Schedule Changes, Academic Placement, Instructional Levels & Level Changes

SCHEDULE CHANGE PROCESS & TIMELINES

Course requests result in the development of the master schedule, the courses offered, and the staffing allotment. Students may make a change to their requested or recommended courses for the subsequent school year by the last day of the current academic year. Students should work with their counselor to request any adjustments to their anticipated courses.

Deadlines:

Last day of preceding school year: Final day to change course requests

Schedule release (early August)-August 21st: Window to request schedule change for the first day of school*

September 1st: Last day for independent student requests for schedule changes

October 5: Last day to withdraw from a yearlong or 1st semester course without penalty

January 18: Last day to change course level

March 1st: Last day to withdraw from a 2nd semester course without penalty

*Student Schedule Change Requests Prior to the Start of the School Year

Students and families should review a student’s schedule in detail once the student schedule is released over the summer and prior to the start of the next academic year. The final day to request a course change for the first day of school is one week prior to the first student day. The ability to fulfill course change requests will be limited by the overall structure of the schedule, the number of sections, and seat availability in each course.

Process for Changing a Student Schedule After the Start of the School Year

Changes to student courses or levels of courses are limited once the school year begins. Students may request a schedule change through the end of the fifth day of school. After that, a student, teacher, or family member may request a course or level change for a student. A course change for a student will be considered if:

There is evidence of how the student and teacher have worked together to improve outcomes for the student.
A conference among the student, teacher, and a family member has taken place to address the concerns. Additional participants (counselor, case manager, administrator, etc.) may be involved in this conversation.

If approved, the course offered to the student will be based on availability. The grades earned in the prior course will transfer to the new course and will factor into the final grade calculation. The last day to request a level change is the final day of the 1st Semester.

Withdrawing from a Course

Withdrawing from a course is a significant decision and should only be done in extreme circumstances. Students have until the end of the school day on the first Friday in October to withdraw from a 1st Semester or year long course without penalty. Students have until the first Friday in March to withdraw from a 2nd Semester course without penalty. A student that drops a course after the withdrawal deadline will have a Withdrawal reported on the student’s report card and student’s transcript. Students will remain in their originally scheduled courses until the withdraw process has been completed.

Schedule Change Request Form: All schedule change requests must be submitted on the electronic schedule change request form, which will be provided to students. Avoiding a particular teacher or requesting a different lunch period will not be considered acceptable reasons for a schedule change. Schedule change requests will be made in the order they are received. Every effort will be made to address concerns expeditiously.

ACADEMIC PLACEMENT, INSTRUCTIONAL LEVELS, AND LEVEL CHANGES

Current academic teachers will recommend the following year’s placement in each subject. While we believe it is important to challenge students academically, we are also equally cautious to recommend placements that will afford students the greatest opportunity for success. All recommendations are made with careful consideration of a student’s 1) demonstrated abilities and performance in the classroom; 2) his/her academic goals; 3) the required knowledge and skill for the level of the course requested. Additionally, students must meet prerequisites as indicated in order to enroll in any given course.

Students performing at a consistently high level within their current course may want to consider moving to a more demanding level in the subsequent school year. Students finding that a higher level course is too challenging may wish to consider dropping down a level in that subject in the following school year

Placement Process: The placement process helps to reduce the number of inappropriate course selections and the number of eventual schedule changes. In January, all core subject, world language, and special education teachers will make their initial recommendation for students’ placements. Teachers will inform students in their classes of their recommendations. Students should inform teachers of their desire to move up or down levels at this time.

The core subject recommendations and requested elective courses are not guaranteed to be on the final student schedule. They are the basis upon which the school’s master schedule for the next year will be built in the spring. Families and students should note that some alternate elective choices may be substituted for courses that cannot fit into students’ schedules.

Instructional Levels: Each course description in this booklet indicates the academic instructional level at which the course is taught. These academic instructional levels are: Standard (ST), College Preparatory (CP), Honors (H), and Advanced Placement (AP)/International Baccalaureate. Each level denotes the degree of academic difficulty, the depth of the course content, and the nature of assignments and assessments required. These levels are defined as follows:

Standard: designed for those students who demonstrate an average command of language and other academic skills, and who advance at a moderate rate.
College Preparatory: designed to challenge students who demonstrate an above average command of academic skills, learn rapidly, and plan to attend a post-secondary school.
Honors: designed for those students who are academically accelerated and college-bound. These courses have substantial academic criteria and prerequisites that must be attained before enrollment. Students must be disciplined, motivated, and have strong reading, writing, and analytical skills. Assessments most often come in the form of essays and short research papers. These courses often require summer reading and writing assignments. Students are advised to carefully consider the amount of work required and the amount of discretionary time they have before electing more than two honors level courses per year.

Advanced Placement: designed for academically accelerated students who meet the criteria of the program and plan to attend a four year college. Advanced Placement (AP) courses follow a prescribed syllabus prepared by The College Board. Students will be prepared to take AP exams in the spring of each year. Students are responsible for AP test fees. Students may be awarded college credit or advanced standing based on their test scores and the policies of the college they ultimately attend.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP): IBDP classes are offered as part of our IB Career Program at OJRHS. IBDP classes are academically challenging courses that prepare students who plan to attend a four-year college. IB Diploma Program (DP) courses follow a prescribed curriculum prepared by the International Baccalaureate and are taught by teachers trained specifically for those courses. Students will be prepared to take IBDP exams in the spring of each year. Students are responsible for IB test fees. Students may be awarded college credit or advanced standing based on their test scores and the policies of the college they ultimately attend.

Process for Requesting a Course Different From the Teacher Recommendation

A student interested in taking a course different from that which was recommended by their teacher should first schedule a meeting with the teacher to discuss the recommendation. Following the meeting with the teacher, if the student’s appeal is denied but they would still like to request an alternate course, the student should schedule a meeting with the Chair of the Department. If the Department Chair denies the student’s appeal, but the student is still interested in taking an alternate course, the student should contact their Counselor and Assistant Principal with their appeal.

Process for Changing a Student Schedule After the Start of the School Year

There is evidence of how the student and teacher have worked together to improve outcomes for the student.
A conference among the student, teacher, and a family member has taken place to address the concerns. Additional participants (counselor, case manager, administrator, etc.) may be involved in this conversation.

During the time a student's schedule is being reviewed for a change, the student will remain in the originally scheduled course until the change process has been completed.

When a level change is made, grades from the original course will transfer into the new course.