1. Ocean Springs High School
9-11 Grade Course Selection Presentation

2. Types of Classes Offered
Regular – requires an average amount of work and has a moderate level of difficulty; all regular coursework meets college prep requirements
Honors – these courses are taught on an accelerated level; they are rigorous and will prepare students for AP and IB courses
Dual Credit – MGCCC college class; Open to grades 11-12; Course follows all college curriculum, policies and procedures; Both HS and college credit awarded upon successful completion. College admission requirements apply
Advanced Placement – college level course; participating colleges may grant credit to students who have performed at a qualifying level on AP Examinations
International Baccalaureate (IB) – most rigorous academic program at OSHS; IB classes begin in 11th grade
Questions regarding IB:

3. New to OSHS in 2017 AP Capstone Diploma Program
AP Seminar (& 3 on AP exam)
AP Research (& 3 on AP exam) (live )
4 additional qualifying AP courses/ scores of student’s choice(score determined by state)
Total of 6 courses/ scores
Success of all the above will receive an AP Capstone Diploma
AP Seminar is a course aiming to equip students with the power to analyze and evaluate information with accuracy and precision in order to craft and communicate evidence-based arguments. This course is only open to students for their junior year.
Capstone Video

5. New Course to OSHS in 2017 6712 AP COMPUTER SCIENCE A
Open to: Grades Credit/ Weight: 1 unit/ 6.0
Prerequisite: 80%+ in Algebra 2 Course length: term
The AP computer science A course introduces students to computer science with fundamental topics that include problem solving, design strategies and methodologies, organization of data (data structures), approaches to processing data (algorithms), analysis of potential solutions, and the ethical and social implications of computing. The course emphasizes both object-oriented and imperative problem solving and design. These techniques represent proven approaches for developing solutions that can scale up from small, simple problems to large, complex problems. Students should be comfortable with functional notation prior to taking this highly math based course. This is a college level course to help prepare students for the Computer Science portion of the AP Exams.

6. Dual Credit Program Dual Credit is for Juniors and Seniors
Select the dual credit course under the Math or Electives categories
Remember that a fee is involved with each course
All courses require a 3.0 GPA (unweighted)
College Algebra requires a 19 ACT math subscore
Please ensure you provide your counselor with verification of your ACT score no later than 4/5/17.
Courses proposed for :
College Algebra
Psychology
World Civilization I
Art Appreciation

7. Graduation Requirements
Must also Pass state assessment for:
Algebra 1
Biology I
English II
US History

9. University Admission Standards, Continued
You can be admitted to a Mississippi university by meeting any of the following criteria:
OR Satisfy the NCAA standards for student athletes who are “full-qualifiers” under Division I guidelines; or Students who do not meet the above criteria are nonetheless eligible for admission. Such students must participate, however, in an on-campus placement process at the university of their choice.
*In lieu of ACT scores, students may submit equivalent SAT scores.
Out of state or private universities should be contacted for admission requirements.
GPA on College Prep Curriculum
(previous slide)
ACT Composite Score
3.2
No minimum score
2.5
16+
2.0
18+

10. How do I know which classes I’m missing for graduation?
Click on the Graduation Progress button on the Parent/Student Portal
Classes in dark green are complete
Classes in light green are in progress (student is currently taking the class, but final grade not awarded)
Classes in white have not been taken and are needed for graduation

11. Example of Graduation Progress Screen:

12. Greyhound Guide
The Greyhound Guide can be found on the Parent Portal Log-In screen or on the high school website
It includes:
Course description details
Graduation requirements
9th and 10th grade course of study for students who plan to enter the IB program in grade 11
Information concerning AP Capstone Program
11th and 12th grade program of study for International Baccalaureate Courses
Questions regarding the IB program should be directed to Ms. Sanders at
Requirements to enter a four year university in Mississippi

14. Consider the following when requesting courses:
High school graduation requirements
College entrance requirements
To work towards college readiness
Your personal areas of interest
Classes that will match up with your future program of study in college
Finding a balance – which combination of classes will challenge you, but won’t overload you?
Consider obligations outside of school, such as family, work, and athletics

15. Considerations, Continued
Make sure to think about your requests and choose wisely.
If you are unsure about a particular course selection, consult with the current teacher of that course or a counselor
Remember, the computer creates your actual schedule. We can not guarantee that all core classes will not be in the same semester. Please remember this when looking for that balance.

16. Alternates
There may be a chance that one of your primary requests will not work in your schedule
Alternates are substituted if one of your primary requests won’t work in your schedule
Students should choose alternates that they would be happy taking
If you choose a class as a primary request, do not list it again as an alternate.
Do not list classes you have already passed in your alternates
Listing the same classes in both the primary and alternate sections does not increase your chances of getting in the class
If you do not provide adequate alternates, counselors will have to choose for you.
Receiving an alternate class does NOT justify a schedule change.

17. Schedule Corrections
The school administration uses course requests provided by students to determine teaching assignments and personnel that need to be hired each year
When you list a course on your course requests, you are committing to taking that course next year
Consequently, it is highly important that students think carefully about the courses they sign up for
Schedule Correction Policy (from Greyhound Guide): Schedule corrections will only be made based on the following justifiable reasons within the first two days of the term or quarter:
Course that needs to be repeated
Prerequisite for course not met
Incomplete schedule or overlapping courses
Course already taken and passed
Course requirement lacking for graduation - 12th graders only

18. Course Requests for
The course request screen will be open March 10 through March 15.
All course requests should be finalized by this deadline.
Counselors will make selections for students who do not meet this deadline and changes will not be allowed

19. Steps to Access the Course Request Screen

20. Steps to Get to the Course Request Screen
Go to the OSSD website –
Click on parents
Click on Parent & Student Portal
Log-in using your student ID and password
Click on left

24. Example of 10th Grade Course Request Screen:

25. Frequently Asked Questions

26. I have a few questions. How do I ask my counselor?
Counselors will be in the Career Center lab (134) on the following dates/times to assist students:
Friday, Monday- Wednesday: Breakfast break
Counselors will be in the cafeteria Friday, and Monday through Wednesday all three lunches.
Friday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings in the foyer.
Parent meeting March 9 at 6:00 in the auditorium.

27. I don’t have a computer at home. What can I do?
The counselors will be staying late on March 14 from 4:00-6:00 in the media center to assist with the selection process.
Room 134 will be available during breakfast break.
The media center is available during breakfast break, lunch, and before school.

28. I am going to be a senior. How do I sign up for early release or early graduation?
For Early Relase, select 9941 Early Release under the electives section. They must be selected by quarter.
For Early Graduation, select 9940 Early Graduation under the electives section.
Early Release/ Early Graduation have no credit value, so PowerSchool will require you to submit 8 credits of requests
If a student wants both ER/ EG, select both.
Once all course requests have been submitted, counselors will evaluate the ER/EG requests. If a student qualifies, they will give them a permission form.
Juniors must have 24 credits in May 2017 and have passed all subject area tests.

29. Early Graduation & CTE
If you want Early Graduation, do NOT select a CTE course. You will not receive early graduation if you select a yearlong CTE course.

30. Early Release/ Early Graduation Continued
The permission form will give you the following options to select:
Early Release
Early Graduation
On your permission form, you will list the classes you want to remove in your requests to make room for Early Release/Early Graduation
Example: If you would like to request early release all year, you will need to list 2 credits worth of classes to drop from your requests
Remember- this cannot be a CTE course
The parent’s signature must be notarized. Once the form is completed, it should be returned to the counselors’ office by the published date.

31. How Do I Sign Up for Athletics?
If you currently play a sport and plan to play that sport next year, sign up for the appropriate Advanced Training course (example: Advanced Training Football)
Coaches will send a roster at a later time; if you do not make the team, we will replace Advanced Training with your alternates
A few sports may not be listed. The coach for these sports will send us a roster. We will remove electives from your requests to make room for these sports.

32. How Does the Process Work After Course Requests Are Submitted?
Counselors review course requests for all 1,800 students and look for possible issues
Counselors determine if rising seniors are eligible for early release or early graduation with credits and standing with state testing
Administration determines teaching assignments and master schedule based off what students requested
Schedules are generated by PowerSchool; counselors review all schedules for classes that won’t schedule, substitute alternates, and look for other issues

33. OSHS Counseling Assignments
Ms. Bobbie Jones (A-D)
Mrs. Katie Bailey (E-K)
Mr. Jason Diaz (L-R)
Mrs. Karen Gifford (S-Z)
Mrs. Julie Milanese
questions relating to Career and Technical Education – grades 10-12

34. How do I get into a Career Technical Education Class (CTE)?
CTE Classes are offered in the following areas: Aquaculture I & II, Engineering and Robotics I & II, Teacher Academy I & II, Marketing I & II, Health Science Core and Health Science II, Construction Trades I & II, Culinary I & II, Automotive Service Technology I & II, and Early Childhood I & II
Since demand often exceeds space available, CTE slots will be awarded based off of a point system
Important information regarding CTE courses: The Ocean Springs School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, national origin or disability. Selection for the courses will be based on grades, attendance, and discipline record.

35. CTE, continued
Students will be evaluated for placement shortly after the deadline for course requests closes. Consequently, it may not be possible to get a CTE class added if a student requests the course after the course request window closes.
Choose 2 credits of alternates wisely – if you do not get slotted for your requested CTE course, your alternates will be substituted

37. CTE Program

38. DECA

39. CTE Facebook Page

40. CTE Website