Advanced Studies 7-12
What to do with gifted middle and high school students?
This question has plagued many schools. Programming for gifted elementary students (where programs exist) is quite common and is the norm. But specific programming for gifted middle and high school students (especially grades 7-12) is more rare. Typically at these grade levels, schools consider their advanced, honors, pre-AP, AP (Advanced Placement), and IB (International Baccalaureate) classes to be their programming for gifted and advanced students of this age.
The Polson District does offer some advanced and AP courses (as well as subject acceleration) to challenge our accelerated middle and high school learners. Yet, while those options are excellent and important, the Polson District also recognizes that the needs of gifted middle and high school students go beyond just advanced or accelerated content.
With that in mind, our Advanced Studies course was created with the aim of meeting more of the needs of our gifted middle and high school students.
Essentially, Advanced Studies is an opportunity for accelerated, motivated, highly-creative, deeply curious students to pursue topics of interest that aren't normally covered (or aren't covered in-depth) in regular course content and curriculum. Each student creates and follows-through with a self-directed project of personal interest. Projects are expected to be challenging; ready for publication, presentation, or display; and to meet some of the Montana Education Standards and Benchmarks (in addition to other criteria!).
For further details, check out this link for a more detailed Advanced Studies Course Description and Philosophy.
As well, you can view examples of some student projects by clicking the examples button.
STUDENTS! Do you need to access your course documents? Type your password in at the Course Documents page.
Advanced Studies 7-12:
Course Description and Philosophy
What is Advanced Studies?
Advanced Studies is an Elective option for our gifted 7th-12th graders. The class incorporates a flexible organization that allows the students time and space to pursue topics of individual interest and passion. To help prepare them for this opportunity, the majority of these students have previously received gifted programming involving the teaching and development of thinking skills, discussions centered around social & emotional topics of importance to gifted students, and in-classroom accommodations and/or acceleration. Students in the Advanced Studies class create and design their own course of study on a topic of interest for a minimum of one semester. Some students with more in-depth studies can choose to carry their projects over from one semester or year to the next. With guidance, each student proposes, maps out, pursues, and completes a self-designed project of personal interest that has a final product ready for publication, display, or presentation with a real-world audience.
Why Advanced Studies?
Advanced Studies provides gifted middle and high school students with challenges they don't encounter in regular classes, an opportunity to learn topics they are most interested in, time and space to pursue these topics, and the freedom and flexibility to self-direct these pursuits. Through Advanced Studies, students can earn school credit for what they learn and do in class - which is often something they are already doing outside of class in their own "spare" pieces of time. Having time in school to follow these pursuits often helps them gain ground and focus on the topic.
Additionally, Advanced Studies can give these students the opportunity to learn about something in school that they otherwise couldn't learn about or do in their middle or high school career. It gives them a great chance to explore beyond basic core knowledge and/or to go in much greater depth on a topic.
What do the students have to say?
Students often report that Advanced Studies is their most challenging and worthwhile class. Most also say that it is their favorite class. And a handful over the years have indicated that it was the one piece of school that kept them from dropping out.
The following quotations are from students who have taken Advanced Studies over the years: