James Weldon Johnson College Preparatory Middle School

Educating Students in the Spirit of Excellence
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Course of Study

a rich curriculum

James Weldon Johnson College Preparatory Middle School’s advanced curriculum is built around a core of requirements in English, mathematics, history, science, foreign languages and the arts.  It is supplemented by high school credit courses and electives.  As students progress through the school, more options become available to them. 

 

This curriculum adheres to the requirements dictated by Florida’s Sunshine State Standards while preparing the students for the rigors which await them at our feeder schools, Stanton College Prep and Paxon School for the Advanced Studies.

James Weldon Johnson offers two academic tracks, advanced and gifted.  Students must qualify for the gifted track by meeting the state’s requirement of having an IQ of 130 or greater.

 

Students take 7 classes per day, 45 minutes each. Their schedule consists of 4 core classes, 1 physical education/health course, and two electives. It is recommended that students experience both a foreign language and visual/performing arts elective.

English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies courses are taken each year and are vertically aligned in order to produce consistent growth.  

 

An introduction to foreign language course is offered in 6th grade, and Spanish I/French I are offered in the 7th and 8th grade years.  Visual and Performing Arts electives are offered at all three grade levels. These include Art I/II, Dance I/II, Drama I/II, Computer Apps, Computer Programming, Speech, Journalism, TV Production, Band I/II and Chorus.

 

Other required courses extend the curriculum to include age-appropriate skills and knowledge.  In the sixth grade, students take Critical Thinking through the Great Books course. This introduces students to critical and evaluative thinking skills needed to succeed in an advanced/gifted environment.  Each year students will take 3 semesters of physical education and one semester of health.

 

a rich experience.

We believe in supplementing the experiences in the classroom with rich experiences outside of the classroom. Some of these programs include College Tours, Readers' Beach, the Renaissance Faire, Science and History Fairs, the Ritz Theatre Experience, Greek Day, and the 8th grade Washington DC field trip.