9 TH G RADE S CHEDULING V ISIT …A NEW CHAPTER OF YOUR LIFE BEINGS ! Welcome to the high school, Class of 2018!

T HE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF SCHEDULING…. UNDERSTANDING YOUR GRADUATION PLAN. You need 26 credits to graduate. You can earn 7 credits each year. Therefore, you should earn 28 credits when you graduate if you pass all your classes. You must earn at least 6 credits each year in order to move to the next grade level. You need 6 credits to be a sophomore, 12 credits to be a junior, and 18 credits to be a senior. You must show proficiency in Algebra, Biology, and Literature Keystone Exams in order to graduate.

E NGLISH S EQUENCE 9 th grade- English 9 CP or general, or Wilson Reading 10 th grade- English 10 CP, general, or Honors 11 th grade- English 11 CP, general, or Honors/AP 12 th grade- English 12 CP, general, or Honors/AP Some students who have an IEP will take Wilson Reading in place of their English 9 and 10 courses, or they may schedule both Wilson Reading and English 9. Your teachers will notify you if you must schedule this option.

S OCIAL S TUDIES S EQUENCE 9 th grade- United States History I CP or general 10 th grade- United States History II CP, general, or Honors 11 th grade- Pennsylvania History CP or general Modern World History CP or general 12 th grade- American Government CP, general,or AP Advanced Placement courses allow students to earn college credit for a course if the student earns a certain score on the AP exam, which is taken in May. If you do well in the course, it will help your GPA. If you go to Vo-Tech, you will take American Studies in 10 th grade and World History in 11 th grade instead of the options above.

S CIENCE SEQUENCE 9 th grade- Earth Science OR Agscience 10th grade- Biology CP, general, or Honors 11 th grade- Chemistry CP, general, or Honors or General Science 12 th grade- Physics Honors, Advanced Biology Honors, or Anatomy and Physiology. **Students need at least 3 science credits to graduate as well as an additional credit in either science or math.

M ATH SEQUENCE : G ENERAL L EVEL 9 th grade- Algebra I A 10 th grade-Algebra I B 11 th - Geometry 12 th - Consumer Math 9 th grade- Algebra I B 10 th grade- Geometry 11 th grade- Consumer Math (or counselor recommendation) 12 th grade- If you choose to take a 4 th math credit, see your counselor for a recommendation. **You may retake Algebra I A in 9 th grade if you would like, then continue with Algebra I B, Geometry, and Business Math. 8 th Grade: Pre-Algebra8 th Grade: Algebra I A **Students need at least 3 science credits to graduate as well as an additional credit in either science or math.

M ATH SEQUENCE : CP L EVEL 9 th - Algebra I B **Retake if you earn less than a B in 8 th grade. 10 th - Geometry CP or Honors 11 th - Algebra II CP or Honors 12 th - Pre-Calculus and/or Statistics 9 th - Geometry CP or Honors 10 th - Algebra II CP or Honors 11 th - Pre-Calculus and/or Statistics 12 th - Calculus and/or Statistics 8 th grade: Algebra IB

W ELLNESS /F ITNESS Everyone will take a half credit of Wellness and Fitness each year. This covers the Physical Education and Health curriculums.

D IGITAL C ITIZENSHIP All students in the class of 2018 will take Digital Citizenship to meet the graduation requirement involving technology/computer literacy. It is worth half a credit.

A RTS AND HUMANITIES Each student needs 2 credits worth of classes in any combination of the following areas: Foreign Language Art Industrial Arts Family and Consumer Science Music, Band, Chorus Foreign Language classes are generally considered a CP class. West Perry does not require students to take a language; however, college admissions requirements want to see 2-3 years of a language in high school. Any additional classes beyond 2 credits will count towards electives on the graduation plan.

E LECTIVES All additional classes that students choose to take beyond the graduation requirements listed above count as electives. For example, if a student takes Spanish I and Spanish II, he or she has fulfilled the 2 credit requirement for Arts and Humanities. Spanish III and Spanish IV would count in the elective area. All Business/Computer Programming classes count as electives. Vo-Tech counts as an elective- 3 credits per year. Most Agscience courses count as electives. Some can count as a science class. (See course guide for information.) You can take more than what is required on the graduation plan. If you want to take every science class we offer, you can, as long as it fits in your schedule.

K EYSTONE E XAMS Due to new state regulations, you must show proficiency in Algebra, Biology, and Literature by taking and passing a Keystone exam in each subject. If you are not proficient on a Keystone Exam, you will be required to take a remedial course to help you learn the exam content. This remedial course will take an elective space on your schedule. It is a requirement. You cannot drop the remedial course in order to take Driver’s Ed, art, or any other course that is not a graduation requirement.

C HOOSING THE RIGHT COURSES FOR YOU Talk to your teachers and parents. You will see teacher recommendations when you log on to schedule. Talk to trustworthy friends in the high school. The difference between general classes, college prep classes, and Honors classes is the pace and intensity. College prep and Honors classes prepare you for the SAT exam and college level academics. They also ensure you meet NCAA eligibility to play college sports. Honors classes are weighted and help your GPA and class rank if you do well. They often require you to read books over the summer before the class starts.

C OURSE F AILURES AND C REDIT R ECOVERY What if I fail a course? Option 1- Reschedule the course the next year. Option 2- Summer School Option 3- Correspondence Course It is possible to fail one class and move on to the next grade. For example, if you fail English 9, you will lose ONE of your SEVEN credits. You will earn 6 credits for your freshman year. You need 6 credits to be a sophomore. Therefore, you will move on to 10 th grade, BUT you will need to make up English 9 because it is a graduation requirement. However, if you fail English 9, Algebra I, and Digital Citizenship, you will lose 2.5 of your 7 credits. You will only earn 4.5 credits for your freshman year. You will be a freshman again the following year because you did not earn 6 credits. You can move on and take 10 th grade classes in History and Science because you passed the 9 th grade prerequisites, but you must retake English, Algebra I, and Digital Citizenship.

Scheduling process Log on to the parent portal to schedule classes for 9 th grade. Click on the Class registration link on the left. Use the blue sheet to help you and reference the course guide that is available online. Teacher recommendations should be available to view after February 3. Schedule requests must be entered by February 19 or a schedule will be created for you by the computer. See your counselor if you do not have Internet access at home.

Scheduling Timeline Schedule classes online between February 3 and 19. Use the blue sheet and course guide to help you. Attend Parent/Student Meeting on Monday, February 3 at 7:00 in the HS Auditorium. Visit the high school in May for a tour and orientation sessions. Receive your schedule over the summer Attend optional open house in August.

S CHOOL C OUNSELORS : C OUNSELORS ARE ASSIGNED BY L AST N AMES … A-HA: M RS. Z EIDERS WESTPERRY. ORG EXT HE-PA: M RS. Z EIGLER ESTPERRY. ORG EXT PE-Z: M RS. B ELL WESTPERRY. ORG EXT WESTPERRY. ORG ESTPERRY. ORG WESTPERRY. ORG Please contact the appropriate counselor when making calls or s about scheduling.