Preparing for High School and Beyond Class of 2022

Creating your Personal Graduation Plan (PGP) and Fulfilling Graduation Requirements Performance Acknowledgements Distinguished Level of Achievement Endorsements Foundation High School Program

Graduation Requirements for students entering high school in 2014 and thereafter

Other Graduation Requirement Grade 9 English 1 Algebra 1 Biology Grade 10 English 2 Grade 11 US History Other Graduation Requirement STAAR/EOC Exams

Earning Credits A student earns a credit (1.0) when he/she successfully completes a year-long course. Passing requires a minimum of a 70 and being in attendance 90% of the time. A student earns a .5 credit by successfully completing a semester-long course. Students must earn a particular number of credits to be promoted from one grade to the next. 6 credits = Sophomore (Grade 10) 13 credits = Junior (Grade 11) 19 credits = Senior (Grade 12)

Completing your Personal Graduation Plan (PGP)

Potential High School Credits Fulfilled in 8th Grade Pre-AP Algebra I* Art I* Professional Communications (.5)* Spanish I* *Required for high school graduation – Algebra I, one high school fine art (i.e. Art I), two years of the same world language (i.e. Spanish), Professional Communications (Speech)

Graduation Requirements: Foundation High School Plan with an Endorsement = 26 credits English Language Arts – 4 credits Math – 4 credits Science – 4 credits Social Studies – 3 credits (4 credits recommended) Physical Education – 1 credit Languages Other Than English (LOTE) – 2 credits (same language) Fine Art – 1 credit Speech – ½ credit Electives – 6½ credits (dependent upon endorsement)

Math Sequences 8th Grade Math Regular or PreAP Algebra I Regular or PreAP Geometry Regular or PreAP Algebra II Regular or PreAP PreCalculus PreAP Algebra I (high school credit) PreAP Geometry PreAP Algebra II PreAP PreCalculus AP Calculus or AP Statistics You may not receive credit for the same course twice. If you are currently in PreAP Algebra I, sign up for PreAP Geometry. 9th Grade 10th Grade 11th Grade 12th Grade

Required Electives

Physical Education – 1.0 required Options include: Athletics class (by sport) Athletic Trainer (all start by assisting Football I) Band, Color Guard, or Drill Team - provides 1.0 fine art credit AND .5 PE credit (fall only) (Note - completing two years of one of these activities will provide your full PE credit; can earn a maximum of 1.0 PE credit through these activities.) Cheerleading I – provides 1.0 PE credit the first year Dance I - provides 1.0 Fine Art credit and 1.0 PE credit (Aerobic Fitness) (Note: Athletes who take Dance cannot be awarded additional PE credit.) PE class

Athletics Class -Boys (B) or Girls (G) - Choose ONE sport from the following (If you play two sports, choose the ONE that occurs first in the school year.): Baseball (B) Basketball (B,G) Cross Country (B,G) Diving (B,G) Football Golf (B,G) Soccer (B,G) Softball (G) Swimming (B,G) Tennis (B,G) Track (B,G) Volleyball (G) Wrestling (B,G)

Physical Education classes Aerobic Fitness (1.0) Individual/Team Sports (1.0) Outdoor Education (.5) Foundations of Personal Fitness/Strength & Tone (1.0)

World Languages – Languages Other Than English (LOTE) – 2.0 Required Spanish I or PreAP Spanish I Spanish II or PreAP Spanish II (must have successfully completed Spanish I) Spanish I/Spanish II for Spanish Speakers (requires an oral and written fluency test) French I German I ASL I* PreAP Computer Science I* *May not be accepted by a college/university as a world language; check prospective college admission expectations

Fine Art – 1.0 Required Art I Band I (includes Color Guard/Winter Guard) Choir I Dance I or Drill Team I (Drill Team is by audition.) Digital Art and Animation (Grades 10-12 only) Floral Design (Grades 10-12 only) AP Music Theory (Must read and write basic music notation and have basic skills in voice or instrument; to be taken concurrently with Band, Choir, or Orchestra) Orchestra I Theatre I Technical Theatre I

Foundation High School Plan with an Endorsement 19.5 CORE credits (including required electives) 6.5 elective credits geared towards your ENDORSEMENT Total: 26 credits for graduation! 7 classes per year X 4 years = opportunity for 28 credits

Endorsements

Foundation High School Plan with an Endorsement 19.5 CORE credits (including required electives) 6.5 elective credits geared towards your ENDORSEMENT Total: 26 credits for graduation! 7 classes per year X 4 years = opportunity for 28 credits

What is an ENDORSEMENT? A coherent sequence of electives in a specific area of interest. These electives may be taken through an academy or through a specified Career Pathway. There are FIVE endorsements: Arts and Humanities Business and Industry Multidisciplinary Studies Public Services STEM

You may select more than one endorsement. Each student must specify in writing the endorsement he/she intends to earn upon entering Grade 9. You may select more than one endorsement. An endorsement can be changed as long as there is still time to complete a new endorsement.

Arts and Humanities Students who choose an Arts and Humanities endorsement will need to take a coherent sequence of credits in a specific area of interest: Additional Social Studies Fine Arts Additional World Languages

Arts and Humanities Options Courses available to 9th graders are highlighted in yellow.

Business & Industry Endorsement Students who choose a Business & Industry endorsement will need to take a coherent sequence of credits in a specific area of interest: Agricultural, Food, & Natural Resources Architecture & Construction Arts, Audio/Video Technology & Communications Business Management and Administration, Finance, & Marketing Hospitality & Tourism Information Technology, Technology Application, & Business Information Management Transportation, Distribution, & Logistics

Business and Industry Courses available to 9th graders are highlighted in yellow.

Business and Industry Courses available to 9th graders are highlighted in yellow.

Multidisciplinary Endorsement Complete four credits from each core area (English, math, science, and social studies). Must include English 4 and Physics and/or Chemistry. Complete four AP or dual credit (college) credits from the following departments: English, math, science, social studies, LOTE, and/or fine arts. Complete four advanced courses from within one endorsement or among multiple endorsements (*Denotes advanced applicable CTE courses.)

Multidisciplinary Options Courses available to 9th graders are highlighted in yellow.

Public Service Endorsement Students who choose a Public Service endorsement will need to take a coherent sequence of credits in a specific area of interest: Education and Training Health Science Human Services Law, Public Safety, Corrections, and Security

Public Service Courses available to 9th graders are highlighted in yellow.

STEM ENDORSEMENT Students who choose a STEM endorsement will need to take a coherent sequence of credits in a specific area of interest and Algebra 2, Chemistry, and Physics. Options may include: STEM/Engineering Additional Science Additional Math Computer Science

STEM Options Courses available to 9th graders are highlighted in yellow.

Northwest ISD Academies by Endorsement Academy of Aeronautics & Aviation Sciences (AAAS) = Business & Industry Endorsement Academy of Biomedical Sciences (ABS) = Public Service Endorsement Academy of Business Management & Entrepreneurship (BME) = Business & Industry Endorsement Collegiate Academy = Multidisciplinary Endorsement Cosmetology Academy = Public Service Endorsement Creative Media Arts (CMA, formerly AMAT) = Business & Industry Endorsement Culinary Arts & Hospitality Academy = Business & Industry Endorsement Academy of Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math (STEM) = STEM Endorsement

Creating your Personal Graduation Plan (PGP) and Fulfilling Graduation Requirements Performance Acknowledgements Distinguished Level of Achievement Endorsements Foundation High School Program

Distinguished Level of Achievement Must meet all Foundation High School Program requirements Must meet all the requirements for an Endorsement Math - one of the advanced mathematics courses must include Algebra 2 Examples of math sequences: Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra 2, PreCalculus Algebra I, Geometry, Algebraic Reasoning, Algebra 2

Automatic College Admission Students in the top 10%* of their graduating class are eligible for automatic admission to any public university in Texas. To be eligible for this automatic admission, students entering high school in 2014-15 and thereafter must complete the Distinguished Level of Achievement. UT Austin – top 6% currently

Performance Acknowledgements Students may earn performance acknowledgments for outstanding performance in the following areas: Dual credit courses Bilingualism and bi-literacy AP testing ACT – Plan, PSAT, SAT, or ACT Earning a nationally or internationally recognized business or industry certification or license * See NISD Course Selection Guide for more detailed information.

Benefits of Advanced Courses College admissions – Colleges look for students who have completed rigorous coursework (PreAP, AP, Dual Credit). While in high school, students will have the opportunity to earn college credit through AP courses and Dual Credit college courses. Students with higher level courses are generally more prepared for college level work and more likely then their peers to complete a college degree on time.

Advanced Placement (AP) courses Students can earn college credits early through AP courses if you make qualifying scores on the AP exams in May (in high school). Highest score possible is a 5. Typically, students need to make a 3, 4, or 5 to receive any college credit. Credit awarded varies depending on the college/university and may also depend on the student’s major. Are you taking at least ONE PreAP or AP course next year?

How many Pre-AP courses should you take? Consider… Your academic strengths Teacher, parent, and/or counselor input Reviewing past grades and test performances Personal goals Extra-curricular activities Most importantly…your motivation, effort, & attitude!

Class Ranking Class Ranking will include grades earned in courses under the following headings: English, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Languages other than English. The Grade Point Average (GPA) used to determine class rank only is calculated on a weighted scale. Advanced Placement (AP) = up to 7 points PreAP/Dual Credit = up to 6 points Regular = up to 5 points

Completing your Personal Graduation Plan (PGP) 9th Grade Courses on the PGP will serve as your 9th grade course requests!