English Honors Program

Newport Harbor High School’s English Department offers two tracks. The first, College-Preparatory English, is a rigorous four-year program that readies students for college English courses. The other, Honors English, is a faster-paced program. Students who successfully complete the honors program will take two college courses while still in high school: Advanced Placement (AP) Language and Advanced Placement (AP) Literature.

Honors classes are significantly more difficult than college-prep classes. Honors students read more (often two books at a time), read more complex and longer literature, and write more essays and more complex essays. Students who will succeed in Honors English:

Love to read—and are interested in exploring serious literature;
Love to write—and are willing to accept criticism in order to improve;
Devote extensive time outside of class to homework and consultations with teachers;
Desire excellence and crave intellectual discourse.

Students who elect to take Honors English need to be aware of the following policies:

The summer reading assignment is mandatory. Students will be tested on the readings the first week of school and the accompanying writing assignment is due on the first day of school. The summer reading program is an integral part of the first semester’s work. A student who arrives unprepared will be strongly advised to transfer into college-prep English.
Class attendance and participation are vital to students’ success; therefore students are expected to attend class every day. A student who misses more than seven class sessions will be strongly advised to transfer into college-prep English.
All essays are essential; therefore late essays will not be accepted for full credit unless the teacher’s prior permission is received. Unexcused late essays will receive reduced credit only but still must be done. No matter what the student’s average is in class, a student who has failed to complete one or more essays will have an F in the class until all essays are submitted.
In order to encourage academic honesty, all take-home essays must be submitted both to the teacher and via turnitin.com.
Earning a grade below a B raises serious concerns about a student’s commitment to honors/AP. In order to protect a student’s GPA, any student who does not maintain at least a B will be strongly advised to move to college-prep English.
Students are expected to keep track of their work and their grade. Grades will be published on SchoolLoop in only at the quarter and the semester. Grade 9 honors teachers will publish their complete grade book at those times; the teachers of the other grade levels will only post the grade that will appear on the report card.

To enroll: Students may join the honors program at the beginning of any of their four years at Harbor. Many students who are not ready for the rigors of honors at the beginning of ninth grade successfully transfer in later. To enroll in ninth grade honors, students should have earned an A or B in their eighth grade honors class or an A in regular English; exceptions can be made for serious students.