About Course Selection

COURSE SELECTION: Course selections are made by each student, in consultation with his/her parents, school counselor and often, previous teachers. Students must carry a minimum of six courses, plus Physical Education/Health. A combination of exploratory electives such as Art, Music, Drama, Humanities and Technology Education, (selected according to student interests) are combined with the student’s core curriculum to meet the six course requirement.

COURSE LOAD: All students in grades 9 - 11 are required to carry a minimum of six full time subjects, in addition to physical education, each semester. It is recommended that at least four of the six subjects be from the departments of English, social studies, mathematics, science and foreign languages. Students in grade 12 are also required to carry a minimum of six full time subjects, in addition to physical education, each semester. However, seniors who are taking 3 or more courses at the 400 level (Honors or AP) may opt to take only five full time subjects, in addition to physical education during the semester(s) in which they are so enrolled.

SPECIAL EDUCATION: Students receiving Special Education support services will be scheduled according to their Individual Education Plan as approved by the Planning and Placement Team.

APPROVAL OF COURSE SELECTION: Parent involvement is an essential element in the registration process. To that end, this course catalog is for parents as much as it is for students, counselors and teachers. Parents are encouraged to read the course descriptions with particular attention to the prerequisites for each course. Students should confer with their teachers and then with their counselor on initial course selection. Students in continuing courses are recommended for the next course in the sequence by their current teacher of the subject area. Course level is initially recommended by the teacher and the department according to the stated prerequisites. The student confers with his/her counselor on the total course load, level and types of courses. During registration students must note alternative electives in case their original course requests are not offered, or do not fit in their schedule. Students cannot make changes to their course selections once they are submitted. Changes to levels can happen afterwards based on student performance.

YOUR INTERESTS: Because a major part of your life will be spent working, and because liking your work will play a major role in your general happiness, it is extremely important that you give careful consideration to your interests in choosing your courses of study. Meet with your counselor to help in assessing your interests and in deciding how to satisfy them. Career decision making inventories are also available through the Counseling Department website.

REGISTRATION: Registration serves as a guide to determine which courses and the number of sections that will be required for the next school year. Courses that are undersubscribed are eliminated and alternative courses inserted. Once the list of available courses is in place, final registration can proceed. With few exceptions all classes are scheduled by computer. Final, revised student schedules are emailed home at the end of the school year. This final schedule may reflect changes that were necessary to balance class sizes in multiple sections and to maintain the students registration requests. Teachers’ names do not appear on preliminary schedules. Requests to change to another section to have a choice of a teacher are not honored. This restriction is necessary to provide balanced class sizes and equitable teacher loads.

A WORD OF CAUTION: Although intellectual development is our primary focus at Darien High School, we recognize the importance of co-curricular activities in the lives of adolescents as they move toward young adulthood. The budgeting of time, creating a balance between academic pursuits and activities outside the classroom, is not an easy task. It is wise to seek the advice of your parents, your teachers, and your counselor in determining what is an appropriate and sensible program of study for you.

DHS levels decoded: 300: Regular level | 400: Honors and/or Advanced Placement | 650: Co-curricular Activities | 750: Course may be repeated | 900: Heterogeneous enrollment

** Note: Some courses listed in this catalog may not be offered this school year as actual course offerings are limited by total registrations and by staff availability.