Grade 6, 7 & 8 Honors Programs

Students are considered for placement in Enrichment and Honors courses based on various criteria including NJSLA scores, iReady benchmark scores, math placement tests, writing benchmark scores, and/or  prior course grades. The placement system is designed to identify students who have demonstrated strong aptitude and an ability to succeed at a high academic level within a content area. 

This data will be compiled in the spring and recommendations for course placement will be available in Realtime after the third marking period.

Students who are enter Pequannock Valley from another district will be considered for the enrichment courses based on the following:

1. Writing Benchmark
2. Reading Comprehension assessment
3. Math Placement Test
4. NJSLA Scores if available
5. Student/Parent interview with guidance/administration
6. Conference with department supervisor as needed

Enrichment and Honors courses are designed for students who have demonstrated an ability to succeed at a high academic level in comparison to peers. The placement process is designed to determine students who are ready for a more challenging pace, depth and breadth of instruction. 

If a student was not recommended for an Enriched or Honors level  course, students may utilize the following process for reconsideration. Please note that it is not guaranteed that the course recommendation will change following the reconsideration review by the committee. 

Process:

1. Student completes the attached Reconsideration for Enriched or Honors Course form and submits to his or her guidance counselor.
2. The school level committee will review the form and placement rubric(s) to determine if the recommendation for an Enriched or Honors course will be changed or if the student will be given an additional timed, performance-based task to complete during one Panther Period.
   • If the committee does not recommend the additional task, a decision will be made on course placement.
   • If a performance-based task is recommended, the student will be notified by email of when they will complete the task.
3. The committee will examine the results from the performance-based task, as well as take into account any mitigating factors (e.g. illness, traumatic life events, etc.)
4. Following the decision by the committee, an email will be sent to the student and parents/guardians informing them of the decision to keep the current recommended course level or to allow the student to take the Enriched or Honors course. 

If a student’s recommended course level is changed to an advanced level following a committee review, students and parents/guardians should note that the student is expected keep up with the pacing of the course and there should not be an expectation of grading curves or extra credit to improve grades. 

NOTE: Parents or guardians should carefully consider that placing a student into an advanced course that he or she may not be academically ready for can increase stress and anxiety, which may impact academic performance and result in lower grades than normally achieved. Pequannock Township schools want students to feel challenged by their coursework but not overwhelmed, which is why we have carefully designed the placement process to identify students who have demonstrated academic readiness for advanced work. 

Students who are currently placed in Enriched classes will stay in the program unless there are concerns about the student’s grades or ability to maintain the pacing of instruction.  If a teacher has concerns, they will contact the parent(s)/guardian(s) as early in the year as possible to discuss the specific concerns.

There may be a case  where moving to an Academic class is more beneficial for the student. A student, parent or teacher can request the move by contacting the guidance department.