Advanced Academics: Honors

Students and teachers in HONORS courses will work together toward a deep understanding of the content. Students might approach the subject from the known to the unknown or from the concrete to the more abstract ideas and concepts. Depth requires the teaching and learning to move beyond facts and concepts toward generalizations and theories. Students will routinely collaborate to uncover content and new understanding as they raise questions to find patterns and seek different perspectives.

When adding a layer of complexity to the learning in HONORS courses, students and teachers will work together to make relevant and meaningful connections across time, topics, and disciplines. Complexity encourages students to relate topics on a more sophisticated level and see issues from multiple points of view. This additional layer of complexity promotes the kind of meaningful problem-solving and critical thinking that can be applied to make a deep and personal connection to the learning. 

HONORS courses address the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for the course and are grounded in five shared approaches to teaching and learning across content areas. Applying a level of depth and complexity to the learning in LISD Honors courses will result in the following student outcomes.

• Positive Learning Environment in Honors Courses: Students in an Honors course will see themselves as a connected part of a community of learners where perspectives, passions, and prior experiences are valued.  The community of learners will build and foster a sense of belonging and support for taking risks in the pursuit of academic excellence.

• Academic Clarity in Honors Courses: Students in an Honors course will express a clear vision of essential learning outcomes and a shared understanding of success.  Pacing and content in Honors courses will enrich the grade-level TEKS for the course and ask students to apply their learning to new and novel situations.  Students will routinely grapple with concepts, skills, and ideas that will require perseverance and time to build complex understanding.

• Academic Ownership in Honors Courses: Students in an Honors course will routinely engage in exploratory experiences that generate questions and theories as a way to make meaning and gain a deep understanding of a concept.  Students take on an appropriate amount of the thinking in the classroom, where justification and exploration are a means to building understanding together.

• Academic Conversations in Honors Courses: Students in an Honors course will routinely engage in discourse with others around the essential questions/enduring understandings as they make connections and explore concepts.  Equitable participation in conversations builds a community of engaged learners where ideas are explored.

• Academic Evidence in Honors Courses: Students in an Honors course will routinely take an active role in measuring their learning in an ongoing cycle of feedback, reflection, and action to refine their understanding.  Participation in unit performance tasks in the course will serve as a way for students to make connections across skills and concepts in a relevant and authentic context.

Several middle school math courses are accelerated to allow for students to participate in HONORS Algebra I in grade 8.  The mathematics TEKS for grades 6-8 that would traditionally take three years to address, are accelerated and taught in two years in grades 6 and 7.  No other HONORS courses are accelerated in nature.

Campus course offerings depend on student interest, scheduling considerations, and available staffing.  In general, the following Honors courses are offered, but options may vary on campus.

Honors English Courses:

• ELAR 6, ELAR 7, ELAR 8, English I, English II

Honors Math Courses:

• Math 6, Math 7, Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra 2

Honors Science Courses:

• Science 6, Science 7, Science 8, Biology, Chemistry, Physics

Honors Social Studies Courses:

• World Cultures 6, Texas History 7, US History 8, World Geography

Honors World Language Courses:

• All Level III, ASL IV, and All Level V courses

Honors Middle School Advanced Language Program (Continuation of Elementary Spanish Immersion and Dual Language Programming):

• Adv MS Spanish II 6, Adv MS Spanish III 7

LISD begins offering HONORS courses to any interested student at the middle school level.  Teacher recommendations or specific grade/assessment requirements are not required to participate in an HONORS course, only the desire and passion to engage in challenging learning in an area of personal interest. 

Yes, recent legislation beginning in the 2024-2025 school year will require that students scoring in the top 40% on the Math 5 STAAR be automatically enrolled in our HONORS Math 6 course.  Parents may opt their students out of this requirement.  See your campus counselor for opt-out information.

Honors courses provide an opportunity for students to dig deeper into an area of particular interest and tap into their critical thinking and problem-solving skills as they engage in challenging coursework with the support of their teacher. 

High school HONORS courses are Level 2 courses and are calculated in GPA with a 1.15 multiplier.  High school credit HONORS courses taken at the middle school do not figure into a student’s high school GPA.

Students should feel a sense of belonging and community in an HONORS course, and are encouraged to persevere through challenges.  Placement decisions and schedule changes should be made collaboratively with the student, teacher, and family working together for the best interest of the student.

Yes, there are no Honors prerequisites to participating in an Honors course at the high school level.

Yes, HONORS courses are open to all interested students. 

Yes, HONORS courses are open to all students.  Talk with your campus counselor for campus-specific scheduling considerations.