GRADUTION PLANS & SCHEDULING For 2013-14 Chaparral Star Academy

GRADUATION PLAN OVERVIEW Your graduation plan contains numerous sections each with a different meaning for your specific graduation requirements Please make sure to cross-reference this information with the information on your transcript If you see any error or discrepancy, please contact Mr. Barnett immediately

GRADUATION PLAN TYPE There are three graduation plans under the State of Texas DISTINGUISHED ACHEIVEMENT PLAN (DAP) RECOMMENDED HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM (RHSP) MINIMUM HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM (MHSP) Each graduation plan contains specific requirements For more information about graduation plans and specific requirements, please refer to the school’s website under “Academics” and then subheading “Graduation Plans” The Chaparral Star Academy Governing Board expects and encourages all students to graduate under the Distinguished Plan – the plan that best prepares a student for the rigor of college Look at the top of the graduation plan to determine the specific plan on which a student is

NUMBER OF CREDITS Student level classifications are completely dependent on the number of credits a student has earned toward graduation. Freshman: 0 – 5.5 Sophomore: 6 – 11.5 Junior: 12 – 17.5 Senior: >17.5 The graduation plan lists number of credits at the top Since both the Distinguished Plan and the Recommended Plan require 26 credits to graduate, 8th graders are scheduled for 2 high school credits As a result, at the time of scheduling, each classification will have the following typical number of credits: Freshmen: 5 Sophomore: 11 Junior: 17 If a student does not have AT LEAST these typical credits at the time of scheduling, taking courses in addition to those at Chaparral Star Academy may need to be an option to graduate with the current class.

COLOR-CODED CREDITS EARNED The graduation plan is color-coded to explain the specific credits earned. YELLOW refers to courses for which the student has passed and earned credit GREEN refers to courses for which the student has passed and earned credit PURPLE refers to courses for which Mr. B suggests the student take next year BLUE refers to courses for which the student is currently enrolled BY THE TIME A STUDENT GRADUATES, ALL COURSES MUST BE “FILLED IN” OR “COLORED”

ADVANCED MEASURES (DISTINGUISHED PLAN ONLY) To graduate under the Distinguished Plan, a student must earn FOUR advanced measures Advanced measures can be any of the following: Earning a B or higher in a college dual-enrollment course (e.g. ACC) Earning a 3 or higher on an AP exam Advanced measures are indicated at the bottom on a student’s graduation plan: The advanced measures are BLUE if a student is currently enrolled in the situation or YELLOW if they have already earned the advanced measure. The example shown is a student who has earned NO advanced measures. Students should be aware of these advanced measures and not wait until senior year to fulfill them

END-OF-COURSE (EOC) CUMULATIVE SCORES This does not relate to current juniors To graduate under each graduation plan, a cumulative score from state assessments (EOC exams) under each tract must be earned The specific cumulative score affects under which graduation plan a student can fulfill Current cumulative scores are at the bottom of a student’s graduation plan

END-OF-COURSE (EOC) CUMULATIVE SCORES For more information about EOC Cumulative Scores and Graduation Plans, please refer to the “EOC Exam Policies” presentation on the school’s website. It can be found under “Academics” and then under subheading “Graduation Plans”

SCHEDULING WORKSHEET OVERVIEW Based on information from the graduation plan, Mr. B has looked at previous courses completed as well as the next course in each of the tracts: English Language Arts Mathematics Science Social Sciences Foreign Language Students AND parents should review the information on the scheduling worksheet and return the signed and completed document to Mr. B by FRIDAY, MAY 3, 2013

SCHEDULING WORKSHEET (SECTION 1) Mr. B has made suggestions for the next course to take in each of the tracts, as well as any necessary courses (e.g. Comm App & Health, or Theatre) Students should determine whether he/she accepts or denies the suggestion If a student denies the suggestion, Mr. B would like to know the reason. Students and parents can inform him of this in SECTION 4 or via scheduling a meeting. Typically, denying the course selection could alter the path for graduation significantly. Sometimes, the scheduling worksheet may say “see section 2.” This represents a choice that the student needs to make with regard to that particular tract.

SCHEDULING WORKSHEET (SECTION 2) Section 2 of the scheduling worksheet represents choices that the student needs to make in regard to each tract, IF there are choices to make Typical examples include: The choice of taking an AP version of a course The “Sophomore Math Choice” The choice of taking the next course in a sequence where the course is not needed for graduation (an “or NOT” situation) In section 2 on the scheduling worksheet, students should indicate whether he/she wants the choice ON THE LEFT or ON THE RIGHT or NEITHER. If a student chooses NEITHER, Mr. B would like to know the reason. Students and parents can inform him of this in SECTION 4 or via scheduling a meeting. Typically, denying the course selection could alter the path for graduation significantly.

SOPHOMORE MATH CHOICE Typically, sophomores have a decision to make in regard to his/her math tract that could affect his/her graduation plan In order to graduate on the Distinguished Plan (DAP), students must take Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II and PreCalculus primarily in that order However, students have a choice to take another math tract: Algebra I, Geometry, Math Models, Algebra II In other words, typically, sophomores (after taking Geometry) need to choose between taking either Algebra II OR Math Models The math tract that includes Math Models is typically designed for students whose math abilities are his/her strong suit and would like Algebra II (rather than PreCalculus) to be his/her final math course. However, if a student chooses to take Math Models, he/she automatically switches to the Recommended Plan (RHSP) Completion of Algebra II is considered the “point of no return.” Once a student takes Algebra II, he/she cannot “backtrack” and take Math Models. For example, if a student wishes to stay on the DAP, but then determines that PreCalculus may be too tough, he/she cannot switch to the Recommended Plan as he/she would have already taken Algebra II.

AP COURSE DECISIONS Advanced Placement courses (labeled with an (AP) afterward) are courses designed to better prepare students for the rigor of collegiate education by mirroring similar expectations  Typically AP courses require higher-level thinking, placing students in a role of strong expectations AP curriculum is created for the College Board by a panel of experts and college-level educators in each subject   For a high school course to have the AP designation, the course must be officially audited by the College Board and granted use When evaluating competitive applications, 4-year universities weigh a student's course selection heavily Universities want to see students who push themselves toward rigorous challenges, such as AP courses.  In fact, universities often compare the number of AP courses in which a student is enrolled to the available courses at the school. Also, when it comes to GPA Calculations, grades in AP courses are weighted more. In other words, typically grades in AP courses increase a student’s overall GPA

SCHEDULING WORKSHEET (SECTION 3) Section 3 represents various electives students can take Students should RANK the electives in the order of preference (with #1 being the most desired choice) By placing the numbers in the boxes (NOT checkmarks), students are indicating his/her preference. A FINAL example would look like:

ELECTIVES & SCHEDULING Scheduling takes place according to the following priority: JUNIORS are scheduled first to ensure timely graduation SOPHOMORES are scheduled second FRESHMEN are scheduled third 8th GRADERS are scheduled fourth Core courses (ELA, MATH, SCI, SS & FL) are scheduled primarily After this, free periods of teachers are matched with students who have free periods Electives that the teacher can teach depend on the teacher’s qualifications However, rankings from the scheduling worksheets are taken into consideration and a majority of those rankings for each period are factored into scheduling Overall, electives are primarily chosen based on availability

SCHEDULING WORKSHEET (SECTION 4) on back If a student and/or parent wants to communicate to Mr. B about a specific concern, section 4 is a great place to inform him Some typical concerns written in section 4 are: Possible ACC courses the student wishes to take. These may take the place of a course in section 1 or 2. Possible summer school courses the student plans to take. These courses may take the place of a course in section 1 or 2. Possible correspondence courses the student plans to take. These courses may take the place of a course in section 1 or 2. Possible “out-of-order” or “doubling-up” course desires. For instance, some 8th graders desire to take Algebra I & Geometry in the same year. Or some freshmen want to take World History & US History in the same year. A majority of worksheets typically don’t have anything written in Section 4. Also, some parents and students may wish to individually schedule a meeting with Mr. B.

COURSES TAKEN OUTSIDE OF CHAPARRAL STAR ACADEMY Students may wish to take courses outside of Chaparral Star Academy.  Typical reasons for doing this include: To advance in a tract (e.g. take Geometry over the summer after Freshmen year to advance a year in math) To recover lost credit (e.g. failed first semester of a course) To take a course not offered at Chaparral Star Academy (e.g. take another language versus Spanish) Students have four main options for this scenario: 1.) Credit-By Exams 2.) Correspondence Courses 3.) Summer School 4.) ACC Dual Enrollment Courses (once a student has earned 12 credits)

AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSES Once a student has reached junior status (at least 12 credits earned; typically the summer after a student’s sophomore year), he/she can take advantage of Austin Community College’s Early College Start (ECS) program. The ECS program allows students to take FREE college-level courses while in high school, and have the course count for high school credit as well. Typically, students only have to pay for books! Please refer to the ACC Dual Enrollment section of the school’s website under “Academics” under subheading “ACC Dual Enrollment (ECS)” for more specific information and necessary logistics about taking courses through ACC Please realize that steps 1- 8 on the ACC Registration Process document must be completed BEFORE APRIL 30th for returning students and BEFORE MAY 6th for new students for summer 2013 courses.  

SCHEDULING WORKSHEET (Section 5) Sometimes, individual notes from Mr. B are written on a student’s worksheet These notes should be read BEFORE the student completes the worksheet as this information could change how the student completes the worksheet Not all students will have something written in Section 5 Typically, 8th graders & freshmen will not have anything written in section 5

SCHEDULING WORKSHEET (Section 6) This is the signature section of the Scheduling Worksheet BOTH the student AND the parent need to sign Section 6 The completed is form is due to the front office by FRIDAY, MAY 3, 2013