Upper School Overview
- frog dissections in Biology class
The Shift from Grammar to Upper School:
What should students and parents expect?
Upper School (US) includes Logic and Rhetoric level classes, generally comparable to junior high and senior high grades, respectively. Because these students are moving from simply acquiring knowledge and information to learning to connect information meaningfully, analyze it, compare it to God-given truth, develop their perspective on it, and defend their perspective verbally and in writing, the focus in our US classes necessarily shifts from the focus of Grammar School (GS) classes. In GS, our priority is to lay the foundation of knowledge, to have fun exploring the world around us, and to expose children to interesting and new experiences and information. In US, the emphasis is on preparing these young adults for the wider world, and its choices, that await them. They will study – train – more rigorously in Math and Science classes; they will wrestle with more difficult reading assignments and questions in Humanities classes. They will encounter new ideas and be required to assimilate these ideas into their worldview framework. As we encounter new ideas, big questions, and controversies, we encourage and expect the students to discuss these with their parents, so they understand how their family views these subjects in the light of God’s truth.
Upper School Classes offer:
1. Critical teaching support in math and sciences, areas where many parents do not feel qualified to teach;
2. Additional accountability for the students – to teachers other than their parents;
3. Grades - a third-party measure of a student’s work product and comprehension;
4. Class discussions over challenging ideas and questions.
Upper School Classes require:
1. A shift in responsibility for class preparation and studies to the STUDENT, and away from the parent;
2. Increasing amounts of at-home work. To prepare for classes, Logic-level students will have 15-20 hours of at-home work; Rhetoric-level students will have 25-30 hours of at-home work;
3. PREPARATION for class. Success in Upper School depends upon student preparation. As in any school environment, what is gained from the experience will be dependent upon what is invested. The partnership aspect of a university-model school such as MGA is key. Teachers prepare class activities and lessons based upon the students being prepared, having read the texts and completed the assignments, and coming to class prepared to contribute to class discussions. We make the assumption that ALL students are prepared unless we hear from a PARENT that a student is exempt. Parents always have that option, when necessary due to extenuating circumstances or learning challenges; otherwise, we strongly encourage parents to facilitate their student’s commitment to all the required work.
LINKS to More Detailed Information about US Classes:
Upper School Class Schedule, 2011-2012.
Also, see below an explanation of MGA classes offer credits equivalent to Texas high school graduation requirements for public schoolers.
Grading and Assignment Policies:
1. Grades are awarded for assigned work, and can be accessed at www.engrade.com. Students and parents receive a confidential log-in ID to access their grades.
2. Missing assignments earn a zero. Assignments are considered Missing if they are not submitted in person to the teacher during the MGA day, or if permitted by the teacher, emailed to them by midnight of that same day. No exceptions.
3. Late assignments will not be accepted. Late work creates too great a burden on teachers to track assignments.
If the parents have exempted a student from an assignment, they are free to re-calculate the grades without that zero.
When considering grades it is important to remember the following:
Parents remain the primary educators of their children. MGA grades serve as feedback for them. Parents will prepare transcripts for their high school students; under Texas law, a homeschooling family is a private school. Therefore, parents do have the option of offering additional instruction and assignments; having their child do extra work to work toward mastery; and awarding a final grade that takes the additional work into consideration. The benefit of grade reporting is that it gives an objective, third-party measure of the student’s performance, and provides additional accountability for the student.
MGA Classes and Texas High School Graduation Requirements
In Texas, we have broad, legally-established freedoms to homeschool as we deem best. By law, any homeschool family is a private school. MGA is a private school as well, serving homeschooling families by offering classes to their students. Neither MGA nor the HS families are required to meet Texas Education Agency requirements, and that is a wonderful freedom.
However, many parents and students want to meet or exceed the requirements that their public school peers must meet to graduate. The Texas Recommended Graduation Plan for high school students requires 26 credits, including:
4 in English
4 in Math
4 in Science
4 in Social Studies (Humanities)
2 in Foreign Language
8 in various electives.
If a student completes Rhetoric 1 through 4 levels with MGA, he/she will have earned 23 of these 26 credits.
To download a table summarizing how MGA classes can fulfill the TX high school graduation requirements, click here:
Comparison of MGA Classes with TX Graduation Requirements (39.0 KiB)