Accelerated Career (Option B)

Using the Accelerated Career program, students can graduate with their high school diploma while being exempted from certain academic course requirements. These students must complete specific courses during their ninth and tenth grade year as noted below. They can then choose to earn two technical certificates of credit, a technical college diploma, or an associate's degree during their remaining two years of high school. Students who meet these requirements shall be deemed to have met all graduation requirements of the State Board of Education and shall not be subject to any courses or assessments otherwise required for purposes of graduation. Students pursuing this path must work closely with their high school counselor and Sims Academy staff to ensure that they meet both the high school and college graduation requirements.

Entrance Requirements

Students interested in Accelerated Career must take and pass the following high school courses in order to enter the Accelerated Career path:

• Two English courses, one being American Literature
• Two mathematics courses, one being Algebra I
• Two science courses, one being Biology
• Two social studies courses
• One Health and Physical Education course

COLLEGE REQUIREMENTS

After taking the specific high school courses above, students must earn two specific technical certificates of credit (TCCs), a technical college diploma, or an associate's degree. Currently, the only technical certificate path for Accelerated Career available at Sims Academy is in welding. Students have many technical college diploma and associate's degree options through Lanier Technical College, including in areas such as accounting, business, technology, mechatronics, building automation, or computer science.

HOURS FUNDED

Students are able to earn 30 credit hours of college credit while still enrolled in high school. Students can utilize the HOPE Grant or HOPE Career Grant if they are enrolled in a qualifying diploma or certificate program. HOPE Grant hours do count toward the the HOPE combined hours, which will affect the number of funded credit hours available to students after their high school graduation. Also note that HOPE Grant and HOPE Career Grant may not pay all of the costs that dual enrollment would cover. Students also have the option to self-pay for their college courses after the credit hour maximum is exceeded.

SAMPLE program of study

Below is a sample schedule for what a student's high school program of study might look like on the Accelerated Career path. Students should work with their parents, high school counselor, and Sims Academy staff to ensure that both high school and college graduation requirements are met.