Scheduling Night for Parents of Rising Freshmen

1. Scheduling Night for Parents of Rising Freshmen Briar Woods High School

2. Evening Program • 6:45 – 7:30 Presentation • 7:30 – 8:30 Scheduling Fair in the Cafeteria • Core departments • Elective departments • School Counseling department

3. Presentation Agenda • Rising 9th Grade Scheduling Process • Questions? School counseling table • Diploma Types & Graduation Requirements • Questions? School counseling table • Selecting Courses for Next Year • Questions? Department tables

4. This Information is Online! • BWHS School Counseling >>> Student Scheduling for 2018-2019 • Tonight’s parent presentation • Key points are in red font • Overview with activities and dates • 2018-2019 Program of Studies • Grade level scheduling forms • Classroom presentation and videos • LCPS Course Curriculum information – go to the LCPS website and search “curriculum”

5. Rising 9th Grade Scheduling Process

6. Current LCPS Middle School students • BWHS counselors will visit ERMS on February 12 & 13, and walk students through their course selections class-by-class. • Brambleton MS students selected their courses with Rock Ridge counselors. BWHS counselors followed-up on January 31. • The core class will be selected by your child’s teachers • The BWHS counselor help your child pick electives • The middle school will send home your student’s course selections for your review • You will have until June 1, 2018 to make changes

7. Students New to LCPS • New students usually begin enrolling in mid-April • There is a two week window where we cannot complete enrollments, first two week of May • The information and materials needed to enroll a new student can be found on the BWHS and LCPS websites • New students and their parents will select courses with a BWHS counselor when they enroll • Enrollments are by appointment

8. Diploma Types & Graduation Requirements

9. Diplomas • Standard Diploma • Advanced Studies Diploma • Students who earn Advanced Studies Diplomasshould be better prepared to perform well in college • Plenty of students who earn Standard Diplomas are successful in college

10. Diplomas • Diplomas are based on: • Standard Units of Credit – 140 clock hours of instruction & a passing grade • Translation: Pass the class, get a credit • Verified Units of Credit – Standard unit of credit plus passing the end-of-course SOL associated with that class • Translation: Pass the class and SOL, get a verified credit

11. Standard Diploma

12. Advanced Studies Diploma

13. New SOL requirements • Standard Diploma: • Old requirements: Pass 6 SOL’s • New requirement: Pass 5 SOL’s • Advanced Studies Diploma: • Old requirement: Pass 9 SOL’s • New requirement: Pass 5 SOL’s

14. Courses with SOL’s Reading (Eng. 11) Earth Science Writing (Eng. 11) Biology Chemistry Algebra 1 World History 1 Geometry World History 2 Algebra 2 US History

15. Words of Wisdom • When the Department of Education replaces something, they always replace it with something more confusing! • So…. Kids need less SOL’s in high school, which is good…

16. Career Planning Component • There is now a “career-planning” component of the new graduation requirements • There is no specific activity that a student must experience (such as an internship, job-shadowing assignment or participation in a career fair). • School divisions must collaborate with local employers to create opportunities for students to learn about workplace expectations.

17. Diplomas • Freshmen generally take the same types of classes regardless of the diploma they want • We start all students towards the Advanced Studies Diploma • Our updated graduation requirements do not affect the freshman year • See the Program of Studies for the “fine print” details

18. Additional Requirements • VA Department of Education: Standard Diploma students must pass a board-approved “technical education credential” • There is a credential component within the required “Personal Finance” class!

19. Additional Requirements • VA Department of Education: All students must receive online instruction while in high school • There is an online instructional component within the required “Personal Finance” class which satisfies this requirement!

20. Virtual Loudoun (VL) classes • Online classes provided by Loudoun County Public Schools. • Virtual Loudoun is not an online school • Virtual Loudoun is an online program that may supplement the traditional schedule • Students may take one VL class per school year, and a total of two summer VL classes = for a maximum of 6 VL classes

21. Virtual Loudoun (VL) classes • Offered three times/year: Summer, Fall, Spring • Students take VL for a variety of reasons: • To “catch-up” or “get ahead” • To take less classes during the school day • To make room for another class

22. Selecting Courses for Next Year (and beyond)

23. The four most emotional topics… • Politics • Religion • Should my child take Honors or Academic classes in high school? • What’s the difference between Earth Science and Biology?

24. Course Options for Freshmen • Please relax!!! • You have until June 1 to make your final decisions!!!

25. Course Options for Freshmen • English 9: Honors or Academic • World History 1: Pre-AP (Honors) or Academic • Earth Science *: Research (Honors) or Academic • Math: Follows sequence • Health & Physical Education 9 • Elective – usually a foreign language • Elective

26. Course Options for Freshmen • English 9: Honors or Academic • World History 1: Pre-AP (Honors) or Academic • Earth Science *: Research (Honors), Academic • Math: Follows sequence • Health & Physical Education 9 • Elective – usually a foreign language • Elective

27. AOS & AET Freshmen • Academy of Science (AOS) and Academy of Engineering & Technology (AET) freshmen will take:

28. Math Sequence • See Program of Studies, page 31 • Math 8 >>> Algebra 1 • Algebra 1 >>> Geometry • Geometry >>> Algebra 2 or Algebra 2 w/Trig • Algebra 2 w/Trig is for the “easy straight A” math student! • Algebra 2 or Algebra 2 w/Trig >>> • Advanced Functions and Modeling • Advanced Algebra/Precalculus • Math Analysis

29. Course Levels – English, Social Studies, & Science Academic Course content and expected student performance require reading and writing at a rigorous level. Academic is a “college-bound” level.

30. Course Levels – English, Social Studies, & Science Honors, Research, Pre-AP Course content is rapidly paced with additional depth. Lessons are often designed to be complex, abstract, and open-ended.

31. Work Load, freshman survey • English 9 Academic = 1 hour 29 minutes/week • English 9 Honors = 2 hours 40 minutes/week • Earth Science Academic = 1 hour 32 minutes/week • Research Earth Science Honors = 2 hours 32 minutes/week • Research Biology Honors = 2 hours 40 minutes/week • World History Academic = 2 hours 10 minutes/week • PreAP World History Honors = 3 hours 23 minutes/week • Algebra 1, Geometry & Algebra 2 = 1 hour 48 minutes/week • Algebra 2 w/ Trig = 2 hours 18 minutes/week • Foreign Language = 1 hour 21 minutes/week

32. Work Load, freshman survey • All Academic = 8+ hours of work outside of school • All Honors = 12+ hours of work outside of school

33. * Freshman Science • Earth Science – 9th grade course • Research/Honors • Academic • Biology – 10th grade course • Research/Honors • Academic is not available for freshmen

34. * Freshman Science • Earth Science Honors or Biology Honors • Most freshmen take Earth Science, 81%. • Skipping Earth Science is not recommended by LCPS/BWHS: • Students have not had this class in middle school • Students who skip freshman Earth Science will miss important science concepts an involved citizen should understand • Earth Science is a prerequisite for taking A.P. Environmental Science • Research Biology-Honors focuses on data driven research questions that are embedded with biological concepts. • Students entering the class are expected to have a basic understanding of descriptive and inferential statistics taught during Earth Science. • Students should have a strong mathematical foundation and work ethic to ensure success in this rigorous, fast paced course. • Students who skip Earth Science can “fit in” one additional science class while in high school with one less concession (assuming they want to; and assuming they have the math to do so)

35. Science: What/When/Ask • Talk with your child about what science classes they may be interested in – next year, and beyond. What other classes are they interested in? • Use the plan of studies worksheet/four-year plan to estimate when your child might want to take those science classes. Can they still fit in the “other” classes they want to take? – the middle schools will also do this with your child • Ask: Is skipping Earth Science necessary to meet my child’s goals?

36. LCPS Science Courses

37. Course Options for Freshmen • One more time… • Please relax!!! • 3-4 honors/academic decisions in 3-4 months! • English, science, social studies; maybe math • You have until June 1 to make your final decision!!!

38. “Lesson in Balance” • The Goal: Challenge the student vs. Overloading the student • If you figure out the formula for this, create an app! You’ll make millions!

39. “Lesson in Balance” Often we consider these two factors when selecting courses: • What are the graduation requirements? • What do colleges want to see, or…What looks good?

40. “Lesson in Balance” Let’s not forget the most important factors when selecting courses! • What are the graduation requirements? • What are the student’s interests/passions? • What/where are the student’s strengths, work-ethic, time, etc.? • What do colleges want to see/What looks good?

41. “Lesson in Balance” Take the most challenging classes you can handle.

42. “Lesson in Balance” Take the most challenging classes you can reasonably handle.

43. “Lesson in Balance” Take the most challenging classes you can reasonably handle. And…enjoy high school, have a social life, participate in activities, not be overwhelmed, be happy and be healthy!

44. “Lesson in Balance” • How much time do you have available to study and do homework? • Do you play sports? • Are you involved in activities – both in or outside of school? • What does your track-record indicate? • Do you complete your work with little prompting? • How committed and disciplined are you? • What are mom and dad prepared for? What do you believe the parent’s role is?

45. Looking Beyond the Freshman Year • Student often mix and match honors-level classes • Students are not stuck on an honors or academic “track” • They can move “up” or “down” from year-to-year in many subjects throughout high school

46. Course Options for Freshmen • OK… and one more time… • Please relax!!! • 3-4 decisions in 3-4 months! • English, science, social studies; maybe math • You have until June 1 to make your final decision!!!

47. About that deadline… • While you do have until June 1…. • We cannot make changes to course requests after the deadline of June 1, 2018!

48. After the School Year Begins • Elective changes will not be possible • Academic level changes • Level change decisions are made case-by-case • Input from a variety of sources will be needed • A class that is “difficult” is not the same as a class that is “too difficult” for a student! • Changing a level often disrupts the student’s entire schedule! • Changing a level is often not possible! Class space is limited!

49. Level-Change Window • Academic level changes • Level changes cannot be considered until marking period one interims are distributed • Request form • Detailed reason for request • Teacher input – strategies, completed work, extra help??? • Parent & teacher communication?

50. Two notable exceptions • Successful completion of a VL summer course • BWHS level change days – August 10 & 11