Course Syllabus

Curriculum: This course uses the curriculum of the United States Academic Decathlon, a very rigorous curriculum that changes every year. Therefore, students may earn credit for this course more than once. The curricular subject areas include: art, music, language and literature, economics, social science, science, math, essay, speech and interview. Each year, one of these subject areas becomes the Super Quiz topic, which is the theme piece of the year's curriculum.

Competition: Students in this class are encouraged but not required to be part of the school's Academic Decathlon team.

Homework: Students will have reading assignments to complete out of class. They will also be expected to study for frequent tests.

Testing: The assessments used to determine a grade for the class will not be the same very rigorous tests used in the Academic Decathlon competitions. Those tests will be used for practice in class, but the student's grade will be based on simpler tests focused on smaller amounts of information.

Grading: Students may elect a pass/fail grading option for this course. This means that they can earn a P if their grade average is 70% or above. The grade of P will not average into the student's overall grade point average. If a student selecting this option does not keep a 70% average, however, the grade of F will be earned, which will be included in the student's grade point average. Students may also earn a traditional letter grade, which will be awarded according to this scale:

93%-100% A 73%-76% C

90%-92% A- 70%-72% C-

87%-89% B+ 67%-69% D+

83%-86% B 63%-66% D

80%-82% B- 60%-62% D-

77%-79% C+ Below 60% F

Extra Credit: There is no extra credit in this course.

Bring to class: Students will need to acquire one or two binders to organize their paperwork and bring these materials to class as needed.

For more information: To find out more about the St. Peter Academic Decathlon, refer to the Handbook link from this website or consult the web for a broader description of the United States Academic Decathlon.