New Students

New students include all students who applied and enrolled in the upper school for the coming year and also students who enrolled from Stevenson Lower & Middle School. The Director of Studies and the department chairs have put forth a tremendous amount of time and thoughtful consideration to ensure that each student will take courses that are most appropriate for him or her. The process and prerequisites have been honed and adjusted over the course of many years and work quite well in matching students with appropriate courses. 

In following years Stevenson's faculty will help you choose courses that will challenge and edify you without so overburdening you that there is no room for joy in your life. During this process you will have conversations with each of your teachers and with your advisor. Your courses will then be reviewed by the Director of Studies, who will initiate further conversations if necessary to make sure that you are registered for the best courses for you. Individualized attention is a hallmark of our academic program.

After you have enrolled at Stevenson you will receive an email asking you to complete an online course request survey. It will include questions regarding your interests and your background in order to give us a sense of what courses might work for you. We use this information to determine which placement test(s) you should take. Stevenson's academic program is constructed so students have more options as they advance through our grades. Ninth graders have little flexibility in their course choices but 12th graders have plenty.

Our "regular" level courses are already rather advanced (our regular math track finishes with Calculus in the senior year, for example,) and our advanced courses are quite challenging. If you are interested in taking advanced, accelerated, honors, or AP classes, we may ask you to give us some extra information to help us decide if that is the best choice for you. The information needed by each department is listed below. Click on English, History, or Science for their detailed guidelines for entry, which have been developed by the departments to ensure that we fairly and consistently address student requests to take these courses.

• English: placement is based on previous performance in English classes, SSAT scores, and a writing sample (see below for guidelines for the writing sample)
• History: placement is based on previous performance in history classes, SSAT scores, and a writing sample (see below for guidelines for the writing sample)
• Foreign Language: placement is based on performance on the placement test, and possibly a conversation with a language teacher
• Mathematics: placement is based on performance on the placement test and SSAT scores
• Science: placement is based on previous performance in science and math courses, SSAT scores, and performance on the mathematics placement test
• Fine Arts: placement is based on audition or review of a portfolio of work

Stevenson offers placement tests for the following subjects and levels. View guidelines for which language placement test you should take. Most students will take their tests for the 2008-09 school year on May 3, 2008. If this date is not possible for you, other arrangements can be made by contacting the Registrar. Placement tests are not given for English, history, science, and fine arts courses. The department chair relies on different information for a student who wishes to take an honors or accelerated course in these disciplines. More about placement and placement tests can be found below.

• French: Level 2, 3, and 4/5
• Japanese: Level 2, 3, and 4
• Latin: Level 2 and 3/4
• Spanish: Level 2, 3, and 4/5
• Mathematics: Level 1, 2, and 3/4

Students who are not currently attending the Upper School but wish to take honors or AP courses in English or History can help the department heads decide if it is a good choice for them by providing a writing sample. The most useful samples follow the following guidelines:

• The paper has been turned into a teacher and includes the teacher's comments and corrections. This allows the department chairs to judge not only the quality of the student's writing but also the rigor of his or her current curriculum.
• The paper is accompanied by a brief description of the assignment for which the paper was written, along with notes about whether the paper is a rough draft or a final draft.
• The paper is accompanied by a note to the department head indicating why the student believes he or she is a good candidate for an honors class.

For English, submit a paper written for an English class, ideally one in which you present a thesis and defend it with evidence from a book or books. For History, submit a paper written for a history class, ideally a research paper.

Send your papers and notes to the Director of Studies and she will forward them to the department chairs. Her address is below. Due to our faculty going on vacations during the summer months, it may be some time before you hear back from the department head.

Mrs. Liz O'Hara
3152 Forest Lake Road
Pebble Beach, CA 93953
LOHara@stevensonschool.org

Once you have taken your placement tests and submitted any petition materials that are requested of you, the Director of Studies will gather the results of your placement tests and your course request survey in order to complete a list of courses for you. She will do so, keeping an eye on the big picture: fulfilling graduation requirements, college entrance requirements, and also fulfilling your potential for success in college and beyond without sacrificing your passion for learning nor your shaping of a joyful life (see our mission statement.) This process takes quite a bit of time, so please be patient. She will deliver a list of courses to you by email during the summer for your consideration. You may contact the Director of Studies with questions or comments at any time.

New students should submit the Transfer of Student Records Form to their current school in order to authorize the release of health records, transcripts, and other important information.

Stevenson requires that all Upper School students do reading during the summer for their English and history classes. Students' understanding of the reading is evaluated during the first week or two of the academic year, so it should be completed before the start of school. Click here for the summer reading lists for English and history. Tips for how to successfully complete your summer reading can be found here.