 Few courses offered  Integrated grade level teacher teams  Grade level halls  Grades are important, but don’t count toward graduation or GPA.  Attendance important  Many course offerings  Specialized teachers in content areas  Classes all over the building  Credits matter, and grades count for college.  Attendance documented for credit.

-There are 7 periods in the school day – and each class period is approximately 50 minutes. -Classes meet every day – (no block schedules) -There are 6 minutes in the passing period – students have 6 minutes to make it from one class to next – and yes, they actually can make it from the A Hallway to the L hallway in 6 minutes! -Students have 30 minutes for lunch

 Freshmen:0 – 5.5Credits  Sophomore:6 – 11.5Credits  Junior:12 – 17.5Credits  Senior:18+Credits Students are classified at the beginning of the school year. This classification remains the same for the entire school year.

House Bill 5 High School Graduation Requirements (applies to students entering high school )

End of Course (EOC) Exams or STAAR tests: Students will be required to pass 5 STAAR assessments: English I - Reading/Writing (9 th ) English II – Reading/Writing (10 th ) Algebra I – (8 th or 9 th ) Biology – (9 th ) US History (11 th )

 Created Foundation High School Program  Added Endorsements, Distinguished Level of Achievement and Performance Acknowledgements  Aligned Career and Technical Education courses to satisfy requirements for endorsements  For an in-depth explanation of the new TEA graduation requirements, please attend the 8 th grade parent registration meeting that is scheduled at your child’s middle school in March (dates will follow).

CURRENTFUTURE Minimum Program Foundation program * only with permission of the ARD committees and/or campus administration approval) Recommended Program Foundation + Endorsement Distinguished Achievement Program Distinguished Level of Achievement

 Recommended Graduation Plan for MAJORITY of MISD students

English Language Arts 4 credits :  English I  English II  English III  Advanced English Course Mathematics 4 credits :  Algebra I  Geometry + 2 Advanced level Mathematics Course s

Physical Education 1 credit Languages Other 2 credits in the same language OR Than English 2 credits in Computer programming language Fine Arts 1 credit Health 0.5 credit (MISD) Speech 0.5 credit (MISD) (Professional Communications) Electives 3 credits (May include CTE or certification area) PLUS Endorsement = TOTAL of 26 credits

* Recommended plan for MISD students

 Courses under this endorsement are directly related to Health Science, Computer Science, Engineering, and Advanced Math

 Includes courses directly related to: Database management, Information Technology, Communications, Accounting, Marketing, Graphic Design, Architecture, Finance, Hospitality & Tourism, Agriculture, Transportation, distribution, etc…

 Includes courses directly related to Law Enforcement, Education & Training, Culinary Arts, Government t & Public administration, Human Services, etc….

 Includes courses directly related to political science, world languages, cultural studies, English literature, history, & fine arts.

* Recommended plan for MISD students To earn the distinguished level of achievement, students must complete:  the curriculum requirements for the foundation + endorsement high school program  the curriculum requirements for at least one endorsement,  4 credits in science and 4 credits in math to include Algebra II.

* Recommended plan for MISD students  A student may earn a performance acknowledgment on the student's diploma and transcript for outstanding performance in:  a dual credit  an associate degree while in high school  Completing two or more languages defined by SBOE  bilingualism and biliteracy,  on a college AP test or IB exam  on the PSAT, the ACT-Plan, the SAT, or the ACT OR  for earning a nationally or internationally recognized business or industry certification or license. The performance acknowledgement earned will be noted on the student's diploma and transcript.

 February 27 th : PreAP/AP Informational Meeting at Boyd (6pm – 8pm)  March 24 th :– March 27 th Parent Meetings re: middle schools  April 7 th – April 11 th : Counselors will meet with students regarding course middle schools  April 14 th -April 25 th Parent conferences with high school counselors by appointment (evening appointments available)

 For more details around graduation requirements plan to attend an informational evening with Dr. Smalskas at your middle school:  Monday, March 24: Evans MS at 5:30 Dowell MS at 7:00  Tuesday, March 25: Cockrill MS at 5:30 Scott Johnson MS at 7:00  Thursday, March 27 Faubion MS at 5:30

The MISD Academic Planning Guide is the official document outlining graduation requirements, course descriptions, district policies and procedures as well as other pertinent information. It is extremely important to be familiar with this document. It is posted online and updated regularly. The online version is the OFFICIAL standard. The APG is available in the Quick Links section of the MISD home page.

Example: You must have Principles of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources before you can take Small Animal Management

 Teacher approval or an application is required for certain courses  Example: You must have teacher approval from your middle school art teacher to take PreAP Art I

There will be a preAP/AP Seminar On February 27 th at 6:00 p.m. here at Boyd. We encourage you to attend this informational meeting where you can hear from teachers, students and administrators who will share the facts, challenges, and possibilities as well as potential problems that can commonly occur with students taking preAP/AP classes. When considering whether or not to enroll in preAP/AP classes please consider how many extracurricular activities you plan on participating in and how much time you will have to do the following: -spend several hours a week on outside homework, reading, projects, etc… -submit homework ON TIME

 Students are required to remain in Pre/AP AP courses for the first 15 days (of FALL semester) of school before requesting a schedule change. Whenever a student transfers into an academic level course, his grade will transfer with him/her.  If after the first 15 days of school, a student is overwhelmed and needs to drop his/her preAP/AP course, he/she can pick up a drop form in the counseling center and get it signed by the teacher and parent and then turn it back in to the counseling center by the deadline in order to receive a schedule change. PRE/AP DROPS: Students have 3 opportunities to drop pre/AP courses: 1.Between the 15 th and 20 th day of school (of the fall semester) 2. At the end of the 1 st grading quarter 3. at the end of the semester AP DROPS Students have two opportunities to drop AP courses: 1. Between the 15 th and 20 th day of school (fall semester only) 2. At the end of the semester – deadline is in December

 For the first time, really, your grades mean something –REALLY MEAN something (other than to you and your parents)  Your ninth grade year GPA will be one-third of the overall GPA that you will submit to universities with your applications as a senior – in the FALL of your senior year, so… in just 3 short years you will be busy working on college applications and essays! So what can you do now to prepare for that?  Earn the highest grades you can early in high school – it begins on DAY ONE!  Begin looking at colleges.  Start your resume and keep it current.  Community service and volunteering/extra- curricular activities are important.  Keep track of any and all accomplishments, awards, etc… that you would want to include on your high school resume.

What is your passion? Your gift? We want you to ENJOY high school and encourage you to participate in extracurricular activities such as:  Theater/Fine Arts  Athletics  Drill Team/Cheerleading  Journalism  Debate  Band/Choir/Orchestra *When selecting electives, please be aware time commitments….  Clubs and Organizations for Everyone! We have something for EVERYONE! MAKE SURE YOU STOP & SEE – What’s Great at Boyd! And Thank you for coming!