Career & College Prep:Career & College Prep level courses develop students’ essential skills and acquisition of content knowledge within the subject area. This level emphasizes the development of increased rigor through classroom interactions and progressing demands for independent work in preparation for college and career readiness.

Honors: Honors courses follow a rigorous curriculum prescribed by each department and develop higher-order thinking skills using a challenging pace and enriched content. Both in-class instruction and outside assignments focus on self-directed learning through activities and assessments that emphasize written and oral communication.

Accelerated Honors: Accelerated Honors courses prepare students for Advanced Placement studies. Courses at this level are designed to provide students with access to the most rigorous curriculum that extends well beyond grade level standards. These courses promote both collaborative and self-directed learning through activities and assessments that emphasize written and oral communication.

Advanced Placement: Advanced Placement, or AP, refers to college-level courses taught according to the syllabi approved by the College Board Advanced Placement Program and/or to courses designed to prepare students for College Board AP tests. Successful performance on AP tests may lead to college credit and/or advanced placement in college courses. While course descriptions provide information about the course content on which the AP exam will be based, WCASD teachers have the flexibility to determine how the content is presented.

In middle school, core courses in English, reading, and mathematics are offered at three different levels designed to challenge students based on their learning ability and needs. In eighth-grade, Science and Social Studies are offered at Grade Level or Honors Level. We have updated the rigor level descriptors to better align them with our high school rigor levels and improve communication with parents & guardians.

Our teachers are committed to recommending the best instructional level for each student that challenges them intellectually and leads to success in the classroom. Recommendations are based on prior academic performance, ability, potential, and test information.

Accelerated Honors: Accelerated Honors courses are designed for students who can learn advanced content at an accelerated pace. These courses provide students with a rigorous curriculum that extends beyond grade level standards. These courses promote collaborative and self-directed learning through a variety of instructional activities and assessments.

Honors: Honors courses are designed for students who can learn enriched content at a challenging pace. These courses provide students with a rigorous, grade level curriculum. These courses promote collaborative, guided, and self-directed learning through a variety of instructional activities and assessments.

Grade Level: Grade level courses are designed for students who can learn at a continuous pace. These courses provide students with essential skills and content knowledge aligned to grade level standards. These courses promote collaborative and guided learning through a variety of instructional activities and assessments.