• Scheduling

    In the early spring of each school year, students are given the opportunity to choose courses after having met with their counselor for an informational session. In March, students are given an opportunity to verify their course request in Skyward Family Access. After that time, the Master Schedule is developed. 

     

    The student course requests are used to make decisions about the number of sections of each course. For example, if 60 students request a particular class, two sections will be offered; if only 30 students request the class, only one section will be offered. Therefore, after the Master Schedule has been created, there are very few slots available to accommodate late requests for changes. 

     

    In order to maintain a balance of classroom numbers and to minimize disruptions to the academic process, schedule changes will be made for the following reasons by using the Schedule Change Request Form. 

    • A student has already taken a class in which they are currently scheduled. 
    • A male has been scheduled into a female PE/Athletics, or vice versa. 
    • A student is in a class for which they do not have the appropriate prerequisite (i.e., enrolled in Spanish II and has not taken Spanish I). 

     

    A student requiring a schedule correction must complete a Schedule Change Request Form and submit it to their counselor. The deadline for all schedule corrections is 9 days after the start of each semester. 

     

    Schedule change request forms will be available in the SMS Student Center.

     

    In general, elective change requests will not be honored. However, if a student is trying to move from a regular elective into an extracurricular program (i.e., band, choir, and athletics), the request for the change will be considered but must be initiated by the coach/program director.

     

    Level Changes

     

    Guidelines for Exiting an AAC Course

    Requests to level down will be considered after the first three (3) weeks of school and only if space is available in the new class. Prior to requesting a change in level, the student and parent must have met with the teacher and put in place a plan for success. If the teacher and student feel the plan has been followed, and the student has completed all assignments, a request for a conference to discuss removal may be made. Success in a AAC course is defined as having a grade of 75 or above.

     

    A student requesting a level change must complete the Level Change Request Form and submit it to their counselor.

          

    Criteria for Level Down (AAC > On-Level)

      • Current grade must be 74 or below (GPF in ELA)
      • Prior attendance in tutorials
      • Parent/Teacher contact to discuss the change
      • Teacher recommendation and signature
      • Parent signature

    Guidelines for Entering an AAC Course

    Just as students may request to level down, students may request to level up to an AAC course. These requests can be made after the first day of school. Level change requests to enter an AAC course will be made on a case by case basis and only if space is available in the new class. Counselors will work with the student, teacher, and parents to determine if a level change to enter an AAC course is appropriate. Students will want to consider:

      • AAC courses are designed to prepare students for AP coursework, but they are not a prerequisite for enrolling in most AP courses. Some AP courses do have specific prerequisites. Check each course description for any prerequisites.
      • Due to the challenging nature of AAC/ AP coursework, students may initially experience a drop in grades. Successful completion of coursework is generally defined as earning a 75 or higher as a semester average.
      • Additional support and encouragement are important to help sustain student participation in rigorous classes.

    An approved level change/schedule change will result in a schedule change. Please be aware that any change will likely change multiple classes and teachers. While counselors do our best to limit movement, we cannot make any guarantees that other courses will not be changed. We cannot make any guarantees that a student will remain with their original teachers. A level change and the resulting schedule change cannot be reversed.