The State Scholars Initiative Core Course of Study
SSI asks its Scholars to take a rigorous course of study in high school. The State Scholars core course of study – which is patterned after the recommendations of the National Commission on Excellence in Education – recommends four years of English, three of math (algebra I and II, geometry), three of lab science (biology, chemistry, physics), three and a half of social studies (chosen from U.S. and world history, geography, economics, and government), and two of a language other than English.
There’s a good reason for encouraging students to take a rigorous course of study. Studies by the U.S. Department of Education and others show a strong link between the academic intensity of students’ high school course of study and postsecondary degree completion. For example, students who’d taken four years of English scored an average of 46 points higher on the SAT verbal test than those who’d taken only three; on the ACT, a rigorous course of study gave students a boost of 2.4 points, on average. And 40 percent of students who take algebra II earn a bachelor’s degree, compared with 23 percent of those who stop with geometry. In fact, academic intensity is a better predictor than students’ high school class rank when it comes to success in college, no matter where they start college or how many institutions they attend.
"Students who complete the Scholars course of study are better prepared with the skills, knowledge, and discipline necessary to compete in a global marketplace." James Threadgill, Vice Chairman, BancorpSouth Bank, Tupelo, MS
SSI CORE COURSE OF STUDYCOURSES |
YEARS |
| ENGLISH English I, English II, English III, English IV |
4 |
| MATHEMATICS Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II |
3 |
| SCIENCE Biology, Chemistry, Physics |
3 |
| SOCIAL STUDIES Chosen from U.S. History, World History, World Geography, Economics, Government |
3.5 |
| LANGUAGES 2 years of a language other than English |
2 |
