Grade 7-12 Course Planning

The Advanced Placement Program (AP) is a program of college-level courses organized by The College Board. Colleges may grant college credit (hours), placement in certain college courses, or both, to students who take the AP test and score well enough to meet the criteria for the college in which they enroll. Students are responsible for contacting the college of their choice to determine if credit will be awarded.

Freshmen and Sophomores who are interested in the AP program are encouraged to enroll in the Advanced Academics courses available. Refer to the course catalog for more information on available Advanced Academics courses.

Be aware that Arkansas Law requires that students enrolled in AP classes are awarded GPA points on a 5-point grading scale only if they take the affiliated AP test.

AP COURSES OFFERED AT PRSD:

Arkansas Department of Higher Education Advanced Placement Policy

The Arkansas Department of Higher Education Coordinating (ADHEC) Board has established a set of guidelines by which state institutions must award course credit for advanced placement exams to students who score a 3 or higher. The ADHEC Board has assigned courses under the Arkansas Course Transfer System (ACTS) to AP relevant exams. An institution is not required to award credit for an AP exam if the institution does not offer the corresponding ACTS course.  For more information, visit the Arkansas Department of Higher Education Advanced Placement Policy website. 

The following table lists PRHS AP exams and the corresponding ACTS courses. AP exams without a corresponding ACTS course listed below will be awarded credit at the discretion of the institution.

Preparing students in Pea Ridge for an uncommon college and career experience requires students to have a deeper understanding of the multiple opportunities for success available for them in grades 7 -12. To ensure that each student’s personal experience is in preparation for their life after high school, students will enroll in the career readiness courses listed below to complete a coherent sequence of experiences aligned with Arkansas College and Career Readiness standards required for graduation.  Students will use these courses as a vehicle to help prepare them for college and career success, to fully experience all of the opportunities available to them, and create and manage an online student success portfolio. Through their coursework, students will analyze, re-evaluate, and update their personal academic success portfolio annually during the extensive registration process.  The college and career readiness courses also expose students to an extensive advisory-type curriculum, as well as, career credentialing with the ACT WorkKeys test. At the culmination of these courses, students will be prepared to enter their post-secondary life.

For course descriptions, see course description sections for High School Credit Courses and Junior High Courses and learn more about district opportunities here.

Pea Ridge School District - College and Career Readiness Programs of Study

Career Practicums are available to Seniors who meet program requirements and provide a career focused, on-the-job-learning option that includes a combination of classroom instruction and paid or unpaid on-the-job training that concludes with a portable credential of value.  Courses are aligned to a Pea Ridge Program of Study and require competency-based classroom and worksite instruction tailored to meet the needs of individual students.

PRHS offers concurrent classes through Northwest Arkansas Community College (NWACC). We encourage seniors to consider the necessary time-management, dedication, and self-motivation required to be successful in these courses.

We encourage students to take AP courses in their sophomore and junior years before seeking enrollment in concurrent courses their senior year.

Students in Early College Experience courses can earn 3 college credits and 1 high school credit for each course if a grade of a C or higher is earned. Even though the concurrent course is only a semester long, students earning a C or higher will get a full year of high school credit. However, students who earn a D will earn 0 college credit and 0.5 high school credit, requiring they take another semester of a high school class in the same subject. Students earning an F will be required to take an entire year of a high school class in the same subject.

Students interested in taking a concurrent course will help cover enrollment costs with a non-refundable $50 fee, be responsible for acquiring textbooks, and must sign the Concurrent Course Expectations Contract.

To qualify for concurrent courses, a student must meet Admission Requirements:

• Have a high school cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 grading system

• Have an appropriate placement score on the Aspire, ACT, SAT, or Accuplacer Next Gen

Recommended Course Progression:

Students interested in taking courses not on the suggested course list aligned to a equivalent high school course credit will need approval from the campus counselor. Students must complete all steps EACH SEMESTER and meet NWACC requirements before concurrent courses will be placed on their schedule.

Correspondence Credit, or dual credit, is any course taken with an institution other than Pea Ridge High School. A student is dually enrolled- at Pea Ridge School District and another institution. These courses are not scheduled in our school day schedule except at the principal’s discretion in special circumstances. These are courses, online or otherwise, in which Pea Ridge students enroll with another agency beyond Pea Ridge Schools and its partner institution, Northwest Arkansas Community College. NWACC courses taken outside of our school day and off our schedule are correspondence credit even though that is typically our concurrent partner. During a student’s junior and senior year, no more than two credits from correspondence courses, not offered in the Pea Ridge Schools course catalog and not taken during our school day, will be accepted by transfer each year. Credits that are not needed to meet graduation requirements will not be added to the transcript. All other transfer rules apply related to transfer from accredited or non-accredited entities. Correspondence courses and online courses must be pre-approved by the student’s administrator to ensure good communication regarding the transfer of credit. 

Students and Parents/Guardians  must consider the following when opting for correspondence credit:

1. Correspondence credit that is not pre-approved using the PRHS process detailed below will not be accepted. 
2. Students must pay for tuition, books and other fees associated with these courses. 
3. Correspondence credits that are meant to meet graduation requirements must be completed by the end of the fall semester of a student’s senior year. Grades must be received by the last day of the fall semester.
4. Correspondence credits may not be used to meet AAA eligibility for athletics and activities.
5. Students assume all risk that correspondence credits may not meet NCAA or NAIA requirements for eligibility.  
6. Correspondence credit may not be used to earn credit for Geometry, English I, or Biology. 
7. It is the responsibility of the student to request transcripts/course grades be sent to the PRHS Registrar in order for credit to be applied to the student’s high school transcript. Records must be received from the institution. Screenshots or printed documents from the student will not be accepted. 

Process for Correspondence Credit Approval:

1. Complete the online form for credit approval. The deadline for each semester is 30 calendar days prior to the beginning of each semester.  
2. Await written notice of approval from an administrator. 
3. Upon course completion, request records of completion/grades be sent by the correspondence agency to the PRHS Registrar.
4. Grades must be received by the last day of the fall semester to receive credit toward graduation as a senior. Grades will not be recorded on a transcript until official records are received from the correspondence agency.

Students earn credits by passing a course with a grade of 60 (D) or higher. Each 1.0 credit course requires students to pass semester A and semester B, each worth 0.5 credits. Semester grades are an average of two quarters and a semester exam if applicable.

A student must be enrolled in a course for 90% of the semester in order to receive credit for the course. Students transferring into a course from another Pea Ridge course using a different course code, must do so by the 10th day of semester in order to receive credit. Course enrollment for a student transferring from another district during the semester will be based on the enrollment in the student’s previous school and remaining time in the semester for the Pea Ridge course.

Students must complete a schedule change request form provided by the campus counseling office.  No schedule changes will be made without parent permission.  

Requests will be fulfilled based on space in courses, student credit requirements, and master schedule availability.  Students will be notified if changes are not possible.  Priority will be placed on meeting graduation requirements. Students dropping Concurrent Credit or Advanced Placement may incur course fees if dropping after deadlines. 

For a student to receive weighted credit for an AP class, he or she must complete the AP test at the end of the course.

Students must meet or exceed the minimum credit requirement as shown in the table in order to advance to the next grade.  Grade level classification will be determined annually prior to the start of the school year and will include any credits earned in summer school.  Once the grade level classification has been determined, students will remain in that classification for the entire school year.  Eligibility for participation in grade-level related school activities or courses will be determined by the grade level classification established at the beginning of each school year.  Such activities include, but are not limited to: Homecoming, Junior-Senior Prom, Boys and Girls State, dances, class officer elections, course prerequisite, local scholarship application, etc.  Grade level classification for athletic purposes is based on Arkansas Activities Association (AAA) standards and does not affect or change PRHS grade level classification status.

The PRHS Earned Release Program provides Senior students the opportunity to gain additional experience and training in jobs or college courses. Students may request one class period to be used for earned release at the end or beginning of the school day.  The following requirements must be met:

• Students must be in their senior year of high school and enrolled in Senior Seminar.
• An Earned Release Agreement form must be signed by parents and students before the first day of earned release enrollment.
• Students must have their own transportation and follow correct procedures for signing in or out of the building.
• For each period and semester that a student requests earned release, the student must also be enrolled in one advanced placement course and/or senior-level CTE course. If a student requests two periods of earned release, he or she must be enrolled in two advanced-level courses each semester.
• Students must maintain passing grades in all of their courses and meet all attendance policies for credit.

The board of education approves two levels of honors recognition for Pea Ridge graduates:

HONORS

• For those who complete all local graduation requirements, complete the requirements specified by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, and maintain a grade point average of at least 3.500.

HIGH HONORS

• For those who complete all local graduation requirements, complete the requirements specified by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, and maintain a grade point average of at least 3.750.
• To receive any honors designation, a student must be enrolled as a full-time student at Pea Ridge High School for the two semesters of the senior year or three of the final four semesters.

Students will be enrolled in 7 credit-bearing courses each semester in grades 9-11 with a full 7-period schedule.  Seniors must meet minimum course load requirements in one of the following ways:

• Enrollment in 7 credit-bearing high school courses, including Senior Seminar (Work Ready or Practicum). 
• Participating in the Earned Release Program (see Earned Release Program Guidelines) and enrollment in Senior Seminar (Work Ready or Practicum). 
• Maintaining full-time enrollment (12 hours) in concurrent credit coursework and enrollment in Senior Seminar (Work Ready or Practicum).

In addition to the core academic program, Pea Ridge School District recognizes the value of career and college preparation through Career and Technical Education. The College and Career Readiness Courses described in the previous section are designed to expose students to the programs of study and make choices about their studies based on these programs. The list and description of courses for each of the programs below can be found in the course description section. 

• Agriculture
• Audio Visual Technology 
• Computer Science and Information
• Culinary Arts
• Education
• Fine Arts
• Graphic Design
• Health Science
• Marketin

Students who plan to continue participating in competitive sports at the college level must contact the NCAA Clearinghouse to be sure of eligibility during their junior year of high school.  The NCAA has its own guidelines for high school courses to qualify for admission to college athletics.  Most students participate in Division I or Division II, depending on the college they aspire to attend.

NCAA DIVISION EXPLANATIONS

• Current PRHS Graduation Requirements meet NCAA Division I Standards. For more information, visit the NCAA website.

The Student Success Plan is embedded within the College and Career Readiness courses and is utilized for the development of and compilation of high school and postsecondary planning.  All students are required to have a Student Success Plan by the end of 8th grade to guide their coursework for graduation and success after high school.