Scheduling Classes & Earning Credits

Page last updated August 28, 2009 1:31 PM

 

How We Schedule Classes Enrollment in three classes each term is the minimum required for all students through their junior year. Many students will choose to take more than three classes, and we encourage students to challenge themselves as much as possible academically while in high school. Space availability in classes will be the primary determiner of how many additional classes a student can take each term.   All returning students go through a scheduling-guidance and decision-making process with staff for a week during the spring of each year. Students are given their updated transcripts along with new curriculum information and they are instructed to discuss their preferred and alternate class requests with their families and then return the completed forms that same week. Counselors are available for individual assistance.   Students may at times not receive their first choice in course, time, or teacher, but they will get all required courses over the span of the year.   If a student receives fewer than three classes on a schedule for a term, a counselor should be contacted to complete the schedule RIGHT AWAY.

How to Count Credits • Students earn .5 credits for each class that meets every day in a term. • Because class periods are 80 minutes in length, one full academic year worth of subject matter can be covered in two consecutive terms (18 weeks). • Three classes per term is considered a full schedule (6 credits per year). • Four or five classes per term are allowable on a "space available" basis for sophomores, juniors, and seniors.

 

Freshman Scheduling

Staff members from North visit Kelly/daVinci and Madison Middle Schools in the spring to provide scheduling assistance and academic advising to 8th grade students who will be attending North in the fall. There are also presentations during that time for parents of incoming students so that they can get information and assist their students with scheduling decisions.

 

The scheduling process works essentially the same way as it does for returning students, except that middle school teachers provide course recommendations for placing new students in the core subject areas at North.

 

Because passing three classes each term is sufficient to meet all graduation requirements, the choice for a Freshman to take more than three classes is left with the family. The decision should take into account the challenging transition into high school, the abilities and study skills of the individual student, general readiness for high school, and the time needed for the student's extracurricular activities.

 

 

You must earn a C or better

At North Eugene, a student will earn credit for a class when it is passed with a grade of C or better. Passing three classes each term is sufficient to meet the minimum graduation requirements over four years.

In order to earn a diploma, all students in Eugene School District 4J must earn at least 23 credits in specified subject areas. Click here to learn the specifics.

 

 

Schedule Changes

With full-year scheduling, it is critical that students and parents pay close attention to their schedule requests in the spring. Once all students are scheduled for the full year, it can be very difficult to find classes to change into that are not already full.

Student classes will be changed if a student is misplaced or a teacher recommends a placement change. In addition, students may find that they have an incomplete schedule of less than 3 classes if there was a scheduling conflict that the computer could not fix. If that occurs, the student should immediately see an administrator (grade 9) or counselor (grades 10-12) to add classes. It is not possible to request or change classes only because of term, class period, teacher, or friendship preferences.

North Eugene's schedule-change policy guidelines indicate that a student may drop a class without penalty only in the first three days of each 9-week term. However, the desire to drop a class during that acceptable time period does not guarantee that another class will be available to add. Students and parents should carefully consider this situation when discussing a possible drop.

If a student chooses to drop a class after the first three days of the term, there will be a WF grade penalty on the student’s permanent transcript for that class, unless there is a special circumstance involved. Schedule change request forms are available during the first three days of each term in the Counseling Center and in the Main Office. After 3 days, a Withdraw/Fail form will be used.

If a student has missed class and is in danger of failing, he or she should discuss this with the teacher and counselor and consider continuing in the class with a reduced-credit option.