Course Placement for High School Students

Determining Factors

When assigning Carnegie Units, the ES must also determine if a course is Basic, General, or College Prep. When determining the course level, it is essential to make sure that the student is placed in courses that are appropriate to their abilities, interests, and aspirations. You should take into consideration the following:

· What are your student’s interests?

· What are your student’s career goals?

· How can your student best prepare for a career?

· How far does your student think he/she will go in school (for example, vocational/technical/trade/business school, two year college, four year college, graduate work)?

Graduation Requirements Agreement

Because these are such important discussions to have with your high school students and parents, the ES is required to fill out the Graduation Requirements Agreement (printed from ES WEbfiles) at the first meeting with any new high school student. The ES, parent and student are required to sign this document and the ES is to keep this on file, and update as often as the student/parent changes their mind.

To locate the Graduation Requirements Agreement in ES WEbfiles, go to View/ Students --> select the “Student Forms” tab --> click the green button “Requirements Agr.” for each high school student.

Appropriate Course Level

Careful analysis of your student’s goals and abilities should help you determine the appropriate course level. You should consider the career that the student is interested in pursuing and assist in determining the level of preparation he/she will need to enter the career. Will the student be able to go directly into the career upon high school completion or will he/she need to be prepared to enter a vocational program, a two year community college program or a four year college program?

If the student is reading far below grade level and is considered “at-risk”, the student would benefit from Basic Courses. However, it is important to encourage your student to attain better reading and writing skills in order to be prepared to pass the CAHSEE.

If a student is thinking of going directly into the job market, consider recommending ROP, community college, or adult school courses which may benefit their preparation. This type of student may be placed in General Courses. Make sure your student is challenged so that he/she can be prepared to be pass the CAHSEE exam.

Just as employers want workers who have certain skills, most colleges want students who have taken certain courses. The most important thing a student can do to prepare for college is to sign up for the right courses and work rigorously to pass them. If a student desires to go to college, whether it is community college or a university, they need to be encouraged to take all core subjects as a-g College Preparation Courses. These courses are titled “a-g” because they meet the UC/CSU college entrance requirements as well as most private and out of state college entrance requirements.

Transcript Evaluation

To evaluate an unofficial transcript when a student enrolls to determine appropriate course selections, use the Transcript Abbreviation Key.

High School Course Planning

The linked attachments are optional forms to assist you with your student's educational plan.

Basic Courses are courses that are below skill level, are non-college prep, and are for students with very low reading ability. They are usually assigned when a student is working in texts from vendors like AGS, Weiser, Key Curriculum, Saddleback, Steck Vaughn, Walch (see "at risk students"). A student that completes texts and assignments from books purchased from these vendors would be assigned "basic" course titles. If supplemented with further reading assignments, projects, and research reports, the level may be raised to a "general" course at the teacher's discretion (see Projects and Activities Guide).

General Courses are courses that use skill level, non-college prep high school texts and are assigned the general course title, like English 1A, etc. Traditional vendors are similar to Holt/Rinehart/Winston, McDougal Littel, Oak Meadow, and Division of Independent Study, to name a few. Basic course texts may be used if supplemented with further reading assignments, projects, and research reports.

“a-g” College Prep Courses are the “typical” courses that students take at regular high schools and are assigned the a-g course title. The texts may be purchased from some of the same vendors as General Courses or from College Bookstores, are written at or just below grade level reading ability, and must be chosen from the list of a-g textbooks approved for your school. Suggestions for these texts can be e-mailed to sross@ieminc.org for submission for the following year.