2. Preparing for High School and Beyond
Class of 2022

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

4. Graduation Requirements
for students entering high school in 2014 and thereafter

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

6. 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)

7. Completing your Personal Graduation Plan (PGP)

8. 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)

9. 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)

10. 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

11. Required Electives

12. 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

13. 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)

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

15. 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

16. 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 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

17. 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

18. Endorsements

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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.

22. 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

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

24. 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

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

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

27. 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.)

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

29. 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

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

31. 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

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

33. 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

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

35. 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

36. 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 and thereafter must complete the Distinguished Level of Achievement.
UT Austin – top 6% currently

37. 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.

38. 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.

39. 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?

40. 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!

41. 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

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