9th Grade - Important Info 

Walter Johnson 9th Grade Registration Frequently Asked Questions 

Registering for the correct courses and the correct number of courses is extremely important.  We use these numbers to determine how many sections and how many teachers we need for each course. When students register for the wrong courses, change their minds, or have incomplete registration in Student Vue, this messes up the course offerings and causes students to get blocked out of courses.  Prior to registering, please share your course selections with a parent/guardian.  If you need help with registration, please consult your counselor.

A.    Can I register for courses that are not on the 9th grade registration card?

NO.  You are only allowed to request courses that are appropriate for your grade level (see 9th Grade Registration Card to see what is available to you). You will be removed from any course that you request that is not grade level appropriate. This may cause you to miss out on another opportunity.

B.     How many classes should I register for?

All students must register for a total of 14 courses (14 course codes). 

Students will have 7 Semester A courses and 7 Semester B courses.  Most of these courses will have two parts Semesters A and B that must be taken, but some elective courses may be taken for a semester only. 

C.    What classes should I register for?

1.             Honors English 9 (ENG2001A and ENG2001B)

2.             Biology (SCI2000A and SCI2000B) OR Honors Biology (SCI2001A and SCI2001B)

3.             US History (SOC2000A and SOC200B), Honors US History (SOC2001A and SOC2001B) OR AP Gov & Politics US            

                (SOC2021A80 and SOC2021B80)

4.             Math (follow the recommendation of your math teacher; there is a math sequence chart on the registration website). Remember to                 request the same course for both the A and B semesters.

5.             Physical Education (PE) – choose two PE courses (can be the same or different)

6.             Elective #1 (choose any elective under Fine Arts, Career Development, Computer Science, English Electives, Technology                              Education, Music or World Languages)

7.             Elective #2 (choose any elective under Fine Arts, Career Development, Computer Science, English Electives, Physical Education,                 Technology Education, Music or World Languages)

D.    Do I have to take the same elective both semesters? 

If an elective has a Semester A and a Semester B part, you MUST TAKE the Semester A elective before you can register for Semester B.

E.    Do I have to take the same Physical Education course all year? 

NO. You can choose the same course or two different courses.  If you would like to take the same physical education course both semesters, you should enter the course code twice on the course request screen. 

**If you request Yoga, you must take Semester A before you will be allowed to enroll in Semester B.**

F.    Should I register for alternate courses online?  

NO, do not register for alternate classes online, but it is important that you indicate two alternate courses on your actual schedule card. Alternate courses should be from the electives categories.  Many of our more popular electives fill up quickly and not everyone will get that choice.  If you are unable to get into the elective courses that you registered for, your counselor will need to know what else you may want instead.

G.    Should I register for Health?

NO, 9th graders DO NOT take health.  (You will enroll in Health A during your 10th grade year and Health B during your 11th or 12th grade year.) 

H.    Should I take honors courses? 

Yes, honors level courses have a little more rigor than the on-level classes.  It is always a good idea to choose a few honors courses to challenge yourself.  Both Honors and Advanced Placement courses are considered “weighted” courses and carry a Weighted Grade Point Average (WGPA) on a 5-point scale.  Non-honors classes are on a regular Grade Point Average (GPA) scale, a 4-point scale.  Some colleges look at only the GPA while others look at the WGPA.  Check the individual college websites for more info.  Do NOT take an honors level course simply because your friend is.  Take what is best and balances out your course load.

I.      What is the difference between Honors and AP? Both Honors and AP courses are weighted

Advanced Placement Courses (AP) are considered college level classes.  The level of rigor is at a very high level and increased study would be required.  Students enrolled in AP classes will have the option of taking the College Board AP Exam in May. Depending on the college, students who generally score 4 or 5 on a particular AP Exam may receive college credit.  Check the individual college websites to see what AP exam score might be accepted for advanced college credit.  

J.      How do I register for APEX?

Complete the APEX application. If you meet the entrance criteria, you will be accepted.  Enroll in the Honors level 9th grade courses and AP Government.  Once you are fully accepted into the APEX program, you will be transferred into the APEX sections of Honors English, Honors Biology and AP Government.

K.    How do I know that my registration was submitted?

There is NO “submit” button.  When you have put in all of your course requests, simply log out.  The courses that you request on the registration screen will be the courses that will be submitted for you.