Online & College Courses

Some of the upper-level courses we offer are designated Advanced Placement (AP) classes. This means that the curriculum parallels the content tested on the Advanced Placement Exams offered each May by the College Board (a national testing agency).

AP courses are offered at SMHS for the following subjects: Studio Art, Biology, Chemistry, Calculus, Economics, English Language, English Composition, US Government and Politics, US History, Physics, Psychology, Statistics, Art History, European History, Human Geography, Spanish Language and Spanish Literature. Note: Some courses are offered every other year.

If you take an AP class, it is recorded on your high school transcript and counts as credit toward graduation. To receive college credit, you must take and pass the AP exam for that subject. If you are interested in taking an AP course, you should talk to your counselor. It is possible to take an AP exam even if you are not enrolled in an AP class. Additionally, while some advanced level classes may not have the AP designation, their content may still provide excellent preparation for the exam. You can read more information about Advanced Placement Exams at https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/. 

On occasion, SMHS students may wish to enroll in online courses or wish to receive high school credit for classes not taken in the Medford School District. In order for these courses to be counted for credit, they must be earned from a school that is accredited by the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools (NAAS) or an organization that is formally affiliated with NAAS. Go to www.advanc-ed.org for more information and a listing of accredited institutions. To ensure that credits will count toward graduation please have all coursework approved in advance.

We have several opportunities for SMHS students to earn RCC college credits. RCC Career Pathways program offers a Basic Healthcare Certificate.

Rogue Community College (RCC) offers college credit for many courses taken as part of a student’s regular schedule at SMHS. These courses are designated as RCC College Now credit.

Students may earn college credit at Southern Oregon University (SOU) for some of the advanced courses offered at SMHS – this is generally referred to as “Advanced Southern Credit”. Usually, these courses are identified in the course description however, since we are continuing to add this option to more classes, you should ask your classroom teacher. There is a fee per credit charged by SOU. Check with the classroom teacher for the current cost.

SOU credit is also available to high school students through the Early Entry program. Students can take lower-division college classes on the SOU campus at a significantly reduced cost for tuition.

Classes taken at SOU or RCC may be counted as one of the classes on your high school schedule for eligibility purposes.

For more information about how you can receive Southern Oregon University or Rogue Community College credit, please talk with your teachers, your school counselor or the Panther Future Center.