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Elko Middle School Transitions During the “In-Between” Years . . .

Taking a closer look at options and course pathways in 7 th and 8 th grade. Elko Middle School Transitions During the “In-Between” Years . . . School Counselors met with all 6 th and 7 th graders to discuss course offerings for next year All students received Course Information Sheets

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Elko Middle School Transitions During the “In-Between” Years . . .

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  1. Taking a closer look at options and course pathways in 7th and 8th grade Elko Middle SchoolTransitions During the “In-Between” Years . . .

  2. School Counselors met with all 6th and 7th graders to discuss course offerings for next year • All students received Course Information Sheets • Teachers began making recommendations for academic course placement on January 27th • We will use a new program this year for course recommendations and selections – PowerSchool (parents will gain access to PowerSchool beginning February 12th through February 17th. The Scheduling Process

  3. All courses need to be selected through PowerSchool by February 17th • Teachers will be given the opportunity to review their recommendations at the end of the third nine-weeks (by April 25th) and make changes as necessary. • All recommendation changes will be discussed with parents before any changes will be made to a student’s course requests • Students will receive a list of their courses in mid-May (to allow for corrections to be made or changes, if necessary) • Requests to change courses will not be accepted after June 13th(last day of school) The Scheduling Process ... continued

  4. A very useful tool to help you look more closely at course options and other important opportunities within HCPS • The Planning Guide is now available online; all students with a laptop should have the file loaded on their desktop; paper copies can be requested from the counseling department (a limited number of paper copies are available) • Graduation Requirements - are listed in the front of this guide; many students will take high school credit courses in middle school • Standard Diploma - requires 22 credits + 6 verified credits (passing SOL scores) • Advanced Studies Diploma - requires 26 credits + 9 verified credits (including World Language) • Both diplomas now require that students take at least one virtual course and complete a course called “Economics and Personal Finance” in order to graduate The Planning Guide

  5. Specialty Center Information - can be found just before the course information starts; some centers require that students take certain courses in 8th grade in order to be strong candidates for a particular center (Algebra I is required by many centers, and World History I is highly recommended by many) • Algebra I required = Advance College Academy, Engineering, Information Technology, International Baccalaureate, Science/Math/Technology, and Governor’s School • World History I strongly recommended = Advance College Academy, Communications, Education & Human Development, Humanities, International Baccalaureate, and Leadership • World Language = required for students applying to the Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School and International Baccalaureate The Planning Guide

  6. Course Descriptions - can be found toward the end of the guide; courses offered from 6th-12th grade can be found in the guide; however, not every course in the guide is offered at Elko. • Please consult the “Course Information Sheets” to determine the courses offered for rising 7th an 8th graders at Elko Middle The Planning Guide

  7. English – English 7 or Advanced English 7 (required summer reading and written assignment) • Math– Math Course 2 or Algebra I (HS credit) • Science - Life Science, Advanced Life Science, or Advanced Physical Science • Social Studies – Social Studies 7 or Accelerated SS7/Economics • Teens Read 7, Strategies For Comprehension Success 7, or Foundations of Spanish A (for students recommended for Advanced English 7) • Health and PE 7 • SOAR, SOAR-Math Improvement,Learning Strategies, or Gifted Enrichment • OneElective (unless recommended for Advanced English 7) 7th Grade Courses

  8. English – English 8 or Advanced English 8 • Math - Course 3 or Algebra/Geometry • Science - Physical Science or Earth Science • Social Studies – Civics/Economics or World History • Health and PE 8 • SOAR, SOAR-Math Improvement, or Learning Strategies • Two Electives (unless student is recommended to take reading) 8th Grade Courses

  9. We offer a variety of courses for students with IEP’s, including collaborative and self-contained classes in: English and Math, collaborative classes in Science and Social Studies, and self-contained classes in Reading, Learning Strategies, and Social Skills. • Students will be recommended for courses based on their current IEP’s. Course requests may change as adjustments are made to IEP’s throughout the spring. • IEP review meetings are held in the spring to determine the best possible placements for students. 7th and 8th Grade Courses(Exceptional Education)

  10. Pathways to Advanced 7th Grade Courses: • Rising 7th grade students must successfully pass Math Course 2 and be recommended by the math teacher in order to take Algebra I in 7th grade. • Students entering Advanced Physical Science should have successfully completed Advanced Life Science in 6th grade. • Students entering Accelerated Social Studies 7/Economics should have successfully completed Accelerated Social Studies 6/Civics in 6th grade. 7th Grade Academic Courses

  11. Pathways to 8th Grade Advanced Courses: • Math Course 2 – prepares students to take Algebra I, if recommended by the math teacher; students who are not ready for Algebra I will be recommended for Math Course 3 • Advanced Physical Science (in 7th grade) - prepares students to take Earth Science in 8th grade; current 7th graders who are taking Advanced Life Science will need to take Physical Science in 8th grade, but can be recommended to take Earth Science in addition to this course. Taking two science courses in the 8th grade year will require the student to give up one elective. • Accelerated Social Studies/Economics 7 – prepares students to take World History in 8thgrade. In some cases, students can be recommended to take two history courses in 8th grade (Civics and World History) 8th Grade Academic Courses

  12. What if your child is ready for advanced classes in 7th or 8th grade, but he/she has not taken the advanced/accelerated classes in 6th or 7th grade? Students cannot skip content; however … • Students can move from regular English to Advanced English (rising 7thor 8th graders) if recommended by the teacher, and the student completes the required semester homework packet by early May. • Students can move from regular Social Studies 6 to Accelerated SS7/Economics, if recommended by the teacher, and the student completes the required semester packet by the end of May. • *** Some students can take both Civics/Economics and World History in the 8th grade, if recommended by their social studies teacher. • *** Students can take both Physical Science and Earth Science in the 8th grade, if recommended by their science teacher. • *** The second course takes the place of one elective in the student’s schedule; however, students cannot double up in science and social studies in 8th grade Alternate Pathways

  13. Algebra I- prepares students to take Geometry in 9th grade and ultimately, Calculus by their 12th grade year • Earth Science- prepares students to take Biology in 9th grade, and go further in science during high school years (perhaps an AP Science course) • World History- prepares students to take World History II in 9th grade, and possibly take a social studies elective or pick up an additional elective class in 10th grade • AP (Advanced Placement) classes - are weighted higher than college-prep or honors classes and they can satisfy some college credit, if students score high enough on the final AP exam Course Pathways to High School

  14. Year-long courses include: • Art 7 • Foundations of Spanish Part A (first part of a 2-year sequence) • Band (Beginning or Intermediate) • Intermediate Chorus • Strings (Beginning or Intermediate) Exploratory Program (each course is a semester in length): Students select two of the following: • Teen Living 7 • Art • Exploring Business Computers • Technological Systems • Inventions/Innovations 7th Grade Elective Options

  15. Full year classes: • Foundations of Spanish Part B (second part of a two-year sequence; HS credit course) • Spanish I (high school credit course) • Independent Living (high school credit course) • Technological Systems/Manufacturing • Technology Foundations (high school credit course) • Band • Advanced Chorus • Strings • Art 8 • Art I (high school credit course) • EFE (application required) 8th Grade Elective Options

  16. Semester Classes (students can select one of the following pairs of semester classes): • Option I - Business Classes • Computer Applications (.5 high school credit) • Digital Input Technologies (.5 high school credit) • Option 2 – Art Classes • Introduction to Computer Art • Introduction to Crafts 8th Grade Elective Options

  17. Foundations Courses teach the first year of a language over the periodof two years (7th and 8th grades); students earn one high schoolcredit after successfully completing the Foundations B course • Spanish I can be taken in 8th grade (if students do not take the Foundations course in 7thgrade OR if they need more reinforcement/are not being successful in Foundations A) • BOTH pathways will allow students to earn one world language credit. • World Language is now a requirement for 8th graders applying to the Governor’s School. World Language Pathways

  18. Students who successfully complete high school credit courses in middle school will • earn high school credit toward graduation • earn a verified credit (if the course requires an End-of-Course SOL & the student passes the test) HOWEVER ... • Grades earned in courses prior to 9th grade will not be counted as part of the high school cumulative grade point average (GPA). This calculation starts after students complete middle school. High School Credit Courses ...

  19. Students learn about learning styles, study skill techniques, and organizational skills • Students work on organizing notebooks and developing study tools for practical use in core subjects • Students review SOL’s that are critical concepts for all content areas. • Students who need extra math support will be assigned to a math teacher; some students may also be placed with a reading teacher during SOAR, if support is needed in reading • Students can spend a few minutes in directed study SOAR

  20. Teachers base their recommendations on each student’s: • Current performance • Standardized test scores • Grades • Maturity level • Organizational skills • Participation in class • Sense of responsibility • Critical thinking skills Teacher Recommendations

  21. February 12th – 17th: Parents will gain access to PowerSchool • February 17th: deadline for course selections to be made by parents/students in PowerSchool • February 18th: school counselors will work with students who do not complete course selections online • Please discuss any questions or concerns you have about your child’s recommendations with his/her teacher(s), as changes can be made after February 17th. Important Dates and Information

  22. Mid-May: Students will receive a confirmation of course requests • June 13th: Deadline to request course changes (last day of school); changes will only be honored if space remains in the course being requested. • August: Final schedules will be distributed during Fee Day. Important Dates and Information

  23. Please visit our exhibits in the commons area, where you will be able to learn more about our academic and elective course offerings. • Visit the counselors’ table to pick up some helpful brochures and information. • Exhibits will be available until 7:30 PM. Curriculum Fair

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