Honors By Contract

DISHS is a small school with a wide variety of student learners and we do our best to meet the needs of each individual student. Our students are provided with a challenging and supportive school environment and course options to help reach their goals. Our faculty and staff have developed and provided access to a wide array of courses and levels of challenge within subjects. Our students thrive either through their school-based courses, online courses, or dual enrollment options, coupled with support from our Resource Room, Guided Study Hall, School Counselor, and/or after-school tutoring. 

In order to further differentiate instruction and meet the needs of our diverse learners, we developed an Honors-by-Contract option for students within the classroom setting. There are two main parts of the Honors-by-Contract program: First, a teacher must decide that they are willing to create a pathway to honors credit within a specific course and develop the coursework and assessments for the credit; and, second a student must demonstrate the academic interest, ability, and achievement to be considered for this program. To clarify, while the transcript will reflect an honors credit, GPAs at DISHS are not weighted. Please note, not all courses will include an honors-by-contract option. 

• A teacher decides s/he wants to offer an honors-by-contract pathway in a course and develops the required coursework and assessments through which a student will earn honors credit. 

• At the beginning of the course, teachers will inform students and parents of the pathway. 

• After five weeks in the course, a student will apply for honors-by-contract credit using [a form to be created] which will be signed by the teacher, the student, a parent/guardian, the advisor, and an administrator (Ms. Gratz or Mrs. Ciomei). 

• The student will meet the requirements established by the teacher which may include additional/supplemental assignments (essays, readings, projects, presentations) throughout the rest of the semester. 

• If a student completes the requirements to a satisfactory level as established by the teacher, the student will earn an honors designation for the course which will be reported on the transcript. 

• If a student does not complete the requirements to a satisfactory level, the student will not earn an honors designation. 

Academic Performance: 

• Students must be on the honor roll for the previous quarter, or have a strong academic record to be eligible for honors courses or programs. 

OR

• Students must have at least a B+ after the first progress report to be eligible for honors by contract credit. 

• Students must demonstrate a strong work ethic and be able to handle a challenging workload. 

• Students must be in good standing with attendance (<10% days absent). 

Honors Contract: 

• A contract is an agreement between the student and the teacher outlining the additional work and expectations for the honors experience. 

• The contract should specify the extra assignments, projects, or activities that the student will undertake to earn honors credit. 

• The contract must be submitted between the first progress report and the end of the first quarter and must be approved by the classroom teacher, student, parent, and principal. 

Enriched Academic Work: 

• Honors-by-contract courses typically involve deeper dives into the subject matter, more in-depth research, or creative projects. 

• The work should go beyond the standard curriculum and demonstrate a higher level of understanding and engagement. 

Additional Requirements: 

• Some programs may require a minimum grade of a B+ or better in the course for the contract to count towards honors credit. 

• Students should also be prepared to dedicate extra time and effort to the contracted work. 

Examples of Honors-by-Contract Activities: 

• Collaboration with the teacher to design a research project. 

• An analytical, research, or policy paper. 

• An audio/video project, performance, or artistic work. 

• Use of additional higher level/increasingly complex texts. 

• Teaching a class or series of lessons to peers.