9th Grade Honor Class Requirements

SCMS HONORS APPLICATION PROCESS

Honors Biology, English and Geography will also be offered next year at SCMS. 9th grade students that qualify will be invited to enroll in some or all of these classes. The Biology classes will be offered through SCMS but will be taught up at the High School.

Your students will indicate interest by signing up for Honors Classes during registration.  The counseling office will then look at the following criteria to determine eligibility:

To qualify for Honors Language Arts 9 or Honors Geography students must meet the following criteria.  9th Grade honors students are required to read three books before the end of 8th grade.  There is a Literature Log that needs to be completed for each book.  The literature log will need to be turned into Mr. Strasmann, Ms. Nesmith or Mrs. Jardine by May of your 8th grade year.

• Complete the required reading by the end of the 8th grade year (these reading pages can count towards your students required reading).

  • Crossing the Wire: Will Hobbs (216 pages..REQUIRED)  Literature Log

  • Lost Boy, Lost Girl: Escaping Civil War in Sudan by John Bul Dau (160 pages..REQUIRED)   Lost Boy Lost Girl LIT LOG

  • Farewell to Manzanar: Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston (240 pages)Literature Log OR
  • The Endless Steppe: Esther Hautzig (256 pages)Literature Log

• Maintain grades of B or higher in US History and Language Arts 8.

  •  At least ONE essay score on Utah Compose (Score of 24 or higher)/or example of an essay if transferring to SCMS from a different district or charter school.

  • 3.75 GPA or Higher

  • NOTHING below a B in your 8th grade LA class.

In order to be successful we recommend that you do the following:

• Complete Literature logs for each of the required readings. There are two different literature logs.  Lost Boy, Lost Girl has a DIFFERENT LITERATURE LOG (See Above Links)

• Read Crossing the Wire, Lost Boy, Lost Girl and you can pick between Endless Steppe or Farewell to Manzanar.

To qualify for Honors Secondary Mathematics 1 students must meet the following criteria:

• • Must have maintained a B+ or higher in 8th grade Mathematics (B or higher in Honors 8th grade Mathematics)
  • Receive an Initial Knowledge check score of 250 or higher on ALEKS.
  • Have acceptable behavior and attendance

* Placement subject to review after initial ALEKS assessment given the first of the school year.

To qualify for Honors Biology students must meet the following criteria:

To remain in the Honors program during the 9th grade year students must meet the following criteria.

• Maintain a grade of  “B” or better in the Honors class

• Maintain acceptable behavior

  • Maintain “H’s” or “S’s” for citizenship grades

  • Maintain acceptable attendance

  • No administrative referrals for discipline

  • Teacher recommendation if transferring to SCMS