Course Levels

The educational program at Norwell High School is based on the fundamental belief that our students are life-long learners, and that Norwell High School is responsible for providing its students with a variety of learning opportunities. All courses offered at Norwell High School are considered college-preparatory. While courses vary in difficulty, intensity, and pace, all courses operate on the premise that students are active learners who are engaged in the educational process.

Course levels are designed to provide the maximum intellectual challenge for each student. Students, and their parents/guardians, need to make decisions about the courses they will register for based on:

● past academic performance

● teacher recommendations

● advice from their school counselor

Students are reminded that while there are external pressures to take as many Honors and Advanced Placement (AP) courses as possible, a balanced schedule of courses is crucial for students’ overall well-being. Students who choose to take Honors and AP courses must be prepared to balance their personal, and outside of school interests, with the significant amount of time and effort it may take to be academically successful.

The descriptions of course levels below are intended to provide an overview of the expectations of students at each level.

College Preparatory (CP)

ALL academic courses at Norwell High School, regardless of level designation, are designed to prepare students for the pursuit of postsecondary education. To prepare students for success in higher education, CP courses are designed to allow students to develop positive learning habits in addition to mastering the prescribed curriculum. Students taking a course for CP credit can expect to receive some level of guided instruction, have homework assignments most nights, and demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and understanding of course content through a variety of assessments.

Honors (H)

Honors courses at Norwell High School are designated as such because the pace, daily expectations, and workload are significantly more demanding than those of CP courses. Honors courses require a high level of self-directed student work and prioritization. Students taking a course for Honors credit can expect to demonstrate critical thinking and reasoning skills with great frequency, be responsible for more complex reading and projects outside the scope of day-to-day classes, and demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and understanding of course content through more complex assessments that often require students to apply recently learned material to new situations.

Advanced Placement (AP)

The Advanced Placement (AP) Program affords students the opportunity to pursue college-level coursework while in high school and to potentially earn AP credit at colleges and universities that are willing to grant credit (see individual institution’s policy with regard to AP credit). All Advanced Placement courses at Norwell High School meet the College Board’s rigorous standards and are guided by course syllabi that are approved through the AP Audit process. There is a College Board exam fee associated with this course level. Students will be required to pay exam fees by September 30th. If a student has financial difficulty with the fees, they should contact the assistant principal prior to September 30th. Any student not paying the required fee by September 30th will be un-enrolled from the AP class and placed in an appropriate Honors level class.

Advanced Placement Philosophy
Norwell High School is committed to the principle that all students are entitled to access opportunities to participate in rich and rigorous curricula. In keeping with this belief, students are encouraged to engage in Advanced Placement coursework when appropriate. As a learning community, we believe that students benefit from the challenge of engaging in college-level coursework during their high school experience. Norwell High School emphasizes student participation over prerequisites in its approach to AP access.

A body of research suggests that students who engage in Advanced Placement coursework in high school are more likely to be successful in their post-secondary education. These students may apply credits earned from achieving a qualifying score on an Advanced Placement exam to place out of introductory courses, are able to engage in more rigorous coursework sooner in their post-secondary education, and are more likely to complete a bachelor’s degree in four years than students who have not engaged in Advanced Placement coursework.

Advanced Placement coursework mirrors the experience students would have in an introductory course at the college- or university- level. Students enrolled in Advanced Placement courses are expected to demonstrate independence and initiative. Expectations of students in Advanced Placement courses include daily reading, independent learning that may take place outside of the classroom, and ongoing long-term assignments.

When deciding whether to enroll in an Advanced Placement course, students and parents are encouraged to think about how the workload of an Advanced Placement course will be balanced with the demands of the student’s other courses, co-curricular and athletic participation, and other responsibilities. Structures and procedures are in place that enable the school counselors to review students’ course selections to ensure that students’ schedules are realistic and balanced.

Students who enroll in an Advanced Placement course are expected to take the AP exam in May. There is a College Board exam fee associated with the AP exam. Students will be required to pay exam fees by September 30th. If a student has financial difficulty with the fees, they should contact the assistant principal prior to September 30th. Any student not paying the required fee by September 30th will be un-enrolled from the AP class and placed in an appropriate Honors level class.

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