Journey offers a clear path to success for middle school students who show exceptional promise. Journey is firmly rooted in a constructivist educational theory, emphasizing that students thrive when they actively construct knowledge themselves. As a result, Journey places a strong emphasis on Project-Based Learning, blended learning, and student autonomy.
Students receive guidance and mentorship while engaging in interdisciplinary units of study, which integrate social studies, English Language Arts, and science. For more information, please click on the link below to visit Journey's website.
Quest, formerly known as the Digital Learning Center (DLC), is a Project-Based Learning environment that embodies a Humanities focus, featuring literature integration within the social studies curriculum, along with Honors Science with STEM integration.
For more information about, please click on the link below to visit Quest's website.
The two Honors Academies at Desert Shadows Middle School (DSMS) provide honors core classes – English, math, science, social studies – with an emphasis in one of two programs: world languages and pre-engineering. For more information, contact the school directly at (602) 449-6800. Visit the DSMS website for further information.
Honors and advanced-level courses in mathematics and language arts are designed to provide a more rigorous curriculum and higher expectations for student performance. Check with individual middle schools for courses that are provided.
Honors courses prepare students for high-school level honors and advanced placement courses. Instruction incorporates creative and productive thinking, problem-solving, critical thinking skills, research, personal development, and communication. Advanced math is one level ahead. Honors English, science and social studies are enriched and/or advanced at grade level.
Students may qualify for placement in an honors course by meeting district requirements for placement in the gifted program. In addition, a combination of previous success in the subject area, superior performance on related achievement tests, and/or recommendation by previous teachers of the subject may be considered. Verify program eligibility with the middle or high school of your choice. Refer to our Gifted Testing page if your student needs gifted scores.