Scheduling

Each year St. Charles High Schools create a request-based master schedule. Student course requests are entered into our system, shared with school counselors, and accommodated to the extent the system allows. Students receive a course schedule at Materials Pick-Up. Schedules may also be printed from Home Access Center starting the day before school starts.

STUDENT SCHEDULES

All students who attend Community Unit School District 303 high schools must be full-time students. A full-time student is defined as a student who is enrolled in six credit-producing courses each semester, one of which must be physical education or its equivalent. A full-time schedule as defined in this paragraph will allow a student to have a lunch and a study period and meet District 303 graduation requirements.

Participation in student programs, including Cooperative Education, Fox Valley Career Center (FVCC), or course work at Elgin Community College, provides blocks of credit and counts as part of a full-time student schedule.

SELECTING COURSES

Each year students participate in a course selection process during which they request courses for the next school year. Students select courses based on many factors, including but not limited to their progression toward meeting graduation requirements, their post-secondary goals, and interests. Current high school students enter their course requests into Home Access Center (HAC) and review their selections with their School Counselor. Incoming 9th grade students select courses in January. After students receive their Course Verification Form in early March and if the sections and/or seats are available, students may amend a selection as described on the Course Verification Form until the deadline. After that, any changes to schedules must be completed within the first 10 days of the semester.

After the deadline in mid-March, the following circumstances will be considered a valid reason for changing a course request:

▪ Student lacks a prerequisite for the selected course

▪ A different course is needed to meet graduation requirements

▪ An error in recording student information is made

▪ Student fails a required course

▪ An institution of high learning recommends

ADDING A COURSE

Students may add a course or a study hall to their schedules to replace a dropped course through the tenth day of the semester, provided there are seats available in the course and it meets during the same period. Students are responsible to (acquire and) complete all work missed prior to adding the course.

SUBSTITUTING A COURSE

After students receive their schedules at Material Pick-Up days they may substitute a course with available seats for a course in their schedule. The course that is being substituted must meet during the same period and must maintain the student’s progress toward graduation. Courses dropped during this course substitution period will not appear on the transcript.

DROPPING A COURSE

Students enrolled in more than 6 credit-producing courses may withdraw from a course without penalty through the fifteenth day of the semester. Students who have failed a prerequisite and must make a schedule change will work with the School Counselor to adjust their schedule. A course dropped after the fifteenth day of the semester will be indicated by a ‘WF’ (withdraw/failure) on the transcript and the failing grade will be calculated into the student’s grade point average (GPA). Parent/guardian and School Counselor approval is necessary to drop a course.

CHANGING LEVELS

We expect students to make careful and informed choices during course selection because they have been involved in and supported during the process. However, if a student has made every effort to seek academic support, and the course content still eclipses the student’s ability, a level change may be considered. The student and his/her teacher, parent and school counselor will confer regarding the change. Moving from an AP class or from one level of world language to another level (i.e., Spanish III to Spanish II) may not be considered a level change. Changes will not be made if seats are not available nor to accommodate personal preference. Students must remain in class until the level change is approved and scheduled by the school counselor.

CHANGING TEACHERS

It is not our practice to change a student’s teacher. However, when one (or more) of the following circumstances exists, we may consider a teacher change:

▪ The student has taken the same course with the teacher and failed the course

▪ There is a documented conflict between the student and the teacher on file with the administration

▪ There is a documented conflict between the student’s sibling and the teacher on file with the administration

BOARD POLICY 7:10: EQUAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Equal educational and extracurricular opportunities shall be available for all students without regard to race, color, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, ancestry, age, religion, physical and mental disability, status of being homeless, immigration status, order of protection status, or actual or potential marital or parental status, including pregnancy. Further, the District will not knowingly enter into agreements with any entity or any individual that discriminates against students on the basis of sex or any other protected status, except that the District remains viewpoint neutral when granting access to school facilities under Board policy 8:20, Community Use of School Facilities. Any student may file a discrimination grievance by using Board Policy 2:260, Uniform Grievance Procedure.

SEX EQUITY

No student shall, based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity, be denied equal access to programs, activities, services, or benefits or be limited in the exercise of any right, privilege, advantage, or denied equal access to educational and extracurricular programs and activities.