High School Academic Honors Policy

Many academic classes at DSA are offered with honors and non-honors options. The following are the guidelines from the district handbook for academic honors and AP credit:

Instructional-Delivery Criteria that Provides Necessary Course Rigor

• Coursework must include at least one major research paper/project per semester.
• Coursework must include intensive reading and writing in the content area.
• Instruction must include the use of higher-order thinking skills during questioning and discussion periods.
• A significant amount of rigorous homework, beyond that of a regular class, must be required.
• Instructional materials selected for use must reflect the challenging nature of the course.
• Level of instruction must reach greater depths of understanding, including self-directed learning, and establish higher expectations of the student.