Course Selection Process &Timeline
In February, the release of the Program of Studies marks the beginning of the course selection process for students. At this time, students and their parents should review the Program of Studies offered at the high school and begin to identify appropriate courses. Students should consider graduation requirements, areas of interest and collegiate expectations in planning their four year course of study.
For middle school Grade 8 students, following an orientation with the high schools, middle school counselors and teachers will offer advice and make recommendations with Grade 8 students for their first year of high school course selections.
Following grade 9-12 orientation sessions, all high school students will participate in a school wide course selection day where their classroom teachers will profile upcoming courses for their respective departments and make recommendations for students’ year of studies.
Students will then enter their course requests into PowerSchool. The School Counseling Department will continue the scheduling process by reviewing students’ choices and working with students and parents to make any necessary adjustments. It is important to note that as the master schedule is developed, some courses may not run due to insufficient enrollment. School Counselors will work with students to request different courses in this case as well as with students who are unable to take some courses due to scheduling conflicts.
Following the build of the master schedule, course requests will be available in the summer. Final schedules, with periods, room numbers and teachers will be available to all students on the first day of school.
Course Changes
After courses have been selected for the upcoming academic year, any necessary changes should be made by the end of the current school year. If changes become necessary over the summer, requests should be made to the school counselor before the start of the school year. Course changes will not be made to change levels or because of a lack of effort on a student’s part. Changes made after the start of school are rare and are made only for academic reasons with the approval of the principal or his/her designee.
Course Withdrawals
Withdrawals from a full-year course after the first marking period or from a semester course after the progress report date may result in a final grade of F. Report cards and transcripts will be marked WF (Withdrawn-Failing) or WP (Withdrawn-Passing). All course withdrawals require approval of the building principal.
Course Load/Credits Per Year
Students must carry a minimum of 6.5 credits during the regular school year. High schools may limit the number of study halls a student has in a semester.
Course Levels
Most offered courses have level indicators. These are:
L1: Level 1 Honors
L2: Level 2 Core/College Prep Enhanced
L3: Level 3 Core/College Prep
ES: Elective Scale
AP: Advanced Placement
The Elective Scale is assigned to courses that are heterogeneously grouped providing learning activities for the widest range of student achievement within a classroom setting. These courses focus on conceptual and experiential activities and independent study. All levels offer a rigorous curriculum aligned to core standards.
Students will have 100% of their final GPA based on this GPA method.
Course Prerequisites
A prerequisite is a requirement necessary for students to enter a specific course. For example, some courses require the completion of a different course within a course sequence before being eligible to take the next course. For all students, placement into classes will be determined by grades in conjunction with standardized and local assessments and teacher recommendations.