Current Students

Grades 9 & 10

During 9th and 10th grade, Isaac Bear Early College (IBEC) students will primarily work in the Isaac Bear building. They will have limited and controlled access to the campus, monitored and supervised by IBEC staff and/or UNCW faculty.

There will be no access to residence halls, unmonitored internet access sites, or any other locations identified by UNCW to be unsuitable for high school students.

Grades 11 & 12

During 11th and 12th grade, IBEC students will have the opportunity to enroll in UNCW courses. The specific courses they enroll in, as well as the number of courses they take each semester, will be determined by the Course Placement and Readiness Team, made up of representatives of both IBEC and UNCW.

The primary objective will be to enroll early college students in courses that they will be successful in. Many IBEC students in 11th and 12th grade will enroll in a combination of UNCW courses and high school courses.

The typical plan of study for most Early College students will resemble the following:

Year One (9th Grade)

• Honors English I and II (blended year-long course)
• Honors Earth and Environmental and Honors Biology
• Two Math Courses (blended year-long course)
  • Honors Math 1 and Honors Math 2
  • Honors Math 2 and Honors Math 3
  • Honors Math 3 and Honors Math 4
  • Honors Precalculus and Honors Calculus
• Honors World History and Honors Civic Literacy
• Project Management 1 and Project Management 2
• Health / PE

Year Two (10th Grade)

• Honors English III and Honors English IV (blended year-long course)
• Honors Chemistry and Honors Physics
• Two Math Courses (blended year-long course)
  • Honors Math 3 and Honors Math 4
  • Honors Precalculus and Honors Calculus
• Honors American History and Honors Econ and Personal Finance
• Spanish 1 and 2 (blended year-long course)
• Health / PE

Spring Semester

Students take Math Placement Test for UNCW with IBEC math teachers.

In addition, students take Foreign Language Placement Tool for UNCW with IBEC Spanish teacher.

Year Three (11th Grade)

Students approved by the placement team, based on 9th and 10th grade performance, will be permitted to take three or four UNCW courses during their first semester of their 11th grade year. Occasionally, a student will take a combination of UNCW and IBEC-based courses or remain at IBEC for a semester to ensure all requirements are met before proceeding to college-level classes.

The below listing refers to students in UNCW courses their 11th grade year:

Fall Semester

• UNI 101 First Year Seminar (required)
• ENG 101 College Writing & Reading I (recommended)
• Math Course - based on Placement Test (recommended & required every semester for engineering programs)
• Other course of choosing, if approved by placement team to enroll in four classes

Spring Semester

• COM 101 Public Speaking (required)
• 2-3 other Core Curriculum courses or courses associated with individual academic goals

*Any student wishing to take more than four courses must submit the request via email to Mr. Villines and Ms. Carter.

Year Four (12th Grade)

When planning course rigor, please remember that during the fall of 12th grade, students are balancing coursework with college and scholarship applications.

The goal is for students to earn transferable credits that will count toward General Curriculum courses at the institution they wish to attend. We use the UNCW Core Curriculum as our guide, while encouraging students to explore academic areas of interest associated with major and career goals (Computer Science, Psychology, Economics, Engineering, etc.).

• Finish any course requirements not met during 11th grade including those listed below:
• ENG 101 & 201
• Science course with a Lab Component
• History course or equivalent
• Math

Please note: UNCW tuition, fees, textbooks and supplies are paid through Isaac Bear while taking UNCW classes as a Junior/Senior. This does not include elective classes taken during the summer at UNCW.

UNCW college classes take the place of high school AP courses.