Class of 2020

Performance Acknowledgements Distinguished Level of Achievement Endorsements Foundation High School Program

for students entering high school in 2014 and thereafter

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

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)

Pre-AP Algebra I* Art I* Communication Applications (.5)* Spanish I* Health (.5) Lifetime Nutrition & Wellness *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), Communication Applications

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)

8 th 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 9 th Grade 10 th Grade 11 th Grade 12 th Grade You may not receive credit for the same course twice. If you are currently in PreAP Algebra I, sign up for PreAP Geometry.

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

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

Aerobic Fitness (.5-1) Individual/Team Sports (.5-1) Outdoor Education (.5) Foundations of Personal Fitness/Strength & Tone (.5-1)

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 (not accepted at every college as meeting admission requirements)

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 only) Floral Design (Grades 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 (requires Theatre I as a pre-requisite or director approval)

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

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

An endorsement can be changed as long as there is still time to complete a new endorsement.

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

Courses available to 9 th graders are highlighted in yellow.

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 Students who choose a Business & Industry endorsement will need to take a coherent sequence of credits in a specific area of interest:

Courses available to 9 th graders are highlighted in yellow.

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.)

Courses available to 9 th graders are highlighted in yellow.

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

Courses available to 9 th graders are highlighted in yellow.

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

Courses available to 9 th graders are highlighted in yellow.

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 Culinary Arts & Hospitality Academy = Business & Industry Endorsement Academy of Media Arts & Technology (AMAT) = Business & Industry Endorsement Academy of Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math (STEM) = STEM Endorsement

Performance Acknowledgements Distinguished Level of Achievement Endorsements Foundation High School Program

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

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 and thereafter must complete the Distinguished Level of Achievement. UT Austin – top 7% currently

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.

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.

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?

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 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 = up to 6 points Regular = up to 5 points

9 th Grade Courses on the PGP will serve as your 9 th grade course requests!

This event will provide information about high school courses, advanced academics, career and technology pathways, academies, fine arts, student organizations and more.