Middle School Information and Academic Planning

March 3rd, 2026 at 6:30 PM in the DHMS Auditorium. This event is for parents of rising 6th graders. Families are welcome to bring their child with them.

The following questions are designed to help students determine which middle school courses will be the best fit for their learning needs. These questions could be used to help a student determine his or her current interest level and challenge need within each of these content areas: English, Science, and Social Studies. Math course selection occurs through a separate process and the math course recommendation will be communicated to families. If a student answers most of the questions with a “yes,” excitement, and/or confidence in ability during your discussion, then the subject area is probably an interest area and an intensified course might be the right fit for the student’s current learning needs within the specific content area.

If a student answers most of the questions with a “no,” indifference, and/or little confidence in ability during your discussion, then the subject area may not be an interest area and a regular course might be the right fit for the student’s current learning needs within the specific content area.

As you discuss, please remember:

● Students may wish to begin with taking one or two intensified courses instead of all three intensified courses.

● Since there are no prerequisites each year, choosing one course option for the upcoming year does not determine course placement for future years.

● All courses, regular and intensified, will offer opportunities to develop critical and creative thinking skills necessary to succeed in advanced high school courses within the content area.

● These course options are open to all students; a student identified for gifted, SPED, and/or EL services is able to choose the course option they prefer regardless of identification.

General Questions to Consider:

● What subject areas do you love?

● What are your areas of strength and areas for growth?

● How well do you manage your time and school work?

● How would you describe your level of motivation?

● How comfortable are you with taking initiative, or exploring ideas on your own?

● What combination of regular and/or intensified courses would you prefer?

English:
● Do you enjoy reading often, multiple genre forms and time periods?

● To what extent do you like to analyze different characters and authors’ perspectives and compare them to you, the community and the world?

● What is your comfort level in actively contributing to class discussions and sharing your thoughts?

● Do you like to write for extended time to support understanding and analysis?

Science:

● Do you question or wonder how things work on a regular basis?

● Do you often ask questions and then investigate or experiment to answer those questions?

● Do you think about how science impacts your life on a regular basis?

● Are you highly interested in science-related topics (i.e. read/research information/news as self-interest)?

Social Studies:

● Do you enjoy following, watching, and/ or discussing the news and current events on a regular basis?

● Do you wonder about ways the economy or the government work and how they impact our daily lives?

● Have you engaged in advocating for an issue? (i.e.. community issues like “The Missing Middle”, voter rights, current legislation or Supreme Court cases)

● Do you enjoy reading nonfiction texts to explore perspectives and ideas about our government, our country and the world?

Course request forms are due on the following dates:

Rising 7th and 8th grades: TBD

Rising 6th grade: TBD

7th grade CRF–link coming soon
8th grade CRF–link coming soon
6th grade CRF will be provided by elementary schools

Rising 6th Grade Orientation Trip to DHMS will take place in the spring of 2026.

Important dates and deadlines for 2026-2027 school year

APS has several options for middle school.

Learn about neighborhood schools, option schools and programs, start and end times, family information sessions, and more!