7th Grade Course Request

EDUX 9972: Innovative Professional Learning

Greetings 7th grade Families and Students,

Information about course requests is now available for current 7th graders for BHMS. We need your support in facilitating the requests that students will be making for their upcoming 8th grade school year. Use the provided information to guide and support your child in making informed course requests in Infinite Campus for ELA, Math, and Connections courses for the 2025–26 school year.

In January all ELA and Math teachers will facilitate a reflection process where students complete a reflection to guide them in their choices of on-level or enhanced math/ELA courses using the student decision guides. The completed student guide will be coming home in early January for you to support them in their choices. Please review the decision guide with them at home. On January 17th, counselors, APs, and coaches will push into 7th grade Science classrooms to guide and support requests being made for Connections courses and completing the requests in Infinite Campus for ELA and Math selections. The selection window for students currently in 7th grade to request 8th grade courses will be Jan. 17th-24th.

Once selections have been made by students in Infinite Campus, guardians will be able to view their child's selections, and a final copy will be shared with a timeframe for corrections January 31st.

For course descriptions for Connections courses, please use the course description guide and browse the Connections website. Students will be able to request two of the four connections courses for the next school year. If you have any questions about enhanced courses for 8th grade, please reach out to your child's ELA/Math teacher, counselor, or the instructional coaches. We have also linked a google form for general questions below.

Click on photo for Course Descriptions of All Courses

Click on photo for ELA and Math Decision Guides

Timeline of Course Request

What's New for the 25-26 school year?

NEW Enhanced ELA course in 8th Grade will replace 8th Honors ELA: This new course will replace 8th-grade Honors ELA. The Enhanced Literature & Composition I course is designed for 8th grade students seeking an accelerated learning experience that bridges both Georgia’s K-12 English Language Arts Standards’ 8th grade and 9th grade expectations. This course awards high school credit for middle school students.

NEW STEM Enrichment Connections Course for 7th and 8th Grade: This course will replace the Gifted Resource Connections class as a gifted service elective; however, this rigorous course will be open to ALL students at BHMS who are interested and ready for a STEM challenge.

NEW Journalism Enrichment Connections Course for 7th and 8th Grade: This course will replace the Gifted Resource Connections class as a gifted service elective; however, this rigorous course will be open to ALL students at BHMS who are interested and ready for a writing challenge.

Helpful Tips in Selecting 8th Grade Courses!

8th Grade math has two choices of on-level math or Enhanced math. There is not an honors course in 8th grade. Enhanced Algebra: Concepts and Connections is a course option that thoughtfully blends Grade 8 content standards with Algebra: Concepts and Connections standards. This course awards high school credit for middle school students.

8th Grade ELA has two choices of on-level ELA or Enhanced ELA. There is not an honors course in 8th grade. The Enhanced Literature & Composition I course is designed for 8th grade students seeking an accelerated learning experience that bridges both Georgia’s K-12 English Language Arts Standards’ 8th grade and 9th grade expectations. This course awards high school credit for middle school students.

All 8th grade gifted students will be enrolled in Enhanced ELA and Enhanced Math. Gifted served students will not have the option to select on-level, but an opt-out form will be provided to families over the summer to request a change to an on-level course.

Journalism Enrichment and STEM Enrichment are both one-semester Connections courses open to all students, though priority for seats will be given to Amplify and Gifted students in order to provide services.

Gifted students should consider either the STEM Enrichment or Journalism Enrichment Connections course to replace the Gifted Connections course. Priority for these courses will be given to Amplify and Gifted students in order to provide services, but it is open to all who show interest.

All students at BHMS can request STEM or Journalism. You do not have to be identified as gifted to request these courses.

Teachers do not recommend students for courses, but they can provide support in the decision making process using the decision making guides.

Students may request two Connections courses, and they take a total of four Connections courses in one year.

Music students (Band, Chorus, and Orchestra) will take two additional courses in a school year because music courses are year-round.

Music students continuing music courses will have a total of three Connections requests. A student not wanting to continue in the music program will not request the course.

Example A: Continuing music student selects music plus two other courses
Example B: Not continuing music student selects two Connections and does not select music