Ammon Honors Academy Handbook

Ammon Honors Academy

3497 E Ammon Road
Idaho Falls, Idaho 83401

Main School Phone: (208) 525-4466
Fax: (208) 227-9876 

Nancy Jackson, Principal
Renae Lassen, School Secretary

Lisa Morales, Counselor 
 

Course Requirements

7th Grade Class Requests: 

7th Grade Class Choices

7th Grade Class Choices
Please click the links above to view the available class options and course descriptions.

Required Courses
The following required classes will automatically be added to your child’s schedule:
Math, Science, History, English, and PE (required for 7th grade).

Elective Courses
Please select 5 elective credits from the options listed. Electives may include a combination of:

• Rocky Mountain Middle School electives
• Ammon Honors Middle & High School electives
• Bonneville Online High School (BOHS) electives

8th Grade Class Requests: 

8th Grade Class Choices

Required Courses:
The following required classes will automatically be added to your child’s schedule:
Math, Science, History, English, Teen Wellness (online & in-person), and CTE: Career Explorations (in-person).

Elective Courses:

Please select 4 elective credits from the options listed. Electives may include a combination of:

• Rocky Mountain Middle School electives
• Ammon Honors Middle & High School electives
• Bonneville Online High School (BOHS) electives

Please note: BOHS and most Ammon Honors electives are high school-level courses. Grades earned in these courses will appear on your student’s high school transcript.

Trimester Notes for both 7th and 8th grade:
If a course is labeled A, B, or C, it counts as 3 credits because it runs for all three trimesters.

Teacher Approval (If Required)
Some classes require teacher permission. A teacher email is listed next to those courses. Families are responsible for contacting the teacher to request approval. Once approved, the teacher will send Ammon Honors a list of students who are cleared to enroll.

Middle School Education Plan

The table below will help parents and students have a plan for middle school and beyond. Students should use these tables to create a schedule that is meaningful for their future and ensure the completion of required classes. Mentoring is a class at the beginning of each day. It is scheduled for all students. Mentoring activities include: working with students on goal-setting, habits of success, career development, and school announcements.

JumpStart HS

What is JumpStart HS?

A component of the D93 Fast Track program is called JumpStart HS. JumpStart HS is meant to allow students in grades 7 and 8 to replace one of their middle school elective courses with a high school course to work ahead on their high school graduation requirements. Students can replace 1-3 of their middle school elective courses each year to earn high school credits. 

Why would my student want to participate in JumpStart HS?

There are a multitude of reasons for students to participate in JumpStart HS. One reason is the requirement for a student to enroll in a college course: a) students must be 16 years of age; or b) they must have completed 1/2  (half) of their high school graduation requirements. JumpStart HS allows students to enroll at an earlier age in a dual credit (college course) by completing 1/2 of their graduation requirements. 

A second reason is that it allows students to take additional electives of their choice while in high school that otherwise might not be possible with the core graduation requirements for each grade level. Here is an example: It would make it possible for a student to be involved in Advanced Mixed Choir (3 trimesters) and Drama 2 (3 trimesters).

There are other reasons and many possibilities for students that are available for them at the high school level that can be freed up by participating to some degree with JumpStart HS. 

What types of classes can I take?

Students are able to take a variety of BOHS classes in addition to their core and elective classes at the middle school.
 

Advanced Opportunities

The Idaho State Department of Education offers Advanced Opportunities programs to help high school students get a jump on college. Advanced Opportunities provide state aid for students to accelerate through their K‐12 education and provide support to earn college credit in high school. There are two parts to the program: 

1) FAST FORWARD Program and 2) Early Graduation Scholarship.  

This program is designed to help Idaho students earn eight years of credit in six years (4‐high school; 2‐college).Students in grades 7‐12 can be reimbursed for high school overload courses. Students in this program will have opportunities to qualify for the Early Graduation scholarship. The FAST FORWARD Program provides every student attending an Idaho public school an allocation of $4,125.00 to use towards Advanced Opportunities in grades 7‐12.

The program was expanded by the Legislature in 2016 through the passing of House Bill 458. The fund can be used for: 

• Overload Courses: An overload course is a high school level course that is taken in excess of the student’s regular school day. These courses are offered online, during the summertime, before and/or after school. Students may be reimbursed for up to $225 per course. Overload courses must be above and beyond the full course load offered by the student’s local school, which is sixteen (16) credits for Bonneville Joint School District.
• A component of the D93 Fast Track, overload courses are offered at Bonneville Online High School. Enrollment for summer 2021 is open to students entering grades 7‐12.  The following overload courses available this summer will meet the state graduation requirements. 
• A second component of the D93 Fast Track program is called JumpStart HS. JumpStart HS is meant to allow students in grades 7 and 8 to replace one of their middle school elective courses with a high school course to work ahead on their high school graduation requirements. Students can replace 1-3 of their middle school elective courses each year to earn high school credits. 

For more information, please visit the Fast Forward section on Bonneville Online High school’s website. 

Important Middle School Policies

The Middle School Task Force was created in May 2007 to examine middle school issues in relation to the Idaho High School Redesign efforts. The goals of the task force were to ensure all students are prepared to be successful in high school through increased academic achievement, a relevant and rigorous curriculum, and student accountability. Through the work of this committee, the 2010 Idaho State Legislature established state laws that require each district to implement a credit system beginning no later than 7th grade. In order to be in compliance with state law, the Bonneville School Board adopted the following policy on March 10, 2010:

MIDDLE SCHOOL CREDIT POLICY

Moving ahead to the next grade level and/or high school is not automatic and must be earned through successful completion of the District’s middle school program. Therefore, middle school students shall be required to demonstrate competence in all subject areas prior to transitioning to the next grade and/or high school. Regular attendance is also required. Any student not meeting competency and/or attendance standards will be required to follow an improvement plan and/or strategic interventions designed to prepare him/her for success at the next level of study.
 
GUIDELINES
 

1. Seventh (7th) and eighth (8th) grade students are required to meet the following by the end of the school year.
   1. Attain 80% of the total credits attempted.
   2. Earn a passing grade for at least two (2) grading periods in each of the classes attempted.
   3. Have no more than six (6) absences per grading period.
2. Middle school staff will determine and implement appropriate interventions designed to assist students’ academic achievement.