Mastery with Honor at MCA
Midland Classical Academy offers honors credit, referred to as “Mastery with Honor”, but we offer no “honors” classes.
Mastery with Honor credit for a class is given to those students who
- receive a minimum grade of 92.5 at the end of each semester.
- receive a minimum contribution grade of 85 at the end of each semester.
- demonstrate character befitting an honor student (1 Corinthians 10:31).
- complete a tutor-approved, 20+ hour project (MH Project) that advances the student’s knowledge or skills in the subject while serving either the school or the community in some capacity.
Eligible Classes
All 7th-12th grade students who meet the above criteria may complete MH projects. All 8th-12th grade classes are eligible for honors credit. Seventh grade classes are NOT eligible for honors credit, but MH projects completed in 7th grade will be considered for MH Awards and provide valuable experience for the student. The only course not eligible for a Mastery with Honor project is Senior Project.
As a student fulfills these requirements in a class at MCA, they receive a Mastery with Honor designated by an “H” for the class. Mastery with Honor applications and a nominal fee are due at the end of October. The projects themselves are due at the end of March with two scheduled checkpoints in between the application and final deadline.
Honor Roll
Midland Classical Academy places students on the honor roll who have received three or more “H” credits in a single school year while mastering (85% or above) all six of their classes.
Graduating with Honor
Students graduate with Honors from Midland Classical Academy if they have met the normal graduation requirements and made the Honor Roll four out of five years during 8th-12th grade.
Mastery with Honor Process
Application Process:
MH Applications will be available at the Font Desk October 1 Applications must be approved and signed by a tutor, and returned to the Front Desk by October 31. A fee of $5 per application will be charged to the student’s family FACTS account in November for each application.
Types of Projects:
MH Projects must require approximately 20 hours of work, further the student's knowledge in the subject and serve the community (school, city, state and/or world). Previous projects have included expository and creative writing, artwork, scientific experiments, engineering/construction, model-making, additional coursework, online classes, and many more. Be creative and pursue your passions! A comprehensive list of previous projects is available at the Front Desk for students to view.
Project Completion:
The projects themselves are due in late March with three scheduled tutor checkpoints in between the application and final deadline. At checkpoint dates, students must update the supervising tutor with the status of their project. Students must achieve an overall average of 92.5 or higher at the end of Fall AND Spring Semesters to earn honors credit for their project. If students do not meet the minimum grade, they will not receive credit for the project even if they complete it.
MH Special Awards:
Midland Classical Academy wishes to recognize the very best Mastery with Honor projects and the students who labored to produce them. MCA will do this by awarding the top five MH projects, and the top junior high project. These projects are measured on the basis of Wonder, Imagination, Discovery and Arete.
Wonder: the project was born out of a love for learning; a deep love and respect for the subject was evident; the project raised big questions and pursued some of them
Imagination: student was creative and innovative in their approach; project demonstrates fresh thinking that does not settle for boilerplate answers; challenges assumptions
Discovery: what the student learned – both academic and practical; this includes new insights, deeper understanding of the subject, improve connection and relationship of this subject to other knowledge
Arete: an inspiring degree of excellence; “wow” factor; care in craftsmanship; impressive amount of effort spent in the intricate details and overall design, or effect of the MH project