High school arts classes are designated as Beginning, Intermediate, Proficient, and Advanced.  Proficient and Advanced levels are considered Honors courses. Each level has its own set of NC Essential Standards.

 Students may take more than two years of honors credit coursework in arts classes if they meet the requirements for enrollment.  In other words, a student may repeat coursework at the Proficient or Advanced levels beyond two years.

Placement
In accordance with The NC Department of Instruction's suggested sequencing for High School Arts Education, WS/FCS arts students will be placed in the Intermediate level of an arts course upon entry into High School IF they have had a complete and documented K-8 progression within that discipline.  If a student has not had a complete K-8 progression, the student will be placed in the Beginning level arts course upon entry to High School.

Intermediate Placement Upon Entry to High School
Students without a complete and documented K-8 progression in an arts discipline may be placed in an Intermediate level course IF the student takes and passes the standardized WS/FCS assessment* for Beginning Standards.  Students that receive a passing score have demonstrated mastery of Beginning Standards and will be enrolled in an Intermediate level course at their school.  

Honors Placement upon Entry into High School 
Students wishing to enter high school at the Proficient (Honors) level must take and pass a WS/FCS assessment that evaluates the student's mastery of Intermediate Standards of Visual Arts.  The assessment is a digital portfolio of 8 artworks. Assessments are evaluated by a panel of WS/FCS Visual Arts teachers. 

Honors Placement Upon Completion of Beginning Standards
Students that have completed a Beginning level course who are wishing to advance to Proficient (Honors) level coursework may complete and pass a WS/FCS assessment that evaluates the student's mastery of Intermediate Standards of Visual Arts.  The assessment is a digital portfolio of 8 artworks.  Assessments are evaluated by a panel of WS/FCS Visual Arts teachers. 

Honors Placement Upon Completion of Intermediate Standards
Students that receive a passing grade in an Intermediate course may enroll in a Proficient (Honors) level course for the following year.  Students may opt, however, to enroll in an Intermediate course again, since courses can now be repeated. 

The Arts Advancement Process at a Glance... 

*Assessments
WS/FCS provides two assessments to aid in placing students.  

Beginning Standards Assessment: This assessment is designed to evaluate the student's mastery of Beginning Standards. This standardized assessment consists of 50 multiple choice questions.  Students wishing to advance to the Intermediate level upon entry to high school but have NOT had a complete K-8 progression in Visual Arts will be administered this assessment.  Review this assessment further.

Intermediate Standards Assessment:  This assessment evaluates the student's mastery of Intermediate Standards of Visual Arts.  The assessment is a digital portfolio of 8 artworks. Assessments are evaluated by a panel of WS/FCS Visual Arts teachers.  Students that have had a complete K-8 progression and are wishing to advance to the Proficient level (Honors) upon entry to High School should plan to take this assessment.  Students that have completed Beginning level coursework and are wishing to advance to the Proficient (Honors) level should plan to take this assessment.  Review this assessment further.

Contact Penny Freeland - Email Penny Freeland  for testing information and an application.

The current testing window is from Wednesday, January 3, 2024 until Friday, February 2, 2024.

**Please send a completed form to Penny Freeland - Email Penny Freeland by August 9, 2024 for late summer testing for the 2024-2025 school year.