Individual Career and Academic Planning

West High 9th Grade Registration Presentation - This is presented in January to all 8th grade students. 

9th Grade Registration Form - This form is due to 8th grade social studies teachers by 1/11/24 and MUST be signed by a parent. 

Freshman Course Guide - This document offers a brief description of all of the courses available to Freshmen. 

Elective Classes for Incoming Freshman - Videos - Click the links attached to watch videos about the different elective options. 

Q: What if I'm not attending West High School? Do I still have to complete the registration form? 

A: Yes. Unless you are transferring to another school before March 1, 2024, we will need to go ahead and build a schedule for you. When you enroll in another school, your records will be transferred and the new school can place you in comparable courses. 

Q: If there is a discrepancy between my courses on my ICAP and my 9th Grade Registration Form, which classes will I get? 

A: The 9th Grade Registration Form will serve as the FINAL course requests that are put into students' schedules. Please make sure the 9th Grade Registration Form includes the classes you are actually enrolling in. The ICAP is a fluid document that can and will change over time. The ICAP does not actually register you for classes. It is just a blueprint or outline to use as a guide as you select classes each year. 

Q: My child has an IEP, English Learner Plan, or receives other special services that aren't listed on the registration form. What do I do? 

A: Please complete the 9th Grade Registration Form with the basic course recommendations that were sent to you. It is helpful to also have a list of all of the elective courses your child is interested in, even if they will not have room in their schedule to take them in 9th grade. WMS staff will work collaboratively with WHS staff to make appropriate modifications based on individual needs or educational plans at a later date. 

Q: I'm in GATE now. Is there a gifted program at WHS? 

A: No. The Fort Zumwalt Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program is for grades 6-8 only. You may be eligible to take accelerated courses in high school, though. Accelerated courses will help prepare you for Advanced Placement (AP) courses that could earn you college credit down the road. 

Q: If I'm recommended for an Accelerated course, do I have to take it? 

A: No. Just because you are recommended for an Accelerated course, you do not have to take it. Having the teacher recommendation allows you to enroll in that course if you desire. It's important to consider how many Accelerated courses you will be able to manage at one time. For example, if you are recommended for all 4 accelerated courses, you may choose to only do 2 accelerated courses. Accelerated courses are more demanding and require more work outside of class. You could have up to 1 hour of homework per course each night, so you'll also want to balance that with any extracurricular activities in which you are involved. 

Q: If I am not recommended for an Accelerated course, can I still sign up for one? 

A: No, this is not advised. We do realize that course recommendations are made only halfway through 8th grade. We ask that you stick with the teacher recommendation for now, and if your performance in your current class changes significantly before the end of the school year and you believe your recommendation should be changed, then you can have a conversation with your classroom teacher and/or high school counselor. 

Q: I am currently in Geometry and recommended to take Accelerated Algebra II, but it is not on the 9th Grade Registration form. What do I do? 

A: You may write in Accelerated Algebra II on the 9th Grade Registration Form, if your teacher recommended you for that course. 

Q: What if I want to do Marching Band? 

A: You can write Marching Band on your 9th Grade Registration Form. The WHS Band Director works with counselors to ensure students are appropriately placed into the correct band class. 

Q: What is the difference between the 1st Semester Elective and 2nd Semester Elective columns? 

A: When selecting elective courses, you need to pay attention to whether they are a full year or 1 semester. An asterisk *-indicates a semester-long class. If a class is only one semester, then you will only put it under 1 of the columns and select another class with a * to complete the other column in the same row. If you select a year-long course, such as Introduction to Art, then you will write that course under both the 1st and 2nd semester columns. 

Q: What are the alternate course selections for? 

A: Alternate courses are used to complete your schedule if one of the courses you select in lines 5, 6, or 7 fills up or doesn't fit in your schedule due to a conflict with another course you need. It is important that you list your preferred alternates. These are classes you would be okay with taking if you are not able to get into your top choices. You can write both semester-long courses and year-long courses in the boxes for alternates. If you leave this area blank, you will be placed into classes that have the most availability. 

Q: Do I have to take General PE and Health in 9th grade? 

A: All students must take 1 full year of PE to graduate. In addition, all students must take Health for 1 semester. Health is a separate credit required for graduation. It is strongly recommended that you take General PE as a freshmen because if you take it as an upperclassmen, you'll be in a class full for predominately freshmen. If you take General PE for 1 semester and Health for 1 semester in 9th grade, then you will still need to complete 1 more semester of PE before graduation. Once you complete 1 semester of General PE, you can choose from one of the PE elective courses to earn your other 1/2 credit of PE. Alternatively, you could take another semester of General PE to complete your 1 full year of PE that is required. Because Health is a graduation requirement, it is recommended that you take it as early as possible in your high school career, but it is not required to take as a freshmen. 

Q: Can I earn high school credit over the summer? 

A: Historically, Health has been available to incoming 9th graders as a virtual course for credit attainment. It is a lot of independent work, and you cover a whole semester in a shorter amount of time than the typical school year. Summer course offerings and registration will be available in late spring. Information will be sent by email when registration for summer courses opens.  

8th Grade students complete self-surveys through Missouri Connections to explore career options. Missouri Connections is a comprehensive online career planning program that is free for Missouri students. Students can access Missouri Connections from their Chromebooks by clicking on "Classlink" under the fz.k12.mo.us bookmarks. From there, Missouri Connections is the icon with rainbow colored tiles.

• Career Interest Survey: identifies careers that match students' interests

• Reality Check: provides information on the required income to have the lifestyle students prefer, as well as careers that fit their criteria

• There are additional surveys and resources that are not explored during class time, but students may access them on their own at any time. 

An ICAP is an Individual Career and Academic Plan that serves as a roadmap to outline high school courses and ensure students are on-track for their individual post-secondary goals. ICAPs are required for every student in MO before they finish 8th grade. They must be reviewed annually at the high school level. 

Please consider these as a fluid document that can and will change. Our goal for 8th grade is to help students understand graduation requirements and that there are prerequisite courses in high school (courses that must be taken prior to taking other classes - e.g. Spanish I must come before Spanish II and Intro to Art must come before any other visual art class). 

Individual Career and Academic Planning (packet) - This packet outlines the high school graduation requirements by subject area. WHS and WMS counselors will walk students through this packet to help them complete their first draft of their ICAP. 

Individual Career and Academic Plan (ICAP) - Blank Copy - MO students must complete their first ICAP draft before finishing 8th grade. This will be revisited at least once a year with their high school counselor. This form is due to 8th grade Social Studies teachers by 1/11/24 and MUST be signed by a parent. All students drafted an ICAP with the assistance of WMS and WHS counselors in November. 

FZ Career and Educational Planning Guide This is the full high school course description handbook with graduation requirements and recommended course sequencing guides. (This link will be updated after the school board approves the 24-25 Career and Educational Planning Guide). 

FZ West High School Counseling Page Visit WHS Counseling page to access additional resources and to contact counselors, who are assigned by student last name.