Course Selection 2014- 2015 Counseling Staff:

Carol Niemann 9th-12th grades, last names A - B Caty Broderick 9th-12th grades, last names C - El Sarah Mabry (Interim) 9th-12th grades, last names Em - Hep Heidi Sauer 9th -12th grades, last names Her – Li Jamie Richardson 9th -12th grades, last names Lo-Oc Andrea Clifton 9th -12th grades, last names Od-Sap Kathy Arendt 9th -12th grades, last names Sar - Va Jeff Pilchiek 9th -12th grades, last names Ve - Z

Director of Guidance Katie Bryant Student Support Counselor Shelly Blank TLC Counselor

This presentation is available at: whs.eanesisd.net under Counseling / Counseling Files

Agenda

• Important Dates

• Graduation Requirements

• Graduation Plans

• Course Sequences

• Four-Year Plans

• On-line Registration and Choice Sheets

Distinguished Achievement Plan Foundation Plan + Multidisciplinary Endorsement

English 4Math 4Science 4Social Studies 4World Languages 2Health .5Physical Education 1Fine Arts 1Electives 5.5Total 26 credits

Additional Requirements

All students will need to complete 4 AP courses (one in each core area) OR 4 courses listed as advanced on the Course Selection folder.

Figuring your Weighted GPA

Westlake reports only the weighted GPA on a 100 point scale to colleges.

AP and Advanced courses receive 1.2 multiplier.

Pre-AP and Honors courses receive 1.1 multiplier.

Regular level courses receive the grade earned.

The semester grade appears on the transcript without the weight added.

The AP/Pre-AP courses are given the weight when figuring the weighted GPA, which appears at the bottom of the transcript.

Figuring your Weighted GPA

Only semester grades in courses taken during the regular school day of 9th through 12th grades are used to figure your GPA

This excludes credits earned through:– Middle School– Correspondence– Credit by Exam– Dual Enrollment at ACC– Summer School– Credit Recovery

Middle School Courses for High School Credit

The classes that you take in middle school for high school credit DO NOT count in the grade point average (GPA); however, the grade you make in the class WILL appear on your high school transcript.

Eanes School Board Policy

Students are required to take a minimum of four regular level course credits during high school to be used in the calculation for class rank. Students shall complete 3 of the 4 required regular course credits prior to the student’s senior year.

Should a Student Sign Up for Regular, Pre-AP, or AP in a Subject?

If a student is unsure which level of a course to take, she/he should visit with her/his teacher in that subject. They know a student’s abilities and study habits best.

Always consider extra-curricular, athletic and job commitments when making decisions about course load.

English Course Sequence(Four years of English are required for graduation)

Freshmen :

English I or English I Pre-APSophomores:

English II or English II Pre-APJuniors:

English III or English III APSeniors:

English IV or English IV AP

Math Course Sequence

Algebra I or Algebra I Pre-AP

Geometry or Geometry Pre-AP

Algebra II or Algebra II Pre-AP

(Four years of math are required for graduation)

Math Course Sequence

After Algebra II

Pre-Calculus orPre-Calculus Pre-AP

Statistics or Statistics AP

Calculus or Calculus AB AP

Calculus BC AP

Calculus BC AP

Multi-Variable Calculus

Multi-Variable Calculus

Acceleration in Math

We do not recommend acceleration in mathematics in summer school, online or by correspondence courses. These options do not allow time to fully understand and retain the concepts.

If a student did not take Algebra 1 in 8th grade, they could take Geometry and Algebra 2 concurrently to accelerate. This assumes successful completion of Algebra 1 PAP.

 We believe that a student who takes Algebra 1 through Pre-Calculus at WHS and is successful will be well prepared for any college mathematics they must take.

Science Course SequenceOption 1

9th – Biology

10th - Integrated Physics & Chemistry (IPC)

11th - Chemistry

12th - Physics

Science Course SequenceOption 2

9th – Biology or Pre-AP Biology

10th – Chemistry or Pre-AP Chemistry

11th – Physics or AP Physics

12th – 4th Science

IPC in Middle School

IPC taken in middle school will count as an elective credit and cannot count as one of the 4 required high school science credits.

12th Grade Science Options

AP Level Options

AP Biology II *

AP Chemistry II*

AP Environmental Science

AP Physics I B*

AP Physics II C*

Scientific Research & Design (Chemistry III)*

Pre-AP/Honors Level Options

Physiology & Anatomy *

Robotics II *

Regular Level Options

Astronomy

Earth and Space Science

Advanced Biotechnology

Environmental Systems

* Prerequisites apply

Social Studies Course Sequence(Four years of social studies are required for graduation.)

World Geography or World Geography Pre-AP

World History or World History AP

U.S. History or U.S. History AP

U.S. Government or AND Economics or

U.S. Government AP Economics AP(1/2 credit) (1/2 credit)

(Macro-Eco. Is recommended)

World Languages Course Sequence Choices

Distinguished Achievement Plan

Foundation Program + Multidisciplinary Endorsement

requires 2 years of one of the following choices:

American Sign Language (1, 2, 3, 4)

French (1, 2, 3 Pre-AP, 4 AP)

German (1, 2, 3 Pre-AP, 4 AP)

Latin (1, 2, 3 Pre-AP, 4 AP, 5 Adv.)

Spanish (1, 2, 3, 4 ,5 or 1, 2, 3 PreAP, 4 AP, 5 AP)

Chinese (1, 2, 3 Pre-AP, 4 AP)

Additional Requirements

Health: .5 credit

Fine Arts (performing or visual): 1 credit of same course

PE: 1 credit (up to 4 for Athletics)

PE and Athletics

Students need 1.0 credit for graduationStudents may only have 1.0 credit of PE by waiverStudents may only take each PE course one year for credit (Foundations, Team and Individual Sports)Each semester of athletics earns PE credit

Know the Prerequisites!

New Courses for 2014-2015

EL 113 – Methodology for Academic and Personal Success (9-10) – semester or full year class

LA 210 – Research and Technical Writing (11-12)- 1.1 multiplier; semester class

LA 200 – Humanities (11-12) – 1.2 multiplier; semester class

Change – Professional Communications – now 1.1 multiplier(if taken in the regular high school day); dual enrollment if taken in 11 or 12th grade

Course Selection 1-2-3

All Students MUST Complete:

1) Choice Sheet

2) 4 Year Plan

3) Online Skyward Course Selection

Deadlines:

West Ridge Middle School January 21

Hill Country Middle School January 22

CHOICE SHEET

Choices indicated on the Choice Sheet should match what has been entered in Skyward.

Please include at least 2 alternatives in case we are not able to schedule all your first choices.

Remember: What is entered online overrides what is on the paper Choice Sheet.

FOUR-YEAR PLAN

Every student is required to turn in a completed Four-Year Plan as part of the course selection process.

Students know what they have taken, what they are signing up for next year, and any future courses that are required for graduation.

Use the Four-Year Plan to help your student realistically decide what courses to take.

FOUR-YEAR PLAN

It is important to indicate your post-secondary plans and the career clusters you feel most closely relate to your career plans right now.

Your course selections in junior and senior year should reflect your chosen career interests! Remember, colleges look for rigor in your schedule.

Please fill out the form completely in INK.

Online Course Selection

Go ONLINE to whs.eanesisd.netScroll to the bottom of the website until you see the “Family and Student Access” image.Click on “Student Access.”Use your login and password to access your “2014- 2015 Course Selection.”Click on the left of the screen on Schedule.Use the “2014- 2015” Course Selection Sheet or the “Available Courses” tab to see all the course choices.Use the “Update Requests” tab to add/delete courses.Update course selection as often as you wish until Friday January 31, 2014. You will not be able to access this site after the Friday deadline.

Students are required to enter two alternate elective choices in rank order when registering in Skyward.

If students do not enter alternates, alternates will be chosen for them.

Choose Alternate Electives

Participation Fees

For 2013-14, there was a $275 participation fee for: UIL Athletics Cheerleading

Marching Band Robotics 2 & Advanced

Hyline Tech Theater 2 & Advanced

Color Guard

For 2013-14, there was a $200 participation fee for:Winter Guard Orchestra 2 & Advanced

Choir 2 & Advanced

The Eanes School Board has not yet set fees for the next school year, but we anticipate fees will be due by June 1, 2014.

Once you receive a bill, payments may be made online at http://eanesisd.net or in person to Mary Nolan, WHS bookkeeper.

At this time, the fee does not include Athletic Trainers, Jazz Band, or Starsteppers.

Top Ten Percent

Westlake High School is a non-ranking school.

Only students in the top 10% will be identified by position.

Top 10% students will have the option of releasing their position to schools with a “Certificate of Rank.”

Eanes ISD Summer School

1st Semester – June 9-27, 20142nd Semester – July 7-25, 2014

Sessions are 3 weeks long

8 AM – 1:30 PM most weekdays

Specific information will be available in March at: whs.eanesisd.net

Click on Summer School 2014

Westlake Career Clusters

Art, A/V Technology and CommunicationsBusiness, Management, and AdministrationEducation and TrainingFinanceHealth ScienceHuman ServicesInformation TechnologyScience, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

QUESTIONS?