Course Selection

The Program of Studies 2024-2025 provides you with descriptions for all the courses offered at SHS and should be used as the foundation to select a schedule based on your ability and interests and in accordance with the requirements governing graduation from Summit High School. Please work with your parents/guardians and counselor to develop a challenging course of study that will enable you to attend your college or technical program of choice, and to ultimately follow a career path that is both rewarding and interesting.

Choosing Electives

Please use this list of Elective Offerings 2024-2025 to help guide your course selection. *Be sure to complete the back of this form and bring it with you to your course selection meeting!

COURSE SELECTION

When you indicate your course selections for the next school year, your choices should reflect firm decisions. You will be required to make both first and second-semester choices when you develop your schedule as well as choose elective alternates.

PREPARING FOR COURSE SELECTION APPOINTMENTS

To best prepare for these scheduling meetings, students should:

• Review the Program of Studies for course descriptions and prerequisite requirements.
• Complete the Elective Sheet (with alternate choices) and bring it to their appointment.
• Students should be confident in their choices as no changes will be made to electives once course selection is complete.
• The date of a student's course selection meeting does not influence the likelihood of them getting their top elective choices.
• Students and parents/guardians will have access to review course requests in Genesis following their appointment.

HONORS/AP ELIGIBILITY

The process by which students request an Honors or AP course has changed. Previously, students were required to apply for Honors and AP courses. Moving forward, students will be provided a list of Honors and/or AP courses for which they are eligible to take based on the following criteria:

Students will be provided with a list of AP and/or Honors courses for which they are eligible to take based on the following criteria:

• Students presently enrolled in an Honors/AP class in a discipline will be eligible to take an Honors or AP course the following year if they have a B- (80) or better midyear average (Q1, Q2, X1) with no grade less than C+ (77).
• Students currently enrolled in a non-honors College Prep course in a discipline will be eligible to take an Honors or AP course if they have an A- (90) or better midyear average (Q1, Q2, X1) with no grade less than B (83).
• There are several Honors/AP courses that have additional or different eligibility requirements. These courses are listed in the Program of Studies on page 4 and in the course descriptions.
• We encourage students to make thoughtful and balanced decisions when increasing the rigor of their schedule. Being eligible for a course does not require students to take that course.
• Students should be aware that when enrolling in an Honors and/or AP course, the following applies:
• No schedule change requests for dropping an Honors or AP course will be considered until the end of Marking Period 1.
• Grades (unweighted) are carried from the old course to the new course if a level change is made.
• Level changes are based upon available space and administrative approval and thus are not guaranteed. Approved changes can result in disruption to the schedule overall (ex: other courses and/or teachers being changed, electives being dropped or changed, etc).
• If approved to drop from an AP-level course, students will be considered for the college prep-level equivalent (except for Chemistry).
• Students taking an AP course are required to take the AP exam in May.

Eligibility for Honors or AP courses is conditional on students maintaining the grade requirements for the second half of the school year. While the requirements for eligibility have remained the same, the process has changed to eliminate the student application. Students who have not met the initial eligibility requirements may still be considered for enrollment at a later time.  

SCHEDULING

During the month of March, school counselors will begin the process of scheduling students for next year's courses. Counselors will see their counselees individually and in groups to assist them in the course selection process. We urge both students and parents/guardians to carefully review the schedule that they have prepared. Remember that your school counselor is trained to help you make the proper selection of courses. Please utilize the services of the counseling staff. If any questions arise, or if something needs clarification, do not hesitate to call your school counselor.

Course Selection Timeline (2024):

• February 23, 2024: Honors/AP eligibility letters will be mailed home to students
• Week of February 26, 2024: Junior course selection appointments
• Week of March 4, 2024: Sophomore course selection appointments
• Week of March 18, 2024: Freshman course selection appointments

SCHEDULE CHANGES

Schedules may not be changed once selections are made. In all cases, requests for a teacher change within a given subject area will not be approved unless the student has had a previous course failure with that particular teacher. Students will receive their schedules in June and will have two weeks to bring any inaccuracies or omissions to their counselor's attention. These errors will be routinely corrected. No changes will be made during the summer except for students completing a summer school course.

Student requests to change electives will not be granted.

In order to graduate from Summit High School, a student must complete 130 credits during the course of grades 9 through 12. Satisfactory completion of a full-year course earns 5 credits and satisfactory completion of a semester course earns 2.5 credits. Students, therefore, must gain credit for 26 full-year courses (or equivalent) to earn a diploma. The courses may be taken in any department or subject areas, but they must include:

***Students may demonstrate proficiency in a World Language in lieu of the five-credit requirement.