Greetings Wildcats!
It's Time for Course Selection for 2024-2025!
Season's greetings and Happy Holidays!
December 2023- Course selection for 2024-2025 is here! Below are directions to the course selection process so please read carefully and pay close attention to due dates, graduation requirements, and post high school guidelines. In January, students will have individual course selection meetings with their school counselor. See below for how to prepare for your course selection appointment!
We played these two videos during announcements in December to help students reflect about their course selection. '
Video 1
Video 2
ACCELERATED PLACEMENT FOR 2024-2025
This coming school year, the Accelerated Placement Act will go into effect. This act requires Illinois public school districts to automatically enroll students who meet or exceed state standards in English Language Arts (ELA), Math, Social Studies, or Science in the next most rigorous level of coursework in that content area the following school year. Most area districts, including District 128, have selected the PSAT/SAT as the nationally normed assessment to use in order to meet expectations of this law.
To read more about Illinois State Board of Education's Accelerated Placement Act, click on this link. In August, D128 sent this communication announcing changes to the course placement process for core classes.
How will this law impact my student?
The College Board PSAT benchmarks in EBRW (Evidence Based Reading and Writing) & Math impact course placement for the 2024-2025 school year in each department.
Students who scored at or above the PSAT benchmark in EBRW and Math will be eligible for accelerated placement and automatically placed in the next most rigorous course in the corresponding content area. Parents and students will have the option to opt out of the next most rigorous course level as students prioritize balancing their overall schedule, post-secondary goals, and mental health. Students/families who decide to opt out of an honors or AP class will do so during the course selection process and do NOT need to inform their counselor or department chair.
What if my student didn't meet the benchmark?
While students who meet benchmarks will have automatic access to the next most rigorous course, this does not mean that students who do not meet benchmarks cannot also select a rigorous course. LHS will also provide parents with the option to discuss coursework that they believe better aligns with their student's postsecondary education or career goals by contacting the appropriate LHS academic department chair beginning January 8th to discuss placement. More information about the college and career readiness benchmarks for the SAT Suite may be found at this link.
Placement for World Languages will be determined by your student's current World Languages teacher.
Placement for students with an IEP or 504 plan & other support programming: In the coming months, students and parent/guardians with 504s and IEPS will have individual meetings with their current case manager and LHS representative to support course selection, post-secondary planning, and elective choices.
Placement for students who do not have a PSAT 8/9 score: LHS Department Chairs and teachers will collaborate to create a set of course recommendations for each student.
IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS BEFORE COURSE SELECTION FOR NEXT YEAR
BALANCE
- Has your student created an academic plan that takes into account their extracurricular plan (athletics, clubs, fine arts activities, hobbies, and work) as well as personal/social time in order to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle?
CHOICES
- Are there elective courses (Applied Tech, Business, Family/ Consumer Sciences, Art, Music & World Languages) that your student is planning to experience next year in order to enrich their schedule?
- Have they incorporated time to seek out additional assistance, if needed?
- What is the best overall combination of courses (supportive, college prep and accelerated) to demonstrate your student’s unique talents, interests and abilities?
- Which courses offer an opportunity to connect your student’s area of interest with potential post high school major/career goals?
LEVEL OF ACADEMIC RIGOR
- What level of academic rigor has your student prepared for?
- Are they ready to accelerate their curriculum in a specific area of interest and commit to consistent, efficient and effective study habits?
- Which courses would you consider “a good fit,” a “good stretch,” and/or a “stretch too far?”
- How many accelerated courses (honors, Advanced Placement, and/or dual credit) should your student work through, if any?
- Please have a discussion with your student about what is a "productive struggle" versus an "unproductive struggle" to encourage meaningful growth and achieve their desired results.
The courses your student qualified for per the Accelerated Placement Act represent the highest level of course they could select if that want to. In addition to accelerated courses, LHS has several "on-level" or college prep courses for them to take as well.
UPDATE YOUR ACADEMIC PLAN AND SUBMIT YOUR COURSE REQUESTS ONLINE
It is important that parents work with their students to make thoughtful course selection decisions. After this initial course selection process (which ends February 14th), a student’s ability to make changes to their course requests will be limited.
Follow the steps below to review course placement and update your academic plan for next year.
STEP 1: VIEW COURSE PLACEMENT IN POWERSCHOOL.
STEP 2: UPDATE YOUR ACADEMIC PLAN. The most important step!
STEP 3: SUBMIT YOUR COURSE REQUESTS ONLINE THROUGH POWERSCHOOL.
The online course selection portal is open! Each grade level will submit their courses online before they meet with their counselor to finalize. Click the link above to learn more!
UPCOMING EVENTS
January 8: The course selection portal for juniors closes.
January 10- February 9: Juniors will have individual course selection appointments with their counselor
January 21: The course selection portal for sophomores closes
January 22-25: Sophomores will have individual course selection appointments with their counselor
January 28: The course selection portal for freshmen closes
January 29- February 2: Freshmen will have individual course selection appointments with their counselor
Everyone will have equal opportunity to select courses until February 14th.
See the attached link for dates and tips to consider or you can print this visual timeline.
Contact Us!
LHS Director of Student Services
847-327-7012
Student Services Educational Support Personnel
Registration & PowerSchool Management
847-327-7014
Student Services Educational Support Personnel
Course requests & PowerSchool Management
847-327-7015