Core courses divide into as many as three levels for each subject: College Preparatory, Honors, and Advanced Placement. College Preparatory (CP) courses give students a foundational understanding of the subject area. Our CP-level classes are a bit more rigorous than general-level courses at many schools, as the objective of NRCA’s curriculum is to equip all students to succeed in a four-year college setting. While not all NRCA graduates choose to pursue four-year degrees, they do all leave the academy fully prepared to tackle the challenges of higher education. Homework in CP courses is lighter than in Honors and AP. Honors courses venture deeper into content, both in terms of the amount of material covered and the rigor of assessment. Honors-level teachers require students to spend a great deal of time analyzing, evaluating, and creating with/synthesizing course content. The amount of homework in Honors classes is greater than in CP-level classes because of the depth of engagement and the pace of coverage increase. Honors courses typically include one to two more units of study per semester than their CP counterparts. Advanced Placement (AP) courses are the highest level of academics available in high school. The College Board, which also administers the SAT, oversees all AP courses. AP teachers at NRCA receive intensive training from the College Board on curriculum content, teaching methods, and scoring strategies. Each AP course's curriculum must be submitted to the College Board for approval. In May of each year, AP students can sit for the AP exam for each course they take. Students with high enough scores on AP exams have the potential to receive college credit and be exempt from taking those courses at the university level. Since these classes require college-level work, AP students should expect to spend much more time on homework than students enrolled in CP or Honors courses.

https://static.wixstatic.com/media/089617_bfb3a9644f8a41849439d4f26bb0470d~mv2.png Dual enrollment is another way NRCA students can receive college credit before graduating high school. NRCA has a dual enrollment agreement with The College at Southeastern in which qualifying courses offered at NRCA can be taken concurrently for NRCA high school credit and The College at Southeastern college credit. Many colleges and universities accept dual enrollment credits as transfer credits from The College at Southeastern and apply them toward graduation requirements. There is a fee from The College at Southeastern for dual enrollment. Dual Enrollment Flyer (https://0896176b-db71-46dc-b112-47803e38484f.usrfiles.com/ugd/089617_a37cdbbe250e46a7bdb49c2463798c10.pdf)

NRCA has expanded course offerings beyond the walls of the academy by creating NRCAPlus Virtual Academy. In the Virtual Academy program, students may enroll in online courses that they take during the school day. The courses are taught by contracted instructors through Sevenstar and proctored by NRCA staff. Additional fees beyond NRCA tuition apply to courses taken through the Virtual Academy program. Details are available in the NRCA High School Insider’s Guide.

NRCA’s high school electives offer your student a variety of opportunities to discover their areas of passion. NRCA boasts strong elective programs in computer science, visual arts, performing arts, communications, health and fitness, health sciences, technology applications, trades and industrial arts, philosophy, and debate. Several electives even allow students to earn official certification before graduating from high school, including Nurse Aide 1 (CNA) certification, Final Cut Pro certification, and Microsoft Office Specialist certification.

NRCA’s 1:1 iPad program remains the central technology used in the classroom and at home during the high school years. By the time students graduate, they will be fully skilled in using technology as a learning tool.

High school students track attendance and grades on PowerSchool. Parent PowerSchool accounts allow you to keep an eye on your student’s progress and coach from home as necessary.

Schoology learning management system is the hub for high school instruction. Teachers post assignments and assessments on the calendar. They also provide instructional information and enrichment resources through Schoology. Observer accounts are available for parents wanting to monitor what their student is doing in each course at any given time. Announcements, reminders, and updates to assignments and academics-related activities come through Schoology too.

NRCA uses college entrance exams for standardized testing at the high school level. Students in 9th and 10th grades take the PreACT in the spring. In 11th grade, students take the PSAT/NMSQT in the fall and the ACT in the spring. During senior year, students take the ACT in the fall. All standardized testing takes place on campus during the school day, and scores count as an official administration of each exam, so students can use them when applying for college admissions and scholarships. NRCA students consistently score above the national average on all these standardized tests.

National-level honors are available to qualified NRCA high school students from the following organizations: • ACSI | Distinguished Christian High School Student Award (https://www.acsi.org/academic-programs/highschool/distinguished-christian-high-school-student-award) • National Art Honor Society (https://www.honorsociety.org/national-art-honor-society) • National English Honor Society (https://www.nehs.us/about/index.shtml) • National Honor Society (https://www.nhs.us/) • National Junior Honor Society (https://www.njhs.us/) • National Speech and Debate Association’s Honor Society (https://www.speechanddebate.org/honor-society/)