High School: Earning Credits in Middle-School

What Counts

Middle school students can take a limited number of high school courses for high school credit while in middle school. Those courses are generally limited to the core subject areas of Mathematics, Science and Foreign Language.

In the event a middle school student does not do well in the high school course by earning a grade of “C,” “D,” or “F”, the school's grade forgiveness policy allows the replacement of the grade with a grade of “C” or higher and earned subsequently in the same or comparable course. If the student earns a "B" in the course, it will become part of the student's permanent academic record.

Below is a listing of the "core" courses that are commonly taken before the official start of high school.
Math at the Algebra I level and above, as in:

       1200310 ALGEBRA I
      1200320 ALGEBRA I HONORS
      1206310 GEOMETRY      
      1206320 GEOMETRY HONORS

Science courses at the Physical Science level and above, as in:
      2003310 PHYSICAL SCIENCE
      2003320 PHYSICAL SCIENCE HONORS
      2000310 BIOLOGY I
      2000320 BIOLOGY I HONORS
     
High School level Foreign Language courses such as:
      0708340 SPANISH  I        
      0708350 SPANISH  II
      0701320 FRENCH  I
      0701330 FRENCH  II

Students in grade 8 can also take Health Opportunities through Physical Education (HOPE) as a Flex student through the Florida Virtual School (FLVS) at the beginning of their second semester to earn the required high school credit in the Personal Fitness category.

A Word of Caution

It is understandable that some motivated students (and or parents) may want to get a head start on earning high school credits. However, earning too many credits before the official start of high school can create some issues. While it is common for advanced students to have earned credits in courses like Algebra I, Physical Science and Spanish I, a student who has earned more than four high school credits (in some instances) will be considered to have started high school.

One example is in sports. A student who has earned five high school credits is (in most associations) considered a Sophomore and may lose a year of eligibility. Additionally, the NCAA may require the student to spend the first year of his/her college career at the Junior College level instead of a Division One University, because the transcript indicated the student required five years to complete high school.