Course Designation

Information about Advanced Placement (AP) courses at NSCD can be found ON THIS PAGE.

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.