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Birdville ISD offers programs for gifted/talented students in grades K-12. Information concerning participation in the gifted/talented program may be obtained from the Office of Advanced Academics. At the high school level, gifted/talented students are served primarily through Honors/Pre-Advanced Placement, Advanced Placement, Dual Credit, and Advanced CTE courses.

Teachers, Academic Coaches, and Academic Deans will be asked to evaluate a student’s readiness to learn and task commitment prior to enrollment in Honors/Pre-AP and AP courses. This evaluation will not determine denial of placement in a Honors/Pre-AP or AP course; however, students who do not receive a recommendation for placement may be required to meet with a counselor/administrator to discuss the challenges and the commitment these advanced level courses require. Birdville ISD believes it is vital for students to have every opportunity to excel academically through rigorous and challenging courses. Honors/Pre-Advanced Placement (Pre-AP) and Advanced Placement (AP®) courses offer options to excel in many areas of study. Students and parents should expect these courses to be more challenging, fast-paced, robust in information requiring collegelevel independent reading, composition, reasoning and academic discussion.

Both Honors/Pre-Advanced and Advanced Placement courses are designed to meet the needs of gifted and talented students as well as highly motivated learners. These courses are designed to prepare and inspire students to succeed in a future they create. The goal of the Honors/Pre-AP/AP program is to challenge and stimulate students to the highest level of their ability.

Honors/Pre-Advanced Placement courses prepare students for success on the state required academic curriculum and help build student capacity to understand rigorous content. Honors/Pre-AP Courses provide foundational skills which lead students to success in AP® courses. Students are encouraged to enroll in Honors/Pre-AP courses to begin their path for advanced options.

Advanced Placement courses are designed to prepare students for success on the College Board AP® exam. The Advanced Placement Program (AP®) is a collaboration among dedicated students, teachers, parents, high schools, and institutions of higher education. AP® provides students an opportunity to take college-level courses and exams with the potential to earn college credit or placement while still in high school. Each course has a corresponding exam administered annually in May. Some courses require portfolios or digital performance tasks.

The courses are rigorous; fast paced, and require extensive reading and writing as college credit may be earned with a qualifying score on the AP exam. AP courses provide students with a learning experience equivalent to that obtained in most college introductory courses and will reflect the level of rigor and challenge that such a course would provide. The content and resources used are at the college level and cover content that is required by the College Board.

Advanced Placement Examinations are based upon college-level courses taught in high school. They may enable the student to receive college credit, advanced placement in college, or both. Scores are reported on a five-point scale with five being the highest score. A minimum score of 3 or higher will be awarded credit by all Texas public universities per TX HB-1992(except in rare cases where a higher score is required on prerequisite courses or as determined by the Chief Academic Officer). All private and out-of-state colleges and universities reserve the right to award or deny credit for AP exams scores. It is highly recommended that students contact higher education institutions to determine what scores/courses will qualify for credit(https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/ creditandplacement/search-credit-policies). By exempting several freshman level courses in this way, a student may realize substantial cost savings in college. AP teachers, administrators, deans and counselors will advise students about AP courses and exam administration. Students enrolled in an AP course are required to take the corresponding AP Exam in May as outlined by the College Board AP exam calendar(https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/takingtheexam/ap-calendar).

Participation in Honors/Pre-AP and AP courses is open to all students, however, students must sign commitment statements acknowledging the expectations to the level of work that meets course standards. Components of these courses include: increased reading, sophisticated writing assignments, and projects or labs with complex problem solving. Enrollment into these courses should be based on interest and ability since the curriculum requires more advanced and intensive work.

Recommended guidelines have been designed to aid students and parents in selecting the course in which a student will most likely succeed. Teachers, counselors, and parents should counsel students to make selections that will compel the student to excel and that are academically appropriate.

The College Board offers an early participation program in which Birdville ISD participates. This provides an opportunity for all 8th grade students to take the PSAT 8/9 assessment, all 10th and 11th grade students to take the PSAT/NMSQT assessment, and 11th and 12th grade students to opt in to the SAT School Day. Early participation has many student benefits including college preparation, additional fee waivers, potential college credit, and opportunities for notable award categories

Any student that takes an SAT suite assessment (PSAT 8/9, PSAT/NMSQT, SAT) has access from College Board to the following:

K-12 Assessments Score Reporting Portal- Digital student score reports which include total score, evidence based reading & writing(EBRW) and mathematics(M) section scores, test scores in reading, writing and language and mathematics, and includes a college readiness benchmark percentage per section.

Khan AcademyTM - free, online tool tailored for individual SAT practice accompanied by interactive problems and instant feedback, video lessons, full length practice tests, and development of a personlized study plan based on student performance.

AP Potential TM - free web-based tool which identifies specific Advanced Placement courses in which a student will likely be successful.

Road Trip Nation - free interest-based career exploration portal including a 3,000 word plus video interview archive, representing various industries and occupations with real-life role models and a personalized course planner with action steps and post assessments.

• If student has taken PSAT 8/9 or PSAT/NMSQT review AP Potential to see specific courses for which there is a likelihood for success.
• Demonstrate successful completion of previous course taken in the subject area (i.e. 80% or higher as semester averages and/or advanced measure on EOC and a qualifying score of 3 or higher on an AP exam from a previous course).
• Achieved Commended performance or Advanced Measure on EOC/STAAR.
• Meet all course pre-requisites as delineated in the Planning Guide.
• Commit to the extra time necessary for class preparation: increased outside reading, sophisticated writing assignments, and projects, labs or performance tasks with complex problem solving.
• Seek teacher, dean and/or counselor advisement on registering for class.
• Maintain a passing grade.
• Commit to meeting all AP Exam requirements.

While the aforementioned are recommendations, Birdville ISD adhere’s to the College Board’s Equity and Access Policy Statement which encourages “the elimination of barriers that restrict access to AP for students from ethnic, racial and socioeconomic groups that have been traditionally underserved.”

Credit by Examination (without prior instruction) A district shall give a student in grades 6–12 credit for an academic subject in which the student has received no prior instruction if the student scores:

1. A three or higher on a College Board advanced placement examination that has been approved by the board for the applicable course;
2. A scaled score of 50 or higher on an examination administered through the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) and approved by the board for the applicable course; or
3. Eighty percent or above on any other criterion-referenced test approved by the board for the applicable course.

If a student is given credit in a subject on the basis of an examination on which the student scored 80 percent or higher, a district shall enter the examination score on the student’s transcript and the student is not required to take an end-of-course (EOC) assessment instrument under Education Code 39.023(c) for the course.

The Credit by Exam is offered no fewer than four times each year. Dates for applications and testing are posted on the Advanced Academics web-site annually. A student may not attempt to earn credit by examination for a specific high school course more than two times.

If a student fails to earn credit by examination for a specific high school course before the beginning of the school year in which the student would ordinarily be required to enroll in that course in accordance with the district’s prescribed course sequence, the student must satisfactorily complete the course to receive credit for the course. [EIC (legal)]

A student may request a credit by exam with prior instruction to make up for lost credit by contacting the campus counseling office.

Â鶹¹ÙÍø offers the following AP Classes for the upcoming school year

English

• English Language and Composition
• English Literature and Composition 

Science

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Physics 1
• Physics 2
• Physics C
• Environmental Science

Math

• Calculus AB
• Calculus BC
• Statistics
• Computer Science A

Social Studies

• United States History
• United States Government
• World History
• European History
• Psychology
• Macroeconomics
• Human Geography

Languages

• Chinese Language
• Spanish Language
• Spanish Literature
• French Language
• Latin

Fine Art

• Art History
• Studio Art
• Art 2-D Design
• Art 3-D Design
• Music Theory

Electives

• Capstone Seminar
• Capstone Research
• Computer Science Principles

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Students typically take AP Seminar in grade 10 or 11, followed by AP Research. Students who earn scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research and on four additional AP Exams of their choosing receive the AP Capstone Diploma. Students who earn scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research but not on four additional AP Exams receive the AP Seminar and Research Certificate.

AP Seminary (Year 1)

• Team Project & Presentation
• Individual Research-Based Essay
• End-of-Course Exam

AP Seminary (Year 2)

• Academic Paper
• Presentation & Oral Defence

4 AP Courses & Exams

• (Taken at any point throughout high school)

Â鶹¹ÙÍø offers the following AP Classes for the 2022-23 school year

English

• English Language and Composition
• English Literature and Composition 

Science

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Physics 1
• Physics 2
• Physics C
• Environmental Science

Math

• Calculus AB
• Calculus BC
• Statistics
• Computer Science A

Social Studies

• United States History
• United States Government
• World History
• European History
• Psychology
• Macroeconomics
• Human Geography

Languages

• Chinese Language
• Spanish Language
• Spanish Literature
• French Language
• Latin

Fine Art

• Art History
• Studio Art
• Art 2-D Design
• Art 3-D Design
• Music Theory

Electives

• Capstone Seminar
• Capstone Research
• Computer Science Principles

AVID is a college readiness system for elementary through higher education established in 1980 and designed to increase school-wide learning and performance. The AVID College Readiness System (ACRS) accelerates student learning, uses research based methods of effective instruction, provides meaningful and motivational professional learning, and acts as a catalyst for systemic change.

AVID is implemented in more than 7,000 schools in 47 states across the U.S., plus schools in Department of Defense Education, Canada, and Australia. AVID impacts nearly 2 million students in grades K–12 and 62 postsecondary institutions. AVID’s mission is “to close the achievement gap by preparing all students for college readiness and success in a global society.” AVID Schoolwide domains include instruction, systems, leadership and culture. Additionally, in the most recent AVID Senior Data (2019), Birdville ISD is recognized by AVID Center with 100% acceptance to four year higher education institutions and 94% FASFA or state financial aid form submission as compared to 61% nationally.

Birdville ISD currently has 6 AVID Schoolwide sites: Haltom Middle School, North Oaks Middle School, Richland Middle School, Watauga Middle School, Collegiate Academy of Birdville, and Haltom High School. In 2015, Haltom High School was named an AVID National Demonstration School and revalidated in 2018. AVID National Demonstration Schools are model centers for teaching and learning. National Demonstration Schools exhibit an evident college readiness system school-wide through rigor and high expectations for all students.

• Summa Cum Laude- all numerical semester grades 90 or above during grades nine, ten, and eleven; the first semester of grade twelve; and the average of the numerical grades of the fourth and fifth six-weeks of grade twelve.
  
  
• Magna Cum Laude– 75% of the numerical semester grades 90 and above, with no numerical semester grades below 80, during grades nine, ten, and eleven; the first semester of grade twelve; and the average of the fourth and fifth six-weeks of grade twelve.
  
  
• Cum Laude– 75% of the numerical semester grade 90 and above, with no numerical semester grades below 70, during grades nine, ten, and eleven; the first semester of grade twelve; and the numerical average of the fourth and fifth six-weeks of grade twelve.

Distinguished Level of Achievement

To earn a distinguished level of achievement a student must successfully complete the curriculum requirements for at least one endorsement, including 4 credits in science and 4 credits in mathematics to include Algebra 2 (26 credits).

Performance Acknowledgement

A student may earn a performance acknowledgement on their transcript for outstanding performance on any of the following:

• Completing at least 12 hours of college academic courses including those taken for dual credit and advanced technical credit.
• In bilingualism and biliteracy
• On a college AP or IB exam
• On the PSAT, ACT-PLAN, SAT or ACT
• For earning a nationally or internationally recognized industry certification

The Advanced Technical Credit (ATC) program can help students earn college credit in an enhanced version of a normal high school course, taught by a teacher who has had special training. If you take the ATC course as a junior or senior and earn a grade of 80 (3.0) or better, the ATC course may also count as a performance acknowledgement. To qualify, enroll in an ATC course as a junior or senior and complete the course with a minimum grade of 80 (B or better). If there are prerequisites for the ATC course, you must make a minimum grade of 80 in each required course. Freshmen and sophomores must take additional ATC courses as a junior or senior to qualify for college credit. The courses are designated on the high school transcript.