Teaching High School Science

How to Choose the Right High School Science Level

• Kesha "Doc" Williams • Episode 21

Share episode

Send us a text

Thinking about adding high school science to your teen’s homeschool curriculum? Whether you’re gearing up for January or planning ahead, you’ve probably asked yourself:

  • Which level is right for my teen? Introductory, standard, honors, or AP?
  • How do I fit this into our already busy family schedule?
  • What’s the best way to set my teen up for success?

Sound familiar? No worries—I’ve got you! This month, I’m breaking it all down in a 2-episode series to help you feel confident about your teen’s science education.


In This Episode, We’ll Cover:

  • The 4 levels of high school science: What they mean, who they’re for, and how they compare.
  • How to decide which level fits your teen’s goals, learning style, and future plans.
  • Practical advice for getting your teen started with the right class at the right time.

Oh, and spoiler alert: My Self-Paced High School Chemistry Course launches in January, and it’s a game-changer for homeschool families who want flexibility without sacrificing structure. Stick around until the end of the episode for all the details!

Links Mentioned:


🎥 Free Video Lesson: See My Teaching Style
Not sure if my course is the right fit? Watch this 12-minute lesson to see how I teach and why students love my approach.


📚 Enroll in My Self-Paced Chemistry Course
Launching in January! A full curriculum designed to make chemistry simple, manageable, and actually enjoyable for your teen.


Thanks for tuning in!

For more insightful discussions and resources on science education, visit my website at thesciencementor.com.

Don't forget to connect with me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for updates and engaging content.

Are you looking for bite-sized science tutorials to use with your students or for a refresher for yourself? Visit my YouTube Channel.

Let's continue the conversation and explore the wonders of science together!


Speaker 1:

Hello December and if you are thinking of adding high school science to your homeschool high school curriculum, whether it's January or in the future, you may be wondering which level do I need to add? Introductory, standard, honors or AP science? And then how do I add this where it fits my family's schedule? There are so many options out there and this month I'm breaking it all down in two episodes so that you feel confident making the best decisions for your teen's science education. In this episode I'm breaking down the different levels of high school science, what they mean, who they're best for and how to decide what fits your teen's goals. Then, in the next episode, I'll talk about the different online options for taking these classes, whether it's group classes, self-paced, even private tutoring, and then the pros and cons of each. So there's no overwhelm, just clear, actionable advice to help you set your teen up for success. So grab your notebook, your coffee or whatever helps you focus and let's dive in.

Speaker 1:

Welcome to Teaching High School Science. I'm your host, doc, a former biochemist turned high school science teacher and private tutor. Whether you're homeschooling your team through high school science or teaching online, join me as I share tips and strategies I've learned over the years for at-home and online labs and activities, breaking down complex concepts and structuring learning in a way that makes sense. Now let's dive into today's topics. So now let's break it down, because there are levels to our science classes and you want to make sure your teen is in the right one for their goals, their pace and their future. Here's what you need to know about the four major levels of high school science classes.

Speaker 1:

Let's start with the introductory classes. These classes focus on the basics and give students a broad overview of the subject. They're all about building confidence and creating a foundation. These are perfect for students who are new to science or need a no-pressure introduction. The content is simplified and, because it does not go into depth, the pacing is more flexible, so it's not overwhelming. So who are introductory classes ideal for? Well, your younger teens, like those that may be in middle school, that want an introductory to science before they dive in, teens who may feel intimidated by science. These teens may just have heard horror stories and are a little I'm not sure if I'm ready for this, or they may not be as strong in math, for example, algebra 1,. You need to have those skills if you're taking Standard Chemistry, and they may just want to get the foundation first before they add the math. And then also you have students who just want to explore it as an elective before committing to the more advanced classes, so they know exactly which advanced class they want. Now, one thing to keep in mind about introductory is that these classes are great for getting started, but they won't go deep. So if your teen is aiming for a STEM career or a competitive college, their need to up the level.

Speaker 1:

The next level are our standard level science classes. These are your typical high school science classes that cover all of the essential concepts, with a balance of theory and hands-on work. They are comprehensive enough for most college-bound students, especially those who are not headed into a STEM field. Plus, they meet the high school graduation requirement in most states. Now who are these for? They're for students who want a manageable, straightforward science education. For those that want to fulfill a high school graduate requirement but do not want that extra challenge of the more advanced classes. And for those that want science credits that would make them more competitive for college, especially for those additional classes above the requirement for graduation but are not planning to enter into a STEM field. Now what you want to keep in mind for standard classes is that these can sometimes lack the depth needed for STEM-focused careers or competitive college programs focused careers or competitive college programs. So if your teen is big in STEM goals, they'll want to consider honors or AP level classes.

Speaker 1:

Honors classes is where we step it up. Not only do these classes go deeper into the subject, but they may have additional topics that are not covered in standard classes. Honor classes are taken when students want to prepare for AP, which is advanced placement or college level courses, and they also show colleges that your team can handle more advanced academic work. And, let's not forget, they can boost the GPA if your grading system is weighted, and what that means is that honor classes carry an additional 0.5 credit hours. So where a standard class is one credit hour, that honors class can add those additional points to overall GPA, and that is where you have students getting above a 4.0 cumulative GPA. They will have more impact on your teen's GPA, regardless of whether it goes up or down. So who are honor classes best for? These are for those motivated students that are ready to put in the work, because honors classes move faster in order to cover the deeper depth, if that's a thing, and the additional topics within the same time frame as standard classes. It's a good choice for students who are prepping for those college STEM programs who want to be competitive but they do not want to take AP, and I also highly recommend it for students who do plan to take advanced placement, and I will tell you why when we get to advanced placement later in this show.

Speaker 1:

Now what to watch out for for honors classes. The workload is no joke. You want to make sure that your teen has proper time management and study habits. It is a lot of content within the same amount of time and that can be overwhelming. Especially when they hit a topic that they need to remember or go back and review previous topics in order to grasp, it can feel as if they have even less time. It can feel overwhelming. So having a proper time management schedule or strategies in place is going to help them to be able to manage and be successful in honors classes.

Speaker 1:

Now let's kick it all the way up to AP classes, which are advanced placement. Now, before I dive into advanced placement, I want to put all of the classes in context with each other, and let's use going to a swimming pool as an example, we can look at introductory courses as sitting on the side of the pool, dipping your toes into the water to get a feel of the water. Then standard classes can be jumping into the water, maybe playing around, getting deeper into the content. With honors you're diving deep into the water, you are demonstrating your actual techniques, how you can swim, showing that, hey, I got this, but with advanced placement you have dived into the water and you are doing Olympic level laps. So this is how I like to think about the different levels of science classes. And you're demonstrating all of this within the same time frame. So what that means is that if you're going to be demonstrating Olympic level labs, you need to come into the class with a basic foundation to start off or build up upon in order to move up to that more advanced Olympic level. And this is why I recommend that students planning to take AP level science classes to take the honors level, at least the standard level, of that class, before diving into the more advanced topics in the AP level.

Speaker 1:

Okay, guys, now it's time to talk about AP courses or advanced level courses. Now, all AP level courses follow a standardized college level curriculum and it has its own AP exam. Why is this important? Well, it's important because you have to keep in mind that the high school level did not put together this curriculum and it did not put together the exam. These were developed at the college level. They also wrote the exam, which is standardized and controlled by a different entity than any high school district or high school professionals. And that is why, depending on the type of test, the score and the school, you can get credit actual college-level credit for scoring a certain level on specific tests. For example, with chemistry, scoring a three on the AP chemistry exam can get you credit for the introductory level courses in several colleges across the country, and scoring a four or five can get you credit with some of the higher level courses, like General Chemistry I or General Chemistry II.

Speaker 1:

Now that we understand more about AP classes, let's talk about who these are more ideal for. These classes are ideal for students that are going into STEM-related fields in college or they're going for competitive colleges, even if Taking AP courses, doing well in AP courses and doing well on the AP exam, shows colleges that they are prepared for college-level work. And with all that said, it stands to reason that you need to be considerate of the intense workload and when I say intense workload, I'm thinking about science classes, mainly AP biology, ap chem, ap Physics especially for my juniors and seniors, because many of my juniors and seniors who are taking AP courses also have other AP courses and activities and events that they're doing during their junior and senior years. And also remember that not all colleges accept AP credit. So if your teen is taking AP courses for the hopes of getting AP credit, make sure you check with the colleges that you are looking to apply for and see what their policies are with the different AP exams, the scores and what you will get credit for.

Speaker 1:

Okay, guys, I have an announcement that I am super excited about, and that is that my self-paced regular level high school chemistry course is launching this January. Now, this course is designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of chemistry while giving students the flexibility that they need to fit their homeschool schedule. So this is how this course works. It's a drip course. So instead of just enrolling in a self-paced course, getting all the materials at once and figuring it out, the content will be released gradually on a schedule. You can enroll at any time and have access to the course for a full year, a row, at any time and have access to the course for a full year. But the drip format ensures that your students progress through the material in a logical order.

Speaker 1:

So why did I design it like this? Well, for one, it helps to reduce the overwhelm. By focusing on one unit at a time, students avoid the stress of seeing all of the content at once and feeling like they are never going to make it through everything and just shutting down. Another thing is that it helps to prevent gaps. The concepts and chemistry builds on each other and skipping around often leads to confusion and frustration. Students would get to one lesson. I cannot complete this. I need to complete three lessons this week to stay on course. So let me skip to the next one and go ahead and at least knock out a lesson. Nope, not a good thing, because where they may be successful at that one lesson, a few lessons down the line they missed a link that they need to be able to be successful in future lessons.

Speaker 1:

Another reason is that this structured progression makes it easy for you, as parents, to monitor your teen's progress and ensure that they're mastering these key concepts. So if you have a teen, that need a structured, step-by-step approach to learning chemistry, and your family needs flexibility, with guided support then I strongly encourage you to go ahead and check out this course. And if you're still on the fence or not sure if my teaching style meet your child's needs, then use the link in the show notes and get access to a free video lesson by me. That way you can get a sense of my teaching style and see if it's a good fit. You can also learn more about the course or enroll whenever you're ready. Since it's a self-paced course, remember, you can start it at any time that works best for you and your family.

Speaker 1:

If you have any questions about the course or any of the content, reach out to me, let me know. And if you have any other topics that you would like to hear about, also let me know, because this podcast is for you, let me. And if you have any other topics that you would like to hear about, also let me know, because this podcast is for you. Let me know. If you have any questions, ideas or other experiences that you'd like to share, head on over to my podcast page, which you can access by visiting my website at thesciencementorcom. Then select podcast from the menu and subscribe now to the teaching high school science podcast for your regular dose of motivation and just in time science ideas. And together let's make high school science a journey of exploration and achievement. Until next time, remember curiosity leads to endless possibilities.