Course Designation

North Shore offers specific Advanced Placement (AP) courses as a part of the regular curriculum in upper school. Students can earn college credit and advanced standing for the above AP courses by taking the AP exam in the late spring of each academic year. All students enrolled in an AP course must take the exam unless the teacher and department head give permission not to take the exam. If an AP student does not meet the AP course requirements or if an AP student is late or absent more than six classes in one semester, the student’s status in the AP class is to be reviewed by The Head of Upper School, the AP teacher, and the student’s advisor.

North Shore participates in the National College Board Advanced Placement Program. AP courses are college-level courses taught by our faculty. At the end of each AP course, students are required to take the national AP exam for that course.

 

At NSCD, students are encouraged to take up to two AP courses in eleventh grade and three in twelfth grade to maintain a balanced course load. NSCD  believes that the AP curriculum is essential to the upper school academic offerings. As a college preparatory institution, NSCD believes it is critical that 1) we offer a variety of AP courses and 2) many upper school students take advantage of these AP offerings. The College Board has officially approved all AP courses offered at NSCD following their course audit process, and each has its unique expectations and challenges. While the decision to enroll in an AP course is multi-faceted, the preliminary finding should be based on a student’s documented evidence of previous performance and commitment to engage in all aspects of the course thoroughly and comprehensively.

The AP courses offer a challenging and rigorous academic framework; therefore, entrance into these courses typically requires an application process. Students enrolled in an AP course should demonstrate the following:

Finally, AP courses demand a significant time commitment. In keeping with North Shore’s philosophy of student growth and development in academics, arts, and athletics, we believe students must consider their overall program when applying to AP courses. All AP enrollment is reviewed with particular attention given to the schedules of those students intending to enroll in two or more AP courses. Sometimes, a student may take three in eleventh and four in twelfth grade, but the administration must approve the request.

Advanced Open courses allow students to design and investigate an area of specific interest in a particular discipline. Advanced Open courses challenge students to work with faculty mentors and peers to generate research questions, analyze them, and present their original work. Advanced Open courses are available in science, computer science, creative writing, music, theater, and visual art. There are prerequisites for most Advanced Open courses and an application to complete.  

Independent study is designed to support eleventh and twelfth-grade students who have fulfilled the graduation requirements within a department and are interested in pursuing an advanced course of study. Independent study allows students to design a method to pursue an interest beyond the curriculum offered in the course of study. Students should only submit separate study proposals for courses that can be scheduled in the catalog. The independent study course must be fifth or sixth,  taken for credit, and may be graded or taken pass/fail.

 

If a student wishes to design an independent study, the student must find a faculty sponsor in the department where the independent research is being proposed. The student writes up a detailed description of expectations with that sponsor. Finally, the Head of Upper School and the department head in which the work is to be done must approve the proposal (linked). A preliminary application for independent study is due during course registration. The final, detailed proposal must be completed by the first week of June (the deadline is listed on the form). Students having questions about the independent study should speak to the Head of Upper School or the Assistant Head of Upper School.

Students who have demonstrated a strong commitment and aptitude in their current math and science classes may be placed in a 15-level course section. 15-level courses are accelerated and delve deeper into the curriculum of regular practice, challenging the student to apply,  combine, and synthesize concepts and skills at a higher level. The department determines placement in a 15-level course.