Exploring Course Types at NSA

By Alexander M.

Here at NorthStar Academy, there are quite a few different kinds of courses for students to choose from, such as normal, Honors, Advanced Placement®, and Dual Credit (College Board).  So let us dive into them together!  (This article will only be addressing the difficulties and types of high school NSA Flex courses rather than their NSA Live counterparts.)

 

The first stop on our adventure through the variety of classes here at NorthStar Academy is the normal everyday-style course.  These provide the foundation of NSA’s courses with all other course types adding work and difficulty to this level.  For perspective, this style of course involves “18 weeks per semester of 5 days per week at an average of one hour per day or 90 hours.” according to Curriculum Director Bethany Walker.

 

Now that we have our baseline to work from, let us move on to explore our next course type, which is Honors.  This type of course can be thought of as a slightly harder version of a normal course.  In total, a student taking the honors course version of a normal “course can expect an average of 1-2 hours of work per week in addition to the regular course content.” to help you get a deeper understanding of the concepts you are learning or as Mrs. Walker says, “The additional work of honors is intended to give depth to the learning not brand new learning” (NorthStar Academy, “Accredited Online Christian School”).

 

Our next course exploration is on Advanced Placement® (AP®) courses and Dual Credit (DC) courses.  These courses are unique because they can provide college credit.  Mrs. Walker further explains that, “Advanced Placement® and DC courses are identical courses in terms of the work and assignments.  The difference is in how the college credit is awarded.” While AP® courses provide college credit through the AP® system set up by the College Board, DC courses provide “college credit through NSA’s partnership with Colorado Christian University” (NorthStar Academy, “Dual Credit”).  DC and AP® courses require even more work and dedication than an honors course with students expected “to work up to 1.5 hours a day per AP® Dual Credit course” according to Mrs. Walker.  While this is certainly more work, the benefit of college credit and demonstrating academic progress for college applications is certainly a thing to consider when choosing courses.  Also, to add a teacher’s perspective, AP®/Dual Credit Curriculum Support, Dr. Seana Sundermeyer, who also teaches AP® courses, said that she encourages her AP® and DC students “to make use of every AP® resource offered as these resources are written by the exam writers.”

Before we come ashore from this exciting adventure, we should talk about what NorthStar Academy faculty suggests for you to do while you choose courses.  When asked about how students should best choose their courses, Bethany Walker said that “The best advice I have is to make an appointment with advising at NorthStar to talk through your long term plans with Mrs. Carpenter or Mrs. Calvin. They are knowledgeable and helpful and can answer lots of questions that are specific to your particular learning goals.”  When asked how a student should choose between an AP® or DC course, Dr. Sundermeyer commented that she would “suggest the student to first pray about which pursuit best fits his/her needs.”  She also says that “Sitting down with their parents helps many students in deciding, too.”  Overall, it is important to make sure to put in purpose and thought when choosing courses.

Thank you for exploring the various course types at NorthStar Academy with me!  Throughout our journey aboard the Navigator, we have talked about the main levels of courses at NorthStar Academy including normal, Honors, AP®, and DC courses, and the different challenges and difficulties you should expect with each type, which hopefully will help you choose the right courses for your journey through high school!

Alexander M. lives in Georgia, USA, with his parents and younger sister.  He has been a student at NorthStar Academy for two full years, and this is his second year at the Navigator.  He enjoys playing video games like Minecraft with his friends and likes talking with other students at NorthStar Academy.

AP® is a trademark owned by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, the NorthStar Navigator.

🔎Informational, 📓Class SpotlightsEIC NSA2024-2025, October 2024 Publication