April 4, 2022

Dear Student,

On Tuesday, April 5, your Course Request Verification Sheet will be available in Aspen as a published report. This sheet is a confirmation of the course requests you entered in Aspen, as well as the placement recommendations your current teachers entered on your behalf. Any changes you made during your Academic Advising appointment with your school counselor or via email should be reflected as well. Please be aware that this listing is meant only to verify your course requests and recommendations, and does not necessarily guarantee that you will be scheduled/enrolled in these courses for next year.

Please review this document carefully, and if a course request is missing or incorrect, cross out the incorrect entry and add the four-digit course number and course name. While you may move down a level in an academic class, you may not request a level change up. Please return the revised sheet to your counselor by Tuesday, April 12. You may “return this sheet” by scanning and emailing it to your counselor, printing it up and leaving it in your counselor’s mailbox, OR sending an email to your counselor with clear instructions regarding your requested change. If no changes are required, you do not need to return the sheet or communicate to your counselor.

Some additional points of explanation:

● If you submitted a placement appeals form or are awaiting a placement determination based on an assessment, you will receive notification of the decision from the department head within the next month. If your appeal is granted, the requested change will be made and no further action is required on your part.

● If you are auditioning for an advanced performing arts group, you will receive notification of the decision from the department head within the next month. If you pass the audition, the change will be made and no further action is required on your part.

● Some courses have already been canceled due to low enrollment and staffing limitations, and the alternate you provided has been added in its place. If you did not provide an alternate choice and you find yourself under-enrolled, please add an elective and submit this sheet to your counselor.

● A full schedule for each grade level is as follows: 28 credits for grade 9; 27 credits for grades 10 and 11; and 26 credits for grade 12.

● Special education services for students on IEP’s may be adjusted as review meetings are held in the spring. Such changes are submitted by liaisons to the Supervisor of Special Education at LHS, who will convey them to your counselor for processing.

Please address any changes by April 12, as the opportunities for change in the fall can be limited by course availability. There will be an opportunity to request course changes, but such changes cannot be guaranteed.

Rising 12th Graders: You will receive notification that your schedule is available for viewing/printing in Aspen in June.

Rising 9th-11th Graders: You will receive notification that your schedule is available for viewing/printing in Aspen in August.

Feb 10, 2022

Dear Students & Parents/Guardians,

The process for course recommendations, course requests, and academic advising for the 2022 - 2023 school year have begun this month. Appropriate level placements are made by teachers with the intention of placing students in courses where the pace, expectations, and standards are appropriate to their needs and abilities. Teachers’ course recommendations are made with a holistic lens. LHS is looking to reduce student stress and empower students to make healthy academic choices. The course recommendation/request process and academic advising both provide students with an opportunity to consider a holistic view of academic rigor. Students are encouraged to take a challenging program, but also to be realistic about their commitments inside and outside of school. As students formulate their course requests, attention to the Program of Studies is essential as it contains information regarding course prerequisites, recommendations, and expectations.

As part of the LHS Comprehensive School Counseling Curriculum, each 9th, 10th, and 11th grade student will have the opportunity to meet with their school counselor for a 15 minute Academic Advising appointment.

The goals of Academic Advising include:

• Reflect on the student’s academic placements in relation to balance and wellness.

• Discuss student’s course recommendations/requests.

• Consider course recommendations/requests and their connection to future planning.

• Review graduation requirements

Course recommendations should be considered very carefully, and students and families should consult with the teacher if there is a disagreement about placement. Please see the “Placement Review Process” section in the Program of Studies for more information.

Important dates in the Course Recommendation and Request Process and Academic Advising:

February 1 - Program of Studies is published on the LHS Scheduling website.

February 1 - February 28 - Teachers communicate with students about their course recommendations and enter recommendations in Aspen.

February 3 - Curriculum Night at LHS: virtual presentations on curriculum offerings by each LHS department for student families.

February 16 and February 28 - Students receive instructions on how to enter their elective course requests in Aspen.

March 2 - March 7 - Students enter their elective course requests in Aspen.

March 15 - Deadline for students to submit Placement Review forms to LHS academic departments.

March 9 - March 30 - School counselors meet with students individually for Academic Advising meetings. 10th and 11th graders will receive instructions on how to make an Academic Advising appointment via their lexingtonma.org email. 9th graders will have appointments during their English/History classes. Below are the weeks in which students will meet with their counselors:

3/9-3/16 11th graders will meet with their counselors

3/17-3/23 9th graders will meet with their counselors

3/24-3/30 10th graders will meet with their counselors

April 5 - Students receive Course Request Verification Sheets via Aspen. The Course Request Verification Sheet lists the courses for which students have been recommended and have requested. It is not the schedule of courses in which the student will be enrolled for next year.

April 5 - April 12 - Students have the opportunity to change any errors listed on their Course Request Verification Sheets. Please keep in mind that the course recommendations and course requests at this stage impact the number of staff hired each year and how the LHS schedule is structured. It is important that courses be considered very carefully because changes after the Course Request Verification period will be limited.

April 12 - Deadline for students to submit any corrections to the Course Request Verification Sheet to their counselor.