Honors/Advanced Placement Pathway
The Honors/AP Pathway requires learners to complete 26 credits. The credits come from the Honors and/or Advanced Placement core courses at Orion High School. World Languages are required (2 credits), and those are designated as Honor Courses at Orion. Elective courses taken through Endorsement Areas, are not designated as Honors.
Learners graduating with the 26 credits required in the Honors/AP curriculum will also qualify as Distinguished Achievement Graduates. Learners in this Pathway are not required to participate in AP Capstone™, which requires a bit more.
Learners taking AP Courses are not required to take the AP Examination in those subject areas; however, Orion High School recommends it. AP Examinations are in May of each year, and learners desiring to take the exams are required to register with Learner Advising (for the exams) no later than November 1 of the year.
The AP Capstone™ Diploma Program
Learners desiring to earn the additional AP Capstone Diploma (designation), will take AP Seminar and AP Research. The two courses will be in lieu of the 2 credits for the Senior Project. AP Capstone™ is a diploma program based on two AP courses: AP Seminar and AP Research. These courses are designed to complement other AP courses that the AP Capstone student may take. Instead of teaching specific subject knowledge, AP Seminar and AP Research use an interdisciplinary approach to develop the critical thinking, research, collaboration, time management, and presentation skills students need for college-level work.
The College Board developed the AP Capstone Diploma program at the request of higher education professionals, who saw a need for a systematic way for high school students to begin mastering these skills before college.
In addition to the course requirements, learners desiring to graduate under AP Capstone™ are required to take 4 AP Exams throughout high school, and must earn a 3 or higher on those examinations. AP Seminar and AP Research Exams may be taken as 2 of the four. Successful AP Capstone™ graduates will receive the AP Seminar and Research Certificate™. The AP Capstone and AP Seminar and Research Certificate are reported to colleges and universities as AP Scholar Awards and appear in Scholar Roster reports.
Typical Progression of Courses
| Content Area | 9th Grade | 10th Grade | 11th Grade | 12th Grade |
| English Language Arts/Reading | English 1 Honors | English 2 Honors |
English 3 Honors OR AP English Literature and Composition English 1301 Dual Enrollment is accepted with prior permission. |
English 4 Honors or AP English Language and Composition English 1302 Dual Enrollment is accepted with prior permission. |
| Mathematics | Algebra 1 Honors | Geometry Honors | Algebra 2 Honors OR Precalculus Honors | AP Statistics or AP Calculus or Precalculus Honors |
| Science | Biology Honors or AP Biology | Chemistry Honors or AP Chemistry | Physics Honors or AP Physics (there are 4 divisions of AP Physics) | Anatomy and Physiology Honors or any AP Science not yet taken |
| Social Studies | World Geography Honors or AP Human Geography | World History Honors or AP World History | US History Honors or AP US History |
Economics Honors (.5 Credit) US Government Honors (.5 Credit) or AP Microeconomics or Macroecnomics AP US Government and Politics |
| World Languages | Level I | Level 2 | --- | --- |
| Endorsement Elective | 1 Endorsement Elective | 1 Endorsement Elective |
2 Endorsement Elective or Learners desiring to obtain AP Capstone™ will take 1 Endorsement Elective and AP Seminar (this is the first course to satisfy the requirement of AP Capstone™) |
2 Endorsement Electives or Learners in AP Capstone™ will take AP Research (this is the second course to satisfy the requirement of AP Capstone™) |
| Senior Project | Final 2 Credits | |||
Distinguished Level of Achievement
Learners may graduate Orion High School with a designation called Distinguished Level of Achievement. A learner who earns this distinction, must meet the following criteria:
- Complete all of the requirements from this Graduation Pathway;
- Complete a comprehensive Senior Project (or meet the requirements of AP Capstone)
- Complete the requirements for the AP/Honors Pathway or the Advanced International Studies Pathway.
- Must have entered Orion High School before beginning the Senior level
The Distinguished Level of Achievement is the highest honor bestowed on a graduate of Orion High School.