Planning 4 years of High School Humble ISD Class of 2016

www.bridges.com Plan your high school courses using your chosen career cluster and pathway! Portfolio name: humble+student ID Password: student ID It’s time to build your 4 year high school course plan in Bridges. You have already explored and selected a career cluster and will now create a course plan that matches your high school courses to your career pathway. As a reminder, your portfolio name in bridges is humble followed by your 6 digit student ID. Your password is your 6 digit ID.

What is a Credit? High school students earn a half-credit for successful completion of each course each semester Semester average must be 70% or better Attendance matters Before building your course plan, it’s important to understand the requirements for a high school diploma. When you earn a semester average of 70 or higher, you will complete a ½ credit toward your graduation plan.

Two Graduation Programs Recommended High School Program Distinguished Achievement Program For a graduation plan, you may choose either the Recommended High School Program or the Distinguished Achievement Program.

Recommended High School Program (RHSP - 26 credits) 4 credits of English 4 credits of Math 4 credits of Science 4 credits of Social Studies .5 credit of Comm Apps (speech) 1 credit of Fine Arts 2 credits of (the same) Foreign Language 1 credit of PE 5.5 additional elective credits The 26 credit requirements for graduating on the Recommended High School Program are: (read slide)

Distinguished Achievement Program (DAP - 26 credits) Recognizes exceptional achievement Requirements in addition to the RHSP: 3rd credit of (the same) foreign language 4 Advanced Measures – any combination of: Preapproved research project AP Test Score of 3 or higher PSAT recognition 80% or higher in College Credit course IPC, POP and Math Models are not accepted on DAP The Distinguished Achievement Program also requires 26 credits, with a few differences. To graduate on the DAP, you must earn three credits of the same Foreign Language, which reduces the number of additional electives to 4.5. The DAP also requires the completion of four advanced measures in any combination of a preapproved project, AP test score of 3 or higher, PSAT recognition based on your 11th grade PSAT score, or Dual Credit or Tech Prep courses with an A or B average. Please read the Humble ISD Course Guide for more information. IPC and Math Models will not count as one of the four credits of science or math on the Distinguished Achievement Program.

PreAP and AP Classes Available in most subject areas Teacher input is valuable in making this decision Prepare for college Earn higher GPA May earn college credits in 11th & 12th grade through Dual Credit courses, AP exams, or IB exams Learn to think, read, and write critically and analytically Before we go into greater detail on the next few slides about the graduation requirements, be aware that most academic courses may be taken on the regular level or as a PreAP or AP class. Talk to your teachers and counselor about whether you should take PreAP and AP classes in high school. PreAP and AP courses count for a higher grade point, help you prepare for college, and allow you to earn college credits while still in high school.

Who should take PreAP and AP classes? Students who are: Self-motivated Hard-working Challenge-seeking Capable of handling faster pace Willing to invest extra time, but still keep BALANCE Planning to pursue a highly competitive field You should take PreAP and AP courses if you can handle the rigor and are up to the challenge. Students planning to enter highly competitive fields such as health sciences, engineering, law, and others should take as many advanced courses as possible.

Recommendations for Successful Honors Course Selection Maintain 80 in Honors Classes 90 in Level Classes Honors/AP to level moves only at the end of the first: Progress Report (3 weeks) -- Report Card (6 weeks) Semester Parent and Teacher Signature required for change Level change forms available from House secretary

Course Request Sheet Select appropriate courses for next school year, using your transcript and the graduation requirements found by logging on to www.bridges.com Select 7 courses - A combination of semester-long and/or year-long courses. Remember to select 4 core courses first ( Eng, Math, Science, S.S.) List at least three (3) alternate courses Parent signature is required

How to access your transcript history Log on to: www.bridges.com Portfolio name: humble + student ID (ex: humble123456) Password: student ID (ex: 123456) Choose “Choices Planner” Choose “Your Portfolio” Choose “All About You” Scroll down and you will see all of the courses you have taken in High School. **Fall 2011 grades have not been updated so disregard the message saying “Failed” if your grade is a 70 or above. It’s time to build your 4 year high school course plan in Bridges. You have already explored and selected a career cluster and will now create a course plan that matches your high school courses to your career pathway. As a reminder, your portfolio name in bridges is humble followed by your 6 digit student ID. Your password is your 6 digit ID.

English 9th English 1 or English 1 PreAP 10th English 3 or AP English 3 English 4 or AP English 4 or English 4 Dual And now for the general high school requirements. The 4 credits in English include English 1, 2, 3, and 4. You may choose from on-level or PreAP for English 1 and 2. 11th graders have the option of on-level English 3 or AP English 3. If a student takes AP English 3, he or she may take the AP exam at the end of the year and depending on the score, may earn college credit. A senior can take on-level English 4 OR AP English 4 OR Dual Credit English 4, which counts for high school honors grade points and earns 6 college credit hours in ENGL 1301 and ENGL 1302. 12th

Math Algebra 1 Geometry or Geometry PreAP Algebra 2, Algebra 2 PreAP or Math Models* Algebra 3 College Algebra Dual PreCalculus PreAP/Dual The high school math sequence starts with Algebra 1. After Algebra 1, students choose from on-level Geometry or Geometry PreAP, THEN they take Algebra 2, either on-level or PreAP. After Algebra 2, it’s important to consider your career pathway and choose the math that will be most useful for your future. AP Statistics or AP Calculus/Dual *Math Models is for students struggling in math

Science 9th Biology or Biology PreAP 10th Chemistry, Chemistry PreAP, or IPC* 11th Principles of Physics, Physics or Physics PreAP 12th For science, students take Biology, Chemistry, and Physics and can choose from on-level or PreAP in each. Humble ISD offers MANY 4th year science courses. Consider your chosen career pathway when deciding that 4th course. Any 4th year Science *IPC is for students struggling in math and/or science If you take IPC, the following courses will be Chemistry and Principles of Physics

Social Studies 9th World Geography or World Geography PreAP 10th World History or AP World History 11th US History, AP US History or US History Dual 12th Government, AP Government or Government Dual Virtual Economics, AP Economics or Economics Dual Virtual High school students take World Geography, then World History, then US History and can choose from on-level or PreAP in 9th grade, and on-level or AP in 10th and 11th grade. Dual Credit as an additional option for US History, which earns a student college credit for HIST 1301 and HIST 1302 – that’s 6 college hours. 12th grade students take Government for a semester, choosing from on-level, AP or Dual Credit online. They also take a semester of Economics with the same options. and

Plan for your extracurricular activities! Agriculture competitions (FFA) Athletics Cheerleading Debate Drill Team Fine Arts JROTC Once you’ve met the standard credit requirement, additional courses count as electives If you plan to participate in an extracurricular activity all through high school, be sure to build the appropriate classes into your 4 year plan. For example, if you intend to participate in the theater program, add Theater 1 to 9th grade, Theater 2 to 10th grade, and so on. Do this before filling in your additional requirements to make sure you have room for everything.

Communication Applications (1/2 credit required) Also known as “speech” As you complete your 4 year plan, don’t forget to add Comm Apps as a single semester course at some point during high school. When you add it, be sure to also add another semester course in that grade to create a full-year spot in your schedule.

Fine Arts (1 credit required) Choices Art Theater Orchestra Band Choir Dance Notes 1st semester Band counts as PE ½ credit Dance 1 counts as BOTH Fine Arts credit & PE credit You will need to take and pass one credit of fine arts in high school. Choose from Art, Theater, Orchestra, Band, Choir, or Dance. If you plan to take Band, you will add the 1st semester under the PE requirements and the 2nd semester of Band will be placed in the fine arts section in Bridges. Notice also that Dance 1 will take the place of BOTH a Fine Arts Credit AND a PE credit.

Languages Other Than English (2 or 3 credits required) Choose from: Spanish French German Latin American Sign Language (ASL) Must take 2 years (or 3 years on DAP) of the SAME language Ex: Spanish 1 & Spanish 2 In high school, you will be required to have two or three years of the same foreign language, depending on your graduation plan. Choose from Spanish, French, German, Latin, or American Sign Language. If you can read, write, and speak Spanish fluently already, the Spanish for Native Speakers class will allow you to earn two credits in one year.

Physical Education (1 credit required) PE Classes Athletics (any school sport) Fall semesters of Cheerleading Fall semesters of Band Junior ROTC 1 Drill Team or Dance 1 Off-Campus PE through approved vendor (requires application) There are many ways to meet the 1 credit requirement for PE. The first way to meet this requirement is simply by taking PE classes on campus. Your options are listed under Physical Education in your Bridges course plan. Another way to meet this requirement is to be in athletics classes. Remember that athletic teams at the high school level are highly competitive and you typically must try-out and make a team in order to be in the athletic period. The fall semesters of Band and Cheerleading count toward the PE requirement. Other options include JROTC and Dance 1. Off-Campus PE requires 5 or more hours of rigorous / intense training under a coach’s supervision at an approved commercial establishment through a regular Monday through Friday workout schedule. Examples include martial arts, swim team, dance, gymnastics, and lacrosse. See your counselor for an application.

Important Dates Freshmen: January 10th - meet with counselors to input their four year plans into Bridges. January 24th- Freshman Parent Night Sophomores: January 13th - meet with counselors to input their four year plans into Bridges. January 26th – Sophomore and Junior Parent Night