Information Meeting

January 11, 2024 at 6 p.m. on Zoom

https://pwcs-zm-edu.zoom.us/j/85736601950?pwd=OVVaYnNZYU9uZXlsV2g2Nk9hek9Pdz09 

What is the Pre-Governor’s School?

The Pre-Governor's School at Freedom High School is a preparatory program through which students will experience an accelerated mathematics and science course sequence.

Students will have an opportunity to develop their technical writing capacity and meet several graduation requirements to prepare them for success should they attend The Governor's School at Innovation Park (GS@IP) in their 11th and 12th grade year.

In order for students to be prepared for college-level study at GS@IP, it is important that they have a strong, yet accelerated, platform in the study of math and science. The instructional design of the Pre-Governor's School program integrates strands in biology, chemistry, and physics with mathematics, concepts of engineering, and laboratory research.

Students participating in the Pre-Governor's School will maintain year-end grades of B or better in their core subject areas (language arts, social studies, mathematics, and science). Students will be encouraged to fulfill the Economics and Personal Finance (or AP Economics) graduation requirement in 11th grade. Students will also be required to conduct authentic research in support of the GS@IP application process. Students who choose not to attend GS@IP during 11th and 12th grade will have opportunities at Freedom High School or their base school, because of their accelerated coursework, to continue to study advanced (college-level) curricular content with an emphasis in math, science, and engineering.

Key elements of the program include:

• Students will be supported through the simultaneous study of two math courses in ninth grade, and functions/trigonometry (or higher mathematics course) by the end of 10th grade.
• Students will study two science courses in 10th grade to allow for the completion of SOL Physics prior to 11th grade.
• A dedicated school counselor will support Pre-Governor's School students to ensure appropriate course selection in preparation for the various academic pathways available at GS@IP, and work with students during their four years of study.
• Students will take an eighth class during grades nine and 10 (HPE I and HPE II through Virtual Prince William, unless otherwise approved by the Pre-Governor's School Coordinator). This allows students to meet an additional graduation requirement prior to joining GS@IP.
• Pre-Governor's School students will be strategically grouped as a cohort to support their accelerated study of math and science in 9th and 10th grades.

Note: Application for this program is open to rising 9th grade students.

Program Type

The Pre-Governor’s School at Freedom High School is a Transfer Program. Students participating in this program will transfer to the program location at Freedom High School for all courses and activities. Express Bus Transportation is available to accepted students living outside of Freedom High School boundaries through Specialty Program Transportation.

Application Instructions

All specialty program applications will open on November 1, 2023, and close on February 1, 2024. Application to the Pre-Governors School at Freedom is a two-step process.

Freedom Pre-Governor's School Application Process
Freedom Pre-Governor's School Packet