Course Selection
Course Selection
COURSE SELECTION
In the spring of each school year, grade-level workshops are held for students in order to begin course selection for the next year. In the workshops, the school counselor provides each student with a copy of the high school graduation requirements, college entrance requirements, his or her transcript, a credit detail log, and a course selection sheet. Copies of the course catalog are made available as well.
Course selection sheets are tailored to students in the 9th grade (current 8th grade students), 10th grade (current 9th grade), 11th grade (current 10th grade), and 12th grade (current 11th grade).
With the help of the school counselor and by utilizing the credit detail log, students can ascertain which classes they still need to take for graduation requirements. Students are instructed to first check off these classes when selecting courses for the next year. Students are then encouraged to select classes of interest to them, as well as classes that pertain to a future area of study in college or potential career. The school counselor again reiterates the need to go beyond the high school graduation requirements in order to meet college entrance requirements. (See HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS AND COLLEGE ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS)
Students are given a week in which to return the course selection sheets to the school counselor. Students are first scheduled in classes required for graduation and then in electives. When scheduling, the counselor makes every effort to enroll students in elective classes as chosen by the students; however, due to scheduling conflicts or class sizes, this is not always possible.
REQUEST FOR COURSE CHANGE
Students are given an opportunity to request a course change within the first week of the new school year and within the first week of 2nd semester. Add/drop forms are made available in the main office after the first full day of class each semester until the deadline date. No add/drop forms are accepted after the following deadlines: the 1st Friday of first semester and the 1st Friday of second semester. Students are not permitted to drop year-long classes mid-year.
If a student wishes to change a class, he or she needs to receive permission and a signature from BOTH the teacher whose class he or she wishes to DROP and the teacher whose class he or she wishes to ADD. If a student wishes to change classes in more than one period (e.g., 1st hour and 3rd hour), then he or she will need to fill out a separate form for EACH period.
After all teacher signatures are obtained, the completed add/drop forms need to be returned to the guidance office. The school counselor then processes the forms and gives final approval. Teacher signatures DO NOT guarantee final approval; the counselor may not approve a course change even if the teachers did. After the school counselor deems a class change appropriate or not, changes are made in the database, as needed, and copies of the add/drop form are given to each student and affected teachers. When a student receives the copy of the add/drop form with “I GIVE AUTHORIZATION” circled, he or she is then permitted to switch classes.
STUDENTS: DO NOT SWITCH CLASSES UNTIL GIVEN A COPY OF THE COUNSELOR APPROVED ADD/DROP FORM.
