Preparing for High School and Beyond Class of 2022

Graduation Requirements You will choose your 4 year plan, endorsement, and pathway soon after Christmas Break.

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

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

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

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

World Languages – Languages Other Than English (LOTE) – 2.0 Required 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

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.

Northwest ISD Academies by Campus STEM Academy- at Northwest High School Creative Media Productions Academy- at Northwest High School Business & Entrepreneurship Academy- Eaton High School Aviation & Aeronautics Academy- Eaton High School Biomedical Science Academy- Bryon Nelson High School Culinary Arts & Hospitality Academy- Byron Nelson HS Collegiate Academy- Steele High School Cosmetology – Steele High School

What is a Pathway? There are several offering under the endorsement umbrellas other than attending an academy. They are called pathways. Business Administration * Software Design and Development Marketing Dynamics * Digital Media Microsoft Master * Agriculture Design & Fabrication Investment Banking and Finance * Agricultural Sciences Health Sciences * Floral Designs Counseling and Mental Health * Veterinary Medicines Emergency Medical Technician * Architectural Design Early Childhood Development * Engineering Dynamics Education and Coaching * Interior Design Informational Technology

Which is the best option for you? We will spend the next two or so weeks discovering the academies and several weeks after learning about the pathways.