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High SchoolCurriculum & GraduationRequirements Guide2023-2024Updated October 18, 2022

HIGH SCHOOL ACCREDITATIONAccreditation for Ann Arbor Christian School comes from Christian Schools International(CSI), which offers school improvement, teacher support, leadership training, and otherservices to nearly 400 member schools in the United States and abroad. AACS iscurrently accredited through Grade 8 with CSI. As the school adds high school grades,CSI stands ready with eagerness and support to accredit each grade as it is added. CSIis extremely supportive of our expansion of Christian education in our community.As part of our CSI accreditation, CSI expects its member schools to meet generalgraduation requirements as established by each state’s department of education whilerecognizing that its member schools have needs and requirements outside of what statedepartments of education consider (e.g., Bible or theology curriculum).Our aim is to teach with excellence while incorporating a Christian worldview in everycourse and subject area. We will keep our mission and School-Wide Learner Goals inmind across our entire high school curriculum.GRADUATION REQUIREMENTSDefinition of credit:One credit is defined as a year-long course. A semester-long course would beconsidered 0.5 credit. In other words: a semester course counts as 0.5 credit a two-semester (year-long course) course counts as 1.0 credit.Graduation requirements:A student must earn a minimum of 22 credits as a full-time student over the eightsemesters in Grades 9 through 12 in order to graduate. Most AACS graduates will earn28 credits. Unless there is a documented learning need or approved exemption, astudent will earn 7 credits per year.As defined by the Michigan Department of Education, these graduation requirementsshould include the following: Mathematics: 4 credits at least through Algebra 2. A math course must also betaken during senior year. English: 4 credits

Science: 3 credits, including one life science course (biology or anatomy &physiology) and one physical science course (chemistry or physics). Takingbiology, chemistry, and physics is generally seen as having taken a core,foundational high school science education and recommended for those pursuinga STEM-related field or degree in college. Social Studies: 3 credits, including one credit of U.S. history & geography, onecredit of world history & geography, a half credit of economics, and a half credit ofgovernment/civics. World Language: 2 credits in one language. A student with specificlanguage-based learning needs identified in an IEP or 504 plan may be allowedto take only 1 credit of a world language with the second credit being in the arts. Physical Education: 1 credit in health and physical education. A half credit ofphysical education may be met if the student participates in a school athleticteam for one season. Arts (visual, performing, or applied): 1 credit Theology: 4 credits. Theology is not required by the Michigan Department ofEducation, but it is a high school graduation requirement of AACS. We believe inthe importance of using the mind not only to win others to Christ but also toexperience personal spiritual growth.Special notes: Credit from outside AACS: If pre-approved ahead of time, certain online, dualenrollment, or summer courses might qualify to meet a credit requirement. SeeDual-Enrollment below. Learning accommodations: Students with approved learning plans may haveaccommodations made to help address their learning needs and to foster theiracademic success. The school remains committed to its vision to help allstudents successfully learn. Program/Degree-Specific Criteria for College Admissions: For studentsinterested in specific undergraduate programs or degrees, it is the responsibilityof the student and family to understand the admission requirements for thoseprograms or degrees and to fulfill those requirements as they are selecting theircourses during their eight semesters at the AACS high school. For instance,students interested in engineering or computer science for college should takecourses that align with admissions criteria for those programs. They may alsoconsult with their guidance counselor. AP: AP refers to courses endorsed by the College Board as meeting theirAdvanced Placement requirements. Generally, these are consideredcollege-level courses and conclude the year with an optional AP exam

administered by the College Board. Typically, out of a scale of 1-5, a studentneeds to earn at least a 3 or 4 (usually 4) for some colleges to give them collegecredit. However, there has been a developing trend in which colleges are moreselective and less likely to give credit, so families should inquire with collegesthat their children are considering. Due to the intensive nature of these courses,AP courses require students to demonstrate a strong work ethic, strongorganization, and consistent time management skills to have a successful andmeaningful experience.Dual-Enrollment: Generally, dual-enrollment courses are college-level coursesoffered by an accredited college or university to high school students. Successfulcompletion of the course means that the student has earned the credit for thatcourse and can request that the credits be transferred to the college they attend.Typically, dual-enrollment credits are accepted, but families should inquire withthe colleges that their students are considering, especially for degree-specificundergraduate coursework. For instance, for a student interested in a nursingdegree, taking an introductory nursing course through a dual-enrollment programmay or may not fully meet all the elements that some colleges have for their ownintroductory nursing course if the latter has some specific or uniquerequirements. Due to the nature of these courses, dual-enrollment coursesrequire students to demonstrate a strong work ethic, strong organization, andconsistent time management skills to have a successful and meaningfulexperience. The school is actively in dialogue with Concordia University AnnArbor. Due to their geographic proximity and faith-based mission, Concordia willlikely be our primary option for creating additional course options for students,including the possibility of their professors traveling to the AACS Upper Campusto teach a course. Generally, courses at Concordia will be about 200- 500.Course prerequisites: When prerequisites are stated, the intention is to ensurebetter success for students by having the proper background knowledge and skillsets to do well.Failure (below 60%): Failure of a course will result in no credit being issued and anegative impact on the student’s GPA. The course will need to be retaken or anappropriate alternative taken.NCAA Division I eligibility: For students interested in NCAA Division I sports, theywill need to meet the 16 core course requirements (see below) established by theNCAA. Fortunately, most required courses for high school graduation will meetvirtually all of the requirements. Interested students should make their intentionsknown to their AACS guidance counselor as soon as possible. A GPA of 2.3 orhigher in these core courses is also required. 4 credits of English

3 credits of Mathematics (Algebra 1 or higher)2 credits of natural and physical science2 credits of social studies1 additional credit of English, math, or natural/physical science4 additional credits of English, mathematics, natural/physicalscience, world language, comparative religion or philosophy.GPA, HONOR ROLL & CLASS RANKGPAGrade Point Average will be calculated based on tables similar to the ones below. Thetables below (from FGRHS) are samples of what we are considering (e.g., AP classeswill be weighed differently due to the level of work involved), but do not represent thefinal scales. While often similar, there is no standardized or universal scale for GPAcalculation, so the school is looking at several scales and considering which model bestfits our goal of a healthier high school. GPAs are often used by colleges for admissionand scholarship purposes.General Grading ScaleAP Grading Scale

Honor RollBelow is a sample model of how we would determine honor roll. While often similar,there is no standardized or universal formula for honor roll determination, so the schoolis looking at models and considering which model best fits our goal of a healthier highschool.Summa Cum Laude 3.80 – 4.00 Magna Cum Laude 3.60 – 3.79Cum Laude 3.30 – 3.59In light of our school’s philosophy around recognizing the whole student and differentgifting, the school will also seek to find other opportunities to acknowledge differentways in which students showcase their God-given talents.Class RankThe school will not calculate class rank in alignment with our goal to be a healthier highschool.

COURSE OFFERINGS BY SUBJECT* means a required course. It does not represent all required courses needed withineach subject area to graduate, but simply courses within a subject that all students needto take at some point in their high school years. For instance, in science, all studentsneed to take biology and chemistry, so those courses have an asterisk, but everystudent still needs to take a third credit of science to graduate.Short descriptions are provided for courses in which the course name may not besufficiently descriptive.Mathematics: 4 credits at least through Algebra 2. A math course must also betaken during senior year.Course nameGrade(s)NotesAlgebra 1*1 credit9AACS students whosuccessfully completeAlgebra 1 in Grade 8 cangenerally take GeometryAccelerated in Grade 9.After Geometry, thesestudents still need to takethree more years of math.Geometry (standard andaccelerated)*1 credit9, 10AACS students whosuccessfully completeAlgebra 1 in Grade 8 cangenerally take GeometryAccelerated in Grade 9.After Geometry, thesestudents still need to takethree more years of math.Algebra 2 (standard andaccelerated)*1 credit10, 11This course can becompleted across twoyears and considered as 2credits.Precalculus (standardand accelerated)11, 12

1 creditAP Calculus AB1 credit12Electives:Personal Finance,Accounting, Statistics0.5 credit each12Semester-long electivesComputer Science1 credit9-12This may be an onlinecourse or dual-enrollmentcourse.English: 4 credits. There will be a high emphasis on high-quality literature, writing,grammar, and vocabulary, including works of exceptional Christian writers (e.g., C.S.Lewis).Course nameGrade(s)NotesEnglish 9 (Standard andAccelerated)*1 credit9English 9 is a surveycourse to provide a strongfoundation in English skillsfocusing on writingtechnique and grammarused in essay writing.World literature will beexplored and analyzed tocomplement the SocialStudies curriculum for ninthgrade.The accelerated coursefollows the same contentareas, but will have lessfocus on foundationalskills, move at a fasterpace, and allow advancedstudents to be challengedwith a deeperunderstanding of literatureand level of writing.