Online Honors

When you are ready to apply for a course or CTD program, you can do so by creating or logging into your MyCTD account found on the top right corner of this page. Once you have logged into your MyCTD account, please follow the prompts to enter required account information, apply for the course(s) of your choice, and submit additional application materials if necessary.

Please note: Students in grades 6 through 8 Online Honors courses, with the exception of Algebra I, are considered to be part of our Indigo Tier. Please see eligibility details for each tier here.

For detailed guidance on the application process, we encourage you to reference the following documents:

• Step by step course registration guidance: With screenshots
• Step by step course registration guidance: Text only

Eligibility requirements differ between students in grades 6 through 8 and students in grades 9 through 12.

To qualify for Magenta Tier Online Honors Courses students must be in grade 9 through 12 and must also provide one of the following:

• Achievement of a score of 95^th percentile or higher on a nationally normed grade-level assessment in the required qualifying subject area (Verbal, Math, or Science) for the desired course.
• Successful past completion of a CTD course, with the same qualifying subject area (Verbal, Math, or Science) within the past two years.
• Submission of a portfolio application, consisting of a teacher recommendation and the student’s most recent report card demonstrating that the student is performing exceptionally well in the qualifying subject area.
• Participation in above-grade-level testing such as the PSAT™8/9 test taken in grades 4, 5, or 6, or the ACT^® or SAT^® test taken in grades 6, 7, 8 or 9 (Above-Grade-Level Assessment) within the last two years.

To qualify for Indigo Tier Online Honors Courses students must be in grade 6 through 8 and must also provide one of the following:

• Report card or transcript and teacher recommendation (Admission Portfolio). The recommendation form is available in your MyCTD account once application has been paid for and submitted, OR
• Qualifying score on an above-grade-level assessment in the required qualifying subject area (Verbal, Math, or Science) for the desired course. See course description for required scores via the Explore Courses tool.
• Successful past completion of a CTD course, with the same qualifying subject area (Verbal, Math, or Science) within the past two years.


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Algebra I is NOT considered Indigo Tier for grades 6 through 8. It is considered a Magenta Tier course.

Prerequisites and Graded Writing Sample

Many courses require additional prerequisites for admission. Any prerequisites are included the course description. Any student applying to a course with a prerequisite must submit documentation showing the prerequisite has been met unless CTD already has such information from previous applications, or if the prerequisite has been met via a CTD course.

English Language Proficiency

Because courses are taught in English, test scores are used to assess proficiency and assist in course placement. TOEFL (or TOEFL Jr. for grades 4-8) or IELTS scores are required for students for whom English is not the first language and who do not have PSAT, I-Excel, SAT, ACT, ASSET, or PreACT scores.

Requests for Grade Advancement/Acceleration

CTD course content is advanced or grade-level accelerated, as reflected in course descriptions and the standard admission requirements. Though course content is advanced, students can engage with intellectual peers who are also age- or grade-level peers. Therefore, most students should apply for courses aligned to the grade-level in which they are currently enrolled. Still, for some students demonstrating a need for an even higher level of instruction than CTD’s advanced and accelerated courses already provide, further acceleration may be an option. Visit the Requesting an Accelerated Placement web page for more information about the process, timeline, and required materials.

Tuition 

• One-credit Honors course: $835
• Two-credit Honors course: $1,425

Tuition increases by $25 after January 17th for Winter session.

Withdrawals

• Please see our withdrawal information for policies specific to this program.

Financial Aid

CTD offers need-based financial aid awarded as requests are received. Families are encouraged to apply early because the amount of aid available is limited. Please see the Financial Aid page for details. 

• The deadline to complete a financial aid application for the Online Honors Winter Program is January 1st, 2025.
• In order to start your class, any balance due must be cleared. Once a financial aid decision has been made, you must clear any remaining balance before you can begin your class. If your balance is not cleared, your start date will be moved to the next start date available.
• Students will not be able to be begin their class between published start dates.
• You will receive the FACTS application link in your application confirmation email once the $60 dollar tuition deposit is paid and the application is submitted.
• It is imperative that you complete the financial aid application as soon as possible as it may take FACTS up to ten days to process your information.
• If you previously completed a FACTS application for the 2023-2024 academic year for CTD, you must still attach the 2024-2025 FACTS application to your FACTS account. You will be able to link your FACTS account to this new FACTS information. You may need to update financial information.
• If you experience difficulties with the FACTS process please call the FACTS helpline at 866/412-4637.

Students in Online Honors courses should expect to spend 6-8 hours per week engaged in rigorous, independent course work, guided by an instructor.

Students have flexibility in terms of when they complete course work, and instructors provide individualized feedback to help students stay on track with course material.

Students who have the most success in Online Honors courses are active, independent learners who take initiative, have strong communication and organization skills, and have a desire to learn in an online platform. A student’s ability to manage their time, meet deadlines, and adjust their efforts accordingly is imperative.

Schoology, the learning management system used by CTD, is a user-friendly platform designed specifically for K-12 online learners, and is COPPA compliant.

Students will receive login information to Schoology via e-mail 12-24 hours before the course start date.

With their login information, students will receive information about a live, online orientation for all new Online Program students. (Returning students are also welcome to repeat the orientation.) The orientation will be recorded for students to view at a later time, if desired.

Access to course material, including instructor contact information, syllabi, and assignments, begins on the course start date.

The course acceptance notification email will contain a link to CTD’s online bookstore, where students can find textbook requirements for their course.

Textbooks can be purchased from CTD’s online bookstore, or from another vendor of choice. The use of a textbook varies by course, and not all online courses require one, though most online honors and AP® courses do require textbooks.

Textbook and supply costs (i.e. lab kits, if applicable) are not included in course fees.

Course Pacing

Students enrolled in Online Honors courses have up to 16 weeks (for 1-credit courses) or 34 weeks (for 2-credit courses) to complete their course work, depending on the session and the student's enrollment date. Students are welcome to accelerate through the course in a shorter time frame and should share their plans with their instructor if they plan to do so.

Extensions

Students in Fall and Winter Online Honors or Online AP^® classes may request up to three, 1-month extensions from their instructor. Online Summer (ASO) students can request up to two extensions. All extension requests are considered on an individual basis. To qualify for an extension, students need to have made significant progress towards completion of course work. (At a minimum, students need to have finished more than half of the course work to submit a request for extension.) Additionally, a student must have demonstrated the desire and capacity to complete the course in order for an extension request to be approved.

Course extensions begin on the course end date, and are consecutive, and are not able to be delayed. A $125 fee is assessed for each month of an extension.

Requests for course extensions should be directed to the course instructor in writing and must be approved by the course instructor and CTD.

Credit

For each successfully completed semester (with a grade of C- or better), students will receive one high school credit through CTD.

As an accredited institution, CTD issues credits to students successfully completing Online Honors, Online ASO, and Online AP® courses. However, acceptance of credit from CTD is a local school decision. Students interested in pursuing credit should discuss their school’s policy concerning credit from outside institutions with an academic counselor or school administrator before applying.

Evaluations

Online Honors students receive a letter grade and evaluation at the end of the first semester and again after completion of the course (for two semester courses). The final evaluation provides feedback on the student’s achievements in the course, ability to navigate the online course environment, and future course recommendations. An e-mail notification will be sent when the evaluation is available for access via MyCTD.

Transcripts

Unofficial transcripts can be generated via MyCTD (go to the student's profile in MyCTD and click the button for an unofficial transcript at the top of the page) upon completion of the course and final approval of the student’s evaluation. 

An official transcript can be requested at the time of your application.  CTD will send out official transcripts in batches on pre-determined dates.  Additional official transcripts can be requested via the Transcript Request Feature in your MyCTD account.

All course work and communication (including instructor contact information, the course syllabus, and assignments) take place within the Schoology course site. Schoology can be accessed on a desktop or laptop computer, or with the Schoology mobile app for iOS or Android tablets and phones. While tablets may be sufficient for most course work, some web tools and/or websites may require the use of a computer.

Students need access to a stable internet connection and updated web browser.

Participation in “live” course activities or multimedia recordings may require a computer web camera, microphone or headset.

See Frequently Asked Questions about Online Program courses.

• For questions regarding Online Program admissions and financial aid, please contact:
  ctd-admissions@northwestern.edu
• For questions about current Online Program enrollments, please contact:
  ctd-online@northwestern.edu
• For questions about school partnerships with Online Programs, please contact:
  ctd-school-services@northwestern.edu