The study and activities for each full-time high school course typically take five hours per week, paced over sixteen academic school weeks. Students are welcome to complete the week's plan in less time, but should develop a school schedule that gives five hours per week to each full-time high school course.
Students in high school study six, full-time academic courses each semester; these are called their "Key Courses." After completing the annual skills assessment, the Academic Packet prepared by your planning advisor will include personalized recommendations for math, English Mechanics, languages, electives, and tips to help narrow down the course options for each semester.
- Key Course 1: Writing or Reasoning plus English Mechanics (Includes: grammar, punctuation, usage, cursive penmanship. May include special Language Arts labs in reading skills, spelling, etc.)
- Key Course 2: Math
- Key Course 3: Religion
- Key Course 4: History (or economics or government)
- Key Course 5: Literature (or fine arts)
- Key Course 6: Science
- Electives: Languages, Physical Education, community-based fine arts (any of these may move into the Key Course positions if the subject areas listed above have been completed for the school year)
We encourage students to set up a daily school schedule that allots sixty minutes to each key course, five days a week. We have sample schedules for block scheduling courses, too, but always recommend Key Course 1 and Key Course 2 are given the first two hours of the school day, every school day. We also have sample schedules for students that wish to map out a four-day school week. Again, though, we encourage that the first two key courses be given two hours of attention every day, even if the rest of the courses are on a four-day school week schedule.