• Planning and Scheduling

    COURSE AVAILABILITY

    All courses and offerings listed in this catalog are subject to changes in availability based on interest expressed by the student body during the spring course selection period. It is likely that some courses mentioned in this catalog will not be held if the number of students requesting a course is low.

    Although every effort is made to accommodate course requests, students may be required to select between courses that present a conflict within their schedule. If this occurs, students are encouraged to speak to their parents and seek advice from their school counselor to review options for resolving these issues.

    PRE-REGISTRATION

    Pre-registration for the next school year is held in early spring and students have a variety of choices in selecting their courses. Enrollment numbers are used to create the master schedule. Selecting courses during pre-registration should be done with reference to the student’s Education and Career Action Plan (ECAP). Students are encouraged to seek teacher recommendations for proper level placement, as well as read the course descriptions and prerequisites described in this catalog to make informed decisions about the classes they are requesting. Parents and students need to understand, however, that there are some limitations:

    • Some classes may not be offered as a result of insufficient enrollment.
    • Some classes may be cancelled due to programmatic needs.
    • Class schedules are typically determined by seniority of grade, e.g., seniors scheduled first, then juniors etc. As a result, freshmen may not receive their first elective choice.
    • Some classes offer limited enrollment due to the facility, e.g., use of the weight room.
    • At times, schedule conflicts are unavoidable when classes are offered only once or twice in the school day.
    • Due to the limitations listed above, use of alternate course requests may be used for scheduling.

    WALK-THRU REGISTRATION

    In late July/early August, students complete the registration process commonly known as “Walk-thru Registration.” At this time, students will receive a schedule of classes, a student ID, textbooks, and pay applicable fees.

    LATE REGISTRATION

    Students who enroll after the first ten (10) school days of the semester may not receive semester credit for classes without transfer grades from another school.

    FEES

    Some elective classes require a fee that is approved by the Governing Board. Fee waivers may be available to eligible students with administrative approval.

    COURSE LOAD

    Students must carry six (6) classes in their schedule each semester during their freshmen, sophomore, and junior years. Seven (7) is the maximum number of classes a student is allowed to carry. Students taking JTED programs may carry eight (8).

    Seniors who have earned eighteen (18) credits and are on track for graduation must take a minimum of four (4) classes. Senior students with less than a full schedule may not have an open period within their class schedule and will not be allowed to remain on campus during unscheduled class time.

    SCHEDULE CHANGES

    Parents and students should be aware that there are limited opportunities for making changes to a student’s schedule. Therefore, changes may not be possible.  

    Please note: Administration reserves the right to change student schedules at any time (e.g., leveling class size, etc.) without parent permission. Consideration for schedule changes will include:

    Acceptable requests include:

    • Administrator or teacher recommendation
    • Student received credit for the class
    • Student failed a class required for graduation
    • Student did not complete prerequisite class(es)

    Unacceptable requests include:

    • Student prefers a different lunch
    • Student prefers a different teacher
    • Student prefers a class with a friend
    • Student prefers classes in a different order

    DROPPING & ADDING CLASSES

    Students who wish to change their schedule must do so during times determined by the Counseling Department. The times are as follows:

    • Schedules may be changed upon availability during the first full week of the school year. However, priority will be given to students with incomplete schedules and new student registration on the first and second days of the school year.
    • Second semester course changes are encouraged to be made before Winter Break.
    • The first five days of second semester, schedule corrections may be made based upon failing grades received from first semester.
    • Students who drop a class after the first full week of the semester may receive a grade of “F” for the semester. The “F” will not be reflected on the student’s progress report but will post on the student’s transcript.

    Academic schedule changes, including level changes, require parent permission and teacher input. When registering for year-long classes, students are strongly reminded of the year-long commitment they are making to those classes.

    A student must continue to attend their scheduled classes until their new schedule has been processed by the counselor and Bookstore.

    LEVEL CHANGES

    It is imperative that students and parents choose classes carefully. If students are experiencing difficulty with placement in the rigorous curriculum of a particular class, students and parents will work with the teacher toward improvement.

    Following the first full week of the school year, only teacher-initiated level changes may be allowed, provided the Problem-Solving Process has been followed.

    PROBLEM-SOLVING PROCESS

    It is expected that students and parents will work with the teacher when encountering difficulties. Requesting a schedule change should not be the first option. Schedule changes after the first full week of the semester will only be considered by administration if it has been documented that:

    • The student is making a sincere effort to do the work in the class.
    • The student is regularly making contact with the teacher in the classroom and during academic assistance to ask questions.
    • The student and parents have worked with the teacher to understand the scope and nature of the problems causing difficulties.
    • The student and parents have consulted with the counselor, so the counselor can offer general support and can talk to the teacher with the student.

    If it is agreed upon that there has been consistent effort by, and communication between, the student, parent, teacher, along with the counselor, and yet no improvement in the situation is evident, then an administrator may deem that a schedule change is warranted.

    NOTE: Student schedules will not be changed simply because the student’s grade is lower than desired.

    GRADE REPLACEMENT

    A student may, at any time during high school, retake a course for grade replacement. The course must be identical to the course for which grade replacement is requested. Upon successful completion of the coursework resulting in a higher grade, the original grade will be removed and the new grade entered on the transcript. The Grade Point Average (GPA) shall only include the replacement grade. A notation on the transcript will indicate that the original grade was replaced. Please see the Registrar for the application.