Middle and Upper School

Philosophy

Grades 6-12 are very different yet very critical periods of transition in a child’s development. We focus on the whole child as we provide student-centered learning experiences that cater to the needs of our students and is designed to prepare students for entrance into the university and program of their choice without having to complete a foundation year.

Curriculum

Student schedules are based on an 85-minute block schedule. Teachers provide student-centered learning experiences that cater to the needs of our students and are designed to prepare students for entrance into the university and program of their choice without having to complete a foundation year. For each course taken in MUS, grades are based on the traditional A-F scale. Beginning in grade 9, students begin earning a grade point average (GPA), which is weighted for honors and AP courses.

Once students enter grade 9, they are introduced and prepared for Advanced Placement (AP) expectations. We build a foundation of learning for the rest of their high school career, and students who attend HCAS are set up for success through their high school years, which ensures that they are college ready!

As students continue through their high school journey, they will have the opportunity to take honors and AP courses. Honors courses are high school courses while AP courses are college level courses. HCAS believes that every student who wants to learn a particular subject should have the opportunity to learn it. We also believe that to offer differentiated courses to students gives them more educational pathways, guiding them to find areas in which they can develop a passion! This being understood, students will be offered choices among various regular, honors, and AP courses for English, mathematics, science, social studies/social sciences, computer science, music, and art in grades 10-12.

The College Board developed the AP Program to allow highly motivated students to take university-level courses while still in high school. When taking an AP course, a student could earn university credits based on an AP exam score. This could also lead to avoiding foundation courses at university. Taking an AP course also shows universities that a student is dedicated and able to navigate the academic expectations that will be encountered at university.

For the 2022-2023 school year, HCAS is offering the honors courses as follows:

Pre-AP English 1, Pre-AP English 2, Algebra II, and Precalculus.

For the 2022-2023 school year, HCAS is offering the AP courses as follows:

1. English Language and Composition
2. English Literature and Composition
3. Statistics
4. Calculus AB
5. Calculus BC
6. Biology
7. Environmental Science
8. Chemistry
9. Physics 1: Algebra-Based
10. Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism
11. Physics C: Mechanics
12. World History: Modern

13. United States History
14. United States Government and Politics
15. Psychology
16. Macroeconomics
17. Microeconomics
18. Computer Science Principles
19. Computer Science A
20. Music Theory
21. 2-D Art and Design
22. 3-D Art and Design
23. Drawing

External Assessments

As a method to measure student growth and achievement, we utilize various external assessments.

◆ NWEA MAP – grades 6-8
◆ PSAT 8/9 – grade 9 to receive AP Potential
◆ PSAT/NMSQT – grade 10 (US-passport holders will be considered for the National Merit Scholarship.)
◆ SAT – grades 11 and 12
◆ TOEFL/IELTS – grade 12 (especially for the students applying to university abroad)
◆ WIDA – grades 6-10 to ensure students have the language proficiency needed to access course