algebra I and Geometry students will take the TCAP End of Course assessment. Currently, TCAP assessment grades may count up to 15% of a student’s final spring semester grade for the course if the additional score increases the student’s grade. Students enrolled in Spanish I and French I will take a final exam developed in conjunction with World Language teachers in Williamson County Schools. Currently, the final exam grade may count up to 15% of the student’s final grade for the course.  Final course letter grades will be included in a student's grade point average for high school in Williamson County, per WCS Board policy 4.600. There is not an option to refuse the credit or not include the grade in a student's GPA.

All FSD middle school courses that may count as credit for high school are taught at an honors level and are subject to all criteria of an honors level course. FSSD students must maintain a passing grade average (60 or above) on their report card, as they must pass both semesters to receive credit. After completing all requirements of an honors level course, these courses will count towards the Williamson County Honors Diploma. (WCS Policy #4.6051 Credit Requirements for Graduation, 4.60511 Graduation with Honors or Distinction).

High school credit courses also abide by the following state board policy (SBE policy 2.103(V)(3)(c)).

Students enrolled in courses with End of Course examinations may not withdraw from such courses after being enrolled in the course for at least twenty-five percent (25%) of the instructional days in the course.

As such, if any student enrolled in a high school credit course is not meeting expectations, schedule changes should be made by the end of the first quarter of the school year. Otherwise, the student must remain in the course for the full school year.

Although the successful completion of Algebra I and Geometry in middle school will count towards a student’s high school math credits for graduation, a student must still take three or four years of math during high school. Parents should understand clearly that students taking high school levels of math in middle school (Algebra I and Geometry) are still required to take four additional math courses different from those taken in middle school (see chart below).

*WCS High School Planning Guide: https://docs.wcs.edu/pdf/schools/HS-Program-Planning-Guide-2024-2025.pdf

Please note: Successful completion of one year of World Language in middle school will count towards the two-year requirement for high school graduation. Both years of this course (French I-A in 7th/French I-B in 8th; Spanish I-A in 7th/Spanish I-B in 8th) must be completed for a student to receive high school credit. For students who will be attending a four-year higher education institution following high school, two additional years of World Language in the high school setting are highly recommended.