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Course Selection Process
In the coming weeks we will be guiding students through the course selection process for next year. Listed below are brief descriptions of those upcoming steps, and opportunities for parents/guardians to engage with their child and their Advisor as the process unfolds. There is no immediate action needed, but we do recommend parents/guardians speaking with their student about their plans at some point during this process. The timeline is a little different for each grade. As always, teachers, Advisors and Division Heads are available to answer any questions you may have. We have designed this process to put students in the driver’s seat, but are eager to partner with parents/guardians in supporting them as they make decisions.
Timeline
- February 9: Advisory session for 9th and 10th graders about creating and/or revising a four-year plan for course selection. This is a reflective activity, and does not involve actual registration, but helps students make decisions in the coming weeks with the bigger picture in mind.
- Juniors do not have such a session scheduled as they only have one year remaining, but the College Counseling team provides opportunities for consultation to juniors throughout course selection process.
- In Middle School, the process begins with an Assembly presentation on Monday, March 15
- Weeks of March 15 and 22: Online course requests entered during two dedicated Advisory sessions. Parents will receive confirmation of students’ requests shortly after the March 23rd Advisory session.
- April 1 and 2: Advisor conferences. These conferences are intended to serve the dual function of a mid-trimester check-in on progress in current courses, and also an opportunity to review course selection for next year and make changes if needed.
- Mid-July: Schedules released to students. Each year we create our schedule of courses in order to fulfill as many requests as possible. However, with only 8 academic periods and over 200 courses, conflicts invariably do happen. Students should review their schedules in August to make any adjustments necessary before school begins.
Note about Course Progression
In sequential curricula like Math and Spanish, student success depends upon developing a strong foundation of skills and content knowledge before progressing to the next level. In the vast majority of cases, students successfully complete each level of instruction and are well-prepared for the next. However, if a teacher has a concern about a student’s readiness for the subsequent course, they will communicate those concerns by the end of Winter Trimester. Families may then use the opportunity of the Advisor conference to make plans for summer reinforcement studies, or alternative placement for the following year. Similarly, there are some circumstances in which a student may seek to advance to the next level of a progression by taking coursework over the summer. In those instances students must make their request and confirm summer study no later than the April conferences to ensure that the desired course is available and to allow time for the approval process.