Q: Our daughter will be entering the 9th grade in the fall. We know that she is very intelligent and she has largely had a successful two years in middle school. She is especially strong in Humanities type courses, particularly in creative writing and wants to enroll in honors courses at the high school. How would she go about applying for such courses? What are the benefits and drawbacks of being an "Honors" student? I must add that despite her overall good grades, our daughter is a bit of a procrastinator; we still have to remind her to get down to business every night, though this seems to be less of a problem now than when she was younger.

A: Certainly your daughter seems like a good candidate for honors courses, but the matter should be looked at closely before a final decision is made. There are a number of issues to consider in placing 9th graders in honors classes.

First you need to check as to whether or not your school offers honors courses to freshmen. Some only allow students to take such courses from their sophomore year. Unlike AP courses, which are offered to juniors and seniors, honors courses vary in terms of curriculum and rigor of expectations. While AP (Advanced Placement) courses deliver a prescribed curriculum, honors courses in California are designed for the University of California system. Teachers who want to offer honors classes must submit the course outline to UC with a copy of the curriculum and examples of tests to be administered. Every high school has a list of their honors courses on file with UC. Successful completion of an honors course adds a point to a student’s grade point average. So in many ways, honors courses are specifically designed to enhance a student’s chances of admission to the University of California, which generally considers for admission only those within the top 12% of their class. In some schools, students need to take honors courses to qualify for AP classes. Such courses are stringent in their requirements and students need to be properly prepared. Honors classes can help student’s develop the strong writing skills necessary to succeed in AP classes.

For those schools that permit freshmen to take honors classes, decisions are often based on middle school teacher recommendations. Brooke Knight, Head of Guidance and Counseling at Aragon High School in San Mateo notes that at her school, entering freshmen reading at the 11th or 12th grade level are more likely to be successful honors students because they won’t be overwhelmed by the material presented to them. Other schools like Crystal Springs School in Hillsborough, do not permit students to take honors classes until their sophomore year, with rare exceptions. The school then has a year to look at the student’s performance and study habits, permitting 9th grade teachers to make recommendations accordingly. Frequently, students are tested in middle school to see if they qualify for honors classes.

This varies from school to school, depending upon the interests of the teachers. Honors courses require a lot of extra time from teachers. Some offer separate study sessions either in the evenings or after school at their homes. Often students arrive at school early for research meetings with their teachers. Frequently offered honors courses include English, US History, Modern European History, American Government, Pre-Calculus, AB Calculus, Physics, Chemistry, French and Spanish. Others may even offer courses like C++ Programming, Studio Art, Music Theory and the History of Art. The number of courses a student should take needs to be determined on a case by case basis. Most schools recommend creating a balanced schedule; Aragon, for example, suggests no more than two courses a year. "Some take four," says Knight, "and we try and fight it." Helen Harper, Academic Dean for grades 10-12 at Crystal Springs advises students to "challenge themselves to a reasonable degree." Some students, she says, if given the chance, will take on more than they are capable of handling. Schools generally suggest to students that they look carefully at their other commitments before piling on honors courses. Questions to ask include: How much time do I usually need to study? Am I a fast or slow reader? What are my outside activities? How much time do I want to spend with my family? Says Harper, "I would try to advise students not to go through high school thinking about college. [They need to] choose courses that are interesting and challenging for them."

Honors courses allow bright and capable students to challenge themselves to their highest level of ability. Reading material in these courses is often more stimulating for these students; the nature of the material affords them an opportunity to hone their abstract reasoning and analytical skills, particularly on paper. After AP and honors courses, almost nothing will scare these students in college! Competitive UC’s like Berkeley and UCLA particularly like honors courses, as do Ivy League colleges. However, UC does not count freshmen year grades, so there is no particular need to rush to take honors courses in the first year of high school. Private colleges take note of honors courses on transcripts, though they generally don’t care so much about the content of a particular course. Rather, they are more interested in the fact that the student challenged herself within the school’s program. Again, universities have very different considerations in making admissions decisions. Most high school students don’t know early on which colleges they will be applying to. Thus in choosing honors courses, excitement about a particular subject should win out over what looks good on a transcript.

Honors classes are not for everyone. Poor study habits is a red flag. If your daughter is frequently up until midnight completing 8th grade work, she probably doesn’t belong in honors. This is equally the case when parents have to continuously nag students to complete their work. Cautions Patty Hughes, Los Gatos High School Assistant Principal in charge of curriculum and guidance: "Kids will not learn strategies in these classes. They are designed for those with motivation, discipline, self-management and stress management skills. You don’t have to be in honors classes to go to college." Freshman year is a transitional year in which good grades are key to self-esteem. Excessive stress from highly demanding courses will only dampen confidence and self-worth. Students need to be prepared to take on the extra workload and complete projects on-time. Those subjected to more pressure than they are capable of handling are at-risk for eating disorders, migraines, depression, anxiety and failure. Hughes feels strongly that the decision to undertake honors work must ultimately rest with the student, not the parent. "Students are destroyed by adults who push them beyond the level at which they can achieve. If the kid is not part of the decision, he is part of the problem." On the other hand, some exceptionally talented kids, particularly boys, are hesitant to enroll in honors courses for fear of seeming "uncool." In such cases, a little friendly pressure can be in the student’s best interest.

In any case, the decision to enroll a student in honors courses should be made carefully, weighing a number of factors including prior academic record, extra curricular obligations, study habits, and stress tolerance level. Successful placement entails research into the student’s background, parent and teacher feedback and, most importantly, commitment on the part of the individual student. Freshman scheduling decisions need to be handled with care. Says Hughes, "The beginning you get in high school determines the quality of the ending. A strong start is fundamental to future success."

Copyright © 1998-2002 by Beth Samuelson