CLASSICAL KINDERGARTEN

Classical Kindergarten students will build fundamental literacy and mathematical skills while attending on-campus learning. Students will focus on the concept of print, phonological awareness, phonics, and fluency while reinforcing foundational skills. Students will also participate in project-based learning along with blended students.

• Required on-campus attendance 4 days a week - Monday-Thursday (8:00-2:00)
• Available only for kindergarten - limited number of seats 
• On campus learning, whole group, small group, intervention  - limited at home virtual learning 
• Direct Instruction - hands-on learning for foundational reading and mathematics skills
• Project-based learning

K-12 BLENDED LEARNING

Blended courses are facilitated through a combination of both online instruction and in-person instruction. Students will work online through the Schoology platform and through supplemental curriculum sites and will regularly meet with teachers to review their learning progress, discuss their work, ask questions, and receive assistance. This pathway is for students seeking on-campus, interactive, and hands-on opportunities.  The blended pathway combines project-based learning experiences with real-world application in a hybrid educational model.

• Project-Based Learning
• Direct Instruction (face-to-face and online)
• Small Group and Intervention Opportunities
• Online support through teacher messaging and video conferencing

What does blended on-campus learning look like? 

While on campus, students engage in collaborative, project-based learning and incorporate hands-on experiences to prepare for real-world challenges.

What does at-home learning look like? 

Students complete and submit all their daily assignments digitally through Schoology at home, with parents acting as facilitators to support their learning.

HONORS

Honors courses place a high degree of emphasis on the student’s self-motivation, study skills, and academic work. The course provides an enriched curriculum which dives deeper into the content knowledge of context through providing an extension of the regular grade course work. The curriculum is covered at an accelerated rate and provides students opportunities to take advanced level courses in English, math, science, and social sciences. Levels three and four in foreign languages are also recognized as honors courses. These courses include enrichment activities, extra projects, research, and/or laboratory experiences.  Honors courses are noted in the course description and receive Honors weighted credit per the current grading scale. Teacher recommendations are taken into consideration. 

ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP)

The Advanced Placement (AP) Program is a cooperative educational endeavor of secondary schools, colleges, and the American College Board.  AP courses are recognized by colleges and universities which grant credit, advanced placement, or both to students who have performed satisfactorily on AP Exams. ARS offers a wide range of Advanced Placement courses through ACCESS and AP exams in May of each year. Because of their academic rigor, AP courses are assigned a weighted grade. In order to receive the weighted grade, a student must take the AP test. Students and parents should be very sensitive to the demanding nature of AP courses. Reading and writing expectations for the classes are extensive. It is highly recommended that a student consults with the college of choice, as college credit may be earned by scoring a 3, 4, or 5 on the exam. Students are required to take the National AP Exam as part of the course’s curriculum.  The testing fee is approximately $98.00 for each course. The AP testing fee must be paid by October 1 each year for all AP courses. This includes courses only offered during the Spring semester. If a student decides to drop an AP course, he/she waives the right to a refund of the testing fee. The PBL framework mandates students to take three of their four core classes at ARS.

DUAL ENROLLMENT

Dual Enrollment/Dual Credit allows eligible high school students to enroll in college classes concurrently with high school classes to receive both high school and college credit. Students are responsible for all fees, tuition, transportation and other related expenses for dual enrollment. The student must be in the 10th, 11th or 12th grade, and the student must have a “B” average overall in high school core courses.  The student must have written approval of the principal prior to college registration. The student must meet the entrance requirements established by the participating college/post-secondary institution. Dual enrollment courses are offered with many post-secondary institutions. Calhoun Community College, Wallace State Community College, University of Alabama, Auburn University, University of North Alabama and University of Alabama/Huntsville are just a few of the colleges and universities that have dual enrollment agreements. It is the responsibility of the student to get approval from Athens Renaissance School to be awarded high school credit. The PBL framework mandates students to take three of their four core classes at ARS.

LIMESTONE COUNTY CAREER TECHNICAL CENTER

The Limestone County Career Technical Center (LCCTC), an extension of Athens Renaissance, offers a range of programs tailored to various learning styles, helping students transition smoothly from school to careers or college. The center provides 20 Career Technical programs as elective options for 10th, 11th, and 12th-grade students from Limestone County and Athens City Schools. Students attend 2.5-hour sessions, either in the morning or afternoon. For more information about LCCTC and its programs, visit their website: LCCTC Website.

Important Notes:

• Counselor Approval: All Career Tech classes require prior approval from an Athens Renaissance counselor. Students must notify their counselor of any schedule changes at LCCTC, as such changes may impact graduation requirements and eligibility.
• LCCTC Schedule: LCCTC courses typically begin earlier than Athens City Schools since LCCTC follows the Limestone County Schools calendar. Courses require at least a year-long commitment, with attendance up to five days a week on the LCCTC campus.
• Transportation: Those attending LCCTC are required to ride the bus.
• Grade-Level Availability: JROTC is the only course available to freshmen. Most programs are open to sophomores, except Health Science and Welding, which are exclusive to juniors and seniors. Some programs may require an application and interview for approval.

ACCESS DISTANCE LEARNING

ACCESS provides students with additional educational opportunities by offering a wide range of course options that are not available through ARS. Courses are taught by certified teachers through an online course module where assignments, online texts and messages are posted. In general, to be successful in an ACCESS course, you will need to be an independent learner, a good time manager, and an effective communicator. ACCESS courses start earlier than typical ARS courses. ACCESS typically follows the Madison City Schools Calendar. ACCESS is run by the Alabama State Department of Education. Students may view a course listing, course description, etc. online at https://accessdl.state.al.us/courses. ACCESS courses should be requested through your counselor.  Students must make appointments with the ACCESS facilitator to schedule tests and all tests must be taken at ARS campus. Please do not sign up for ACCESS courses unless you are fully committed to finishing the rigorous course. 

DROPPING/ADDING A COURSE

Extreme care must be taken when selecting courses. Students are provided ample opportunity to review the ARS Curriculum Guide and complete registration. Once course requests are submitted, schedules are considered final. Only administrative errors will be corrected. All other course change requests will not be approved and will be reviewed solely to confirm compliance with this policy. The deadline to drop or add a course will be at the end of week three of course enrollment.

ACT WITH WRITING

All students enrolled in grade 11 are required to take the ACT with Writing. This test is administered on campus during the spring semester and may occur outside of a student’s pathway time. Scores from this test may be used for college admission. Benchmark scores for the ACT are as follows: 

• English 18
• Reading 22
• Math 22
• Science 23

WORKKEYS 

All students enrolled in grade 12 will take a job skills assessment to determine career readiness in specific job-related areas. This assessment is required of twelfth-grade students. A benchmark score on this assessment is a Silver or above (Score of 4 or higher on all 3 subtests).

TRANSFER STUDENTS

Students who transfer to Athens Renaissance School must complete all state-mandated minimum graduation requirements and any additional local graduation requirements. Transfer students who have a weighted transcript are asked to provide the registrar with the grading policy from the former school(s), so that the transcript may be entered seamlessly. 

Students transferring in district from one Athens City School to another Athens City School, must wait until the end of the semester to apply for transfer. It is the responsibility of the parent to ensure the receiving school is accepting new students before withdrawing from ARS.

COURSE ENROLLMENT PARTICIPATION

The goal of Athens Renaissance School is to prepare all students for college and/or career pathways, utilizing individualized four-year high school plans built for each student based on the results from academic and career interest assessments and middle school coursework. Students must be enrolled full-time at Athens Renaissance School. Students should take a math, English, science and social studies course each year. Athens Renaissance School conforms to U.S. and Alabama Laws, ALSDE Administrative Code, and ACS Policies. 

ARS GRADING EXPLAINED

Final grades are solely determined by the grade earned at the end of a course. Athens Renaissance School believes that students can achieve mastery at various times throughout the duration of a course. Therefore, quarterly grades are viewed as a snapshot of students’ progress at that given time. Grades from each quarter are not “averaged” together at the end of the course. Instead, students maintain a running and ongoing “progress grade.”  

GRADING SCALE (GRADES 6-12)

 

GRADE POINT AVERAGE (GPA) SCALE

Students electing to participate in rigorous courses such as Honors, Advanced, Dual Enrollment, or Advanced Placement (AP) are given additional weight.  The weighting of the GPA is designed to encourage students to enroll in advanced courses. The grades for approved advanced courses will be weighted as follows:

1. A dual enrollment grade on the college transcript is not weighted. The weighted GPA is recorded on the student’s high school report card and transcript.
2. Third/Fourth levels of foreign languages are considered the equivalent of an honors course with weight added.  
3. The weighted grade is used in calculating the Grade Point Average.
4. ARS is a non-ranking school and does not recognize Valedictorian or Salutatorian.

CREDIT RECOVERY

In accordance with Alabama State Department of Education guidelines, ARS offers students, who have received failing grades in any core courses that are required for graduation, an opportunity to recover the lost credit through a standards-based approach that targets specific knowledge and skill deficits instead of requiring the student to repeat the entire course. Such students must meet eligibility requirements to apply, and the credit recovery program is operated under board-approved and established guidelines. Instruction is delivered through computer-based instructional software and may also include targeted instruction supervised and managed by a teacher certified in secondary education. Students who complete their individualized remediation plans by demonstrating minimal proficiency in all required standards will receive a grade of 70 for the recovered course credit.  For students who fail to complete the remediation plan by demonstrating minimal proficiency in all required standards, there will be no grade change and no recovered credit for the failed course. It should be noted that Credit Recovery courses will not be accepted through the NCAA Clearinghouse.

NCAA REQUIREMENTS FOR COLLEGE ATHLETES   

All prospective student-athletes intending to enroll in an NCAA Division I or II institution must register with the NCAA Clearinghouse at the end of their junior year. Not all courses offered by Athens Renaissance School will meet NCAA eligibility requirements. It is the student’s responsibility to review the requirements, schedule classes accordingly, and make sure the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse has the documents to certify eligibility. Courses taken through the Credit Recovery Program are not accepted by the NCAA Eligibility Center. For further information and NCAA forms, students are encouraged to talk with their coaches, counselors, or the athletic director. Students are required on campus weekly for direct instruction. Students should sign in each day. Please visit http://www.ncaa.org/student-athletes/future/how-register for detailed information and instructions.