There are many courses in school. For example, there are language courses, English courses, math courses, art courses, leadership courses, science courses, history courses, and other elective courses. Each of these different courses is a classification of individual classes. Therefore, they are divided into these classes.
Spanish I, Spanish II, Spanish III, and AP Spanish are classified into the Spanish department. French I, French II, French III, and French IV are classified into the French department. Chinese I, Chinese II, and Chinese III are classified into the Chinese department. Each of these three departments are classified into the language department at Vacaville High School. For example, if a student wanted to take a language, they would choose between Spanish, French, and Chinese. If they wanted to take a Spanish class, they would either be placed into Spanish I, Spanish II, Spanish III, or AP Spanish, depending on their level of knowledge of the Spanish language. The more they know or the more fluent they are in Spanish, the higher level of class they are placed in. Thus, if they are just beginning, they would be placed in Spanish I, while if they are completely fluent in Spanish and want more of a challenging course, they would be placed in AP Spanish.
English 9, English 10, English 10 XL, English 11, AP English Language, English 12, and AP Literature are different classes that are all classified into English courses at Vacaville High School. Students are given the option – depending on their grades and whether or not they passed or failed the previous course – as to which courses they will take. Some students, who are not always looking for a challenge, or who struggle in certain areas, will take the regular courses, whereas students who want to challenge themselves and feel ready, take the AP classes. For example, AP Literature offers a rigorous course in which students read literature and poetry, and are able to analyze their meanings, while English 12 is a more simplistic version of the class.
Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Algebra II XL, Pre-Calculus, HP Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus, and Statistics are all classified into Math courses at Vaca High. The math courses are divided into these subdivisions based on difficulty. Algebra is the easiest, and AP Calculus is the hardest, while the Statistics class is the alternative to taking AP Calculus in one’s Senior Year. Students are placed in a certain class based on their skill level in math.
Survey Art, Photo, and AP Art History are classified into art classes at Vaca High. The art classes are classified into Elective courses. Students are able to choose their art course, including survey art-1, which teaches the basics in drawing, patterns, painting, and shading, survey art-2, which includes pottery and sculpting, Photo, in which students learn how to take different types of pictures, and AP Art, in which students learn of the history of art and artists. The guidelines are that survey art-2 can only be taken after one has taken the survey art-1 course, and that Photo is a class that can only be taken in one’s senior year.
Student Council and Link Crew are classified into leadership courses. Students must either be elected or chosen to be in Student Council via application, and must be chosen to be in Link Crew through application. Students who want to take either of these courses are often looking to make a change and be an influence in the school. They want to make an impact, and are the leaders of Vaca High.
Physical Science, Physical Science XL, Biology, Biology XL, Chemistry, Physics, AP Physics, Med Science, and Anatomy are all classified into Science courses. Students must take the courses in chronological order, but can chose between AP or XL science classes, and regular science classes.
World History, United States History, AP United States History, Econ, Government, and AP Government are classified as history courses at Vacaville High School. Econ and Government are each semester-long classes, while AP Government is a year-long class. Students have the option their senior year of taking the two semester-long courses, or the one year-long course. In one’s junior year, students are able to choose between the AP US History course as opposed to the regular United States History course.
Art, Architecture, Robotics, Media Arts, Fashion Design, and Foods are all classified as elective courses. Elective courses are classes that students can choose to take. They are optional, and not required to graduate (with the exception of art courses).
High School courses are also classified into AP or XL courses and regular courses. AP courses are meant to have rigorous curriculums that challenge students and better prepare them for college. Regular courses are easier than the AP classes, but are still called College Prep Classes. Students who take these courses are not necessarily lazy, but rather may not feel ready for AP courses, or already have far too much on their plate. The difference between XL courses and AP courses is that AP classes provide a weighted grade point average, while XL courses are merely more challenging, without providing that extra point towards one’s grade point average.
Courses in high school are classified in order to provide students with the option as to which classes they will take. Classifying courses also helps to decide which ones students will be placed in based on difficulty, grade, and which classes the student has already passed. Choosing courses is made much easier when the subdivisions are put into categories. Instead of looking at hundreds of classes to choose from, one only needs to look at the different types of classes, and the classes that are part of each category in choosing their high school courses. Students are able to choose their classes based on difficulty, and based on their interests. They are able to choose their language course out of three: Spanish, French, and Chinese, and are able to choose their elective courses. Students are placed in the rest of their courses, given only the option of whether or not to take AP classes. Through classifying these courses, making a student’s schedule is much easier.
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