Advanced Courses

Advanced courses at Pine Tree High School consist of PreAP and AP courses which are developed by College Board’s Advanced Program. These courses place greater emphasis on higher level thinking skills, cognitive concepts and processes, and problem solving skills. The student must be self-disciplined and have determination and maturity which is essential for success in these advanced courses. The decision to take an advanced course should be made by the student with the advice and consent of parents, appropriate teachers, and counselors. The goal is a confident command of knowledge and skills at the appropriate level for each student. Taking courses that are above or below that level can be detrimental to the student’s education and progress. Advanced courses are designed to give the student a greater overview and depth in a particular subject area. PreAP courses are designed to prepare students by giving them a sufficiently strong background as to allow them to be successful in AP courses. Advanced Placement Courses (AP) are college level courses for the secondary student that are taken on the high school campus and are designed to prepare the student to take an advance placement exam in a specific subject area in May of the junior and/or senior year. Prerequisites for advanced courses are not intended to restrict a student from taking the courses if the student desires to accept the challenge and apply him/herself. It is highly recommended that the student taking advanced classes meet the following expectations:

• Pass all sections of the TAKS exam.
• Meet the minimum recommended grade average and prerequisite courses.
• Have a genuine desire to learn the material and a very strong commitment to the strenuous work load associated with the PreAP and AP classes.

Note:  Students in the advanced program should endeavor to take as many advanced courses as they are personally able to handle without overworking themselves. Since AP courses are essentially college classes taken on a high school campus, parents and students must expect a work load, pace, and difficulty level equivalent to that experienced in college.

Correspondence Course

All students classified as juniors or seniors shall be eligible to take correspondence courses and earn credit.  Pine Tree High School has adopted the following guidelines for correspondence courses:

• Students must request permission to take a correspondence course by submitting the “Request to Order a Correspondence Course Form” to the PTHS Counseling and Guidance Center.
• Students may earn two (2) total credits toward graduation through correspondence courses.
• The correspondence program shall be supervised by the counselors who will proctor the exams.
• The approved courses will be taken from the Texas Tech University Extended Learning Program.
• Courses taken without prior approval and proctored by someone other than the PTHS counselor or principal designee will receive no credit toward graduation.
• Any student wanting to take a correspondence course prior to the junior year must have special permission from the PTHS counselor or principal designee.
• Students must be enrolled in only one correspondence course at a time.
• Grades earned through correspondence courses will not be used in computing class rankings.  
• Seniors who are enrolled in correspondence courses to earn credits required for graduation must complete the course and submit the grade for recording at least thirty days prior to the graduation date in order to be eligible for graduation at the end of the semester.

Credit by Exam – accelerating credits

In accordance with state requirements, Pine Tree ISD will offer examinations for acceleration. Exams for credit in a subject will be offered on dates to coincide with Region VII who will administer the test. PTHS counselors are also available to order and proctor exams from Texas Tech Extended Studies. The design of the CBE is to allow high achieving students the opportunity to gain credit. The following guidelines have been adopted for CBE’s:

·        A student will be permitted to take an exam to earn credit for an academic course for which the student has no prior instruction upon submission of a “Request for Credit by Exam-No Prior Instruction Form” to the PTHS Counseling and Guidance Center.

·        PTHS counselors or principal designee will proctor the CBE.

·        A request to take a CBE should be made 30 days prior to the designated test date.

·        The passing score on a CBE with No Prior Instruction is 90.

·        Grades earned through CBE with No Prior Instruction are not included in class rank or GPA.

·        If a student is given credit in a subject on the basis of an exam, the district shall enter the exam score on the student’s transcript.

·        The district will not charge the student who wishes to take a CBE for acceleration; however, a deposit is required and must accompany each request for CBE. The deposit is returned upon completion and scoring of the exam.

Credit by Exam – prior instruction

A student who has received prior instruction in a course but did not receive credit for it may be permitted to earn credit by passing a Credit by Exam. PTHS counselors will order and proctor the exam from Texas Tech Extended Studies. The design of the CBE is to allow the student the opportunity to re-gain credit. The following guidelines have been adopted for CBEs-prior instruction:

• A student will be permitted to take an exam to re-gain credit upon submission of a “Request for Credit by Exam-Prior Instruction Form:  to the PTHS Counseling and Guidance Center.
• PTHS counselors or principal designee will proctor the CBE
• A request to take a CBE should be made 30 days prior to the designated test date.
• The passing score for a CBE with prior instruction is 70.
• A student may not use a CBE to regain eligibility to participate in extracurricular activities.
• The grade earned through CBE with Prior Instruction is used to calculate the GPA.
• If a student regains the credit on the basis of an exam, the district shall enter the exam score on the student’s transcript.
• The student is responsible for the cost of the credit by exam that is taken to earn a credit in a course with prior instruction.

Lifesaver Program

“Save an education today-Save a life tomorrow”

Credit recovery is a program of choice for students who have failed at least one academic course and may be at risk of dropping out of high school. It consists of a self-contained classroom utilizing a self-paced, accelerated, state approved curriculum. Students are expected to conform to program requirements in the school year as deemed appropriate and necessary by the placement committee.

·          Before a high school diploma is awarded through the Lifesaver Program, a student must also master the state’s TAKS exit level exam.

• Credit recovery courses are not included in class ranking. The student will earn state credit toward graduation requirements but no GPA points will be added.

• A grade ceiling of “80” will be enforced for all courses completed through the Lifesaver Credit Recovery Program.

Qualifications for Admission:

·          Admission will be determined by a point system based on circumstances pertaining to the need for services offered in Credit Recovery Program and approval of the admission committee.

·          Must have taken and failed course in question prior to attempting credit recovery.

·          Core subjects will be first priority for credit recovery.

·          There will be a limit of the number of classes per semester that may be recovered.

·          Students will be scheduled into credit recovery out of their study period or off campus period. After all work necessary to recover credit is completed, the student will return to their original class and another student from the waiting list will occupy that slot.

·          Our initial focus will be non-graduating seniors (5^th year seniors) and will include under classmen as the program is developed.

·          A referral packet must be completed and submitted by the prospective credit recovery student’s counselor. This packet will include the student’s application, a current transcript, a schedule of classes, a grade history of classes to be recovered and the referral form. Students may not begin class until these documents are submitted.

• Applicants will be reviewed by a placement committee and placed according to need and seats available in the lab. Students who qualify will be placed on a waiting list until placement is possible.

Lifesaver Program

 Credit Acceleration

The Credit Acceleration is an option for students who are seeking an innovative approach to earning credits. The program is a self-contained classroom utilizing a self-paced, accelerated, state approved curriculum. Students are expected to conform to program requirements in the school year as deemed appropriated and necessary by the placement committee.

• Credits earned through the Lifesaver Credit Acceleration Program will be included in class ranking. The student will earn state credit toward graduation requirement.

• The grade earned in the course is the grade that will be recorded on the academic recorded (transcript).

• The program’s curriculum is web-based; therefore, the course can be accessed from home with counselor and instructor approval. All tests must be taken in the lab at school.

• A referral packet must be completed and submitted by the student’s counselor. This packet will include the student’s application, a current transcript, a schedule of classes, and the referral form. The student may not begin the class until these documents are submitted.

• Applicants will be reviewed by a placement committee and placed according to the availability of seats in the lab. Qualifying students will be placed on a waiting list until placement is possible.

Summer School

Both Credit Recovery and Credit Acceleration Programs are available to students who wish to attend summer school. Students will be required to pay a fee for each course taken during the summer. Applications and Summer School calendar will be available in the Counseling and Guidance Center during the spring semester. Check the district website and Student Handbook for more information.

Dual Credit Course

A senior student who has completed 19 credits as well as a junior student who has completed 16 credits may be granted high school credit for college courses taken at Kilgore College or through correspondence with Texas Tech University Extended Studies. The credits shall be counted both as college and high school credits as required for graduation. It is at the discretion of each university whether to accept the credit earned through Dual Credit classes, so PTHS Counseling and Guidance Center recommends the student contact the university prior to taking Dual Credit classes.  The approved institution for Dual Credit for Pine Tree ISD is Kilgore College and Texas Tech University Extended Study. Dual Credit courses can be taken under the following guidelines:

• The student makes the request to the counselor that high school credit be given for a college course. The course(s) may be taken concurrently with high school courses or during the summer or evening.
• The parents/guardians affirm in writing to the counselor that the student has parental permission to take the college course.
• Evaluation and comparison of the college course’s curriculum with the TEKS required by TEA will determine the amount of high school credit awarded.
• The student pays all costs associated with taking the college course(s) and provides the district with an official college transcript showing the grade received. The grade must be a minimum of a C to qualify for high school credit. Dual credit work is not averaged. Each semester stands alone with a D being failing.
• Students must be enrolled in six classes at Pine Tree High school. Once enrolled in the dual credit course, the student may not re-enroll in the comparable Pine Tree Course.
• Students must meet the college’s requirements of early admission and all other policies of the college.
• Students must have a grade average of 85 or above to enroll in one dual credit course or an average of 90 or above to enroll in two classes.
• The college will furnish a numerical final grade that will count on class rank. Correspondence dual credit does not count on the class rank.
• Students and parents must attend the mandatory information prior to enrollment.

Dual Credit Courses Available at

Kilgore College

College Concurrent Enrollment is also available to students who meet college early enrollment qualifications. See your counselor for information.