Automatic Placement into the Most Rigorous Courses

Per the Accelerated Placement Act, students will be automatically placed into the next most rigorous level of coursework which may include accelerated or Advanced Placement (AP) courses based on standardized assessment scores and meeting course prerequisites. Accelerated placement applies to required courses in our English, Math, Science, and Social Studies Departments. This plan does not prevent students who are not identified using the standardized test scores identified in this document from enrolling in advanced-level courses. 

As partners in the course registration process, parents/guardians are encouraged to discuss course options with their student’s high school counselor. Parents/guardians are notified of the courses their student has been recommended for, including those in which their student will be automatically placed. A parent/guardian whose student is automatically accelerated may decline that placement.

A teacher recommendation, although not used for automatic placement, can provide valuable insight into a student’s academic capabilities, work ethic, and suitability for an accelerated or advanced placement course. The purpose of a teacher recommendation is to encourage a student to take an accelerated or advanced placement course. Students who receive a teacher recommendation are encouraged to talk with their counselor about taking the advanced course.

The effectiveness of accelerated placement will be reviewed on an annual basis and multiple measures including but not limited to course grades and standardized test scores will be used to evaluate program effectiveness.  District cut scores used for initial placement will be reevaluated each time new national norms are released and as needed based on yearly data collected from placements and longitudinal student data.    

The threshold scores for each grade level and accelerated/advanced course can be found here: Data Used to Determine Automatic Placement.