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La Feria High SchoolCourse Selection2017-20181

PurposeDear Student:This course selection booklet can be used to prepare you for your possible career or collegereadiness. It is designed to assist you in the development of your High School Education Plan,which will include all academic and elective courses that meet graduation requirements. Theinformation contained in this guide will give you an opportunity to explore and research careeroptions depending on your interest in a particular career major. Keep in mind that the coursechoices you make now will determine how well prepared you are to pursue higher educationand/or seek meaningful employment.Graduation RequirementsDuring the 83rd Texas Legislature, House Bill 5 was signed into law, changing high schoolgraduation requirements for students entering grade 9 in the 2014-2015 school year andthereafter. The bill provides more flexibility for high school students to pursue a course planspecific to their individual goals for life after high school. HB 5 establishes one graduation plancalled the Foundation High School Program (FSHP). In La Feria I.S.D., all students willenter high school under the new Distinguished Level of Achievement Plan with anEndorsement which will make them eligible for automatic admission into Texas publicuniversities if they graduate in the top 10% of their class.Additionally, student may earn Performance Acknowledgements for outstanding performancein the following: Dual credit courses Bilingualism and biliteracy PSAT, ACT’s Plan, SAT or ACT Advanced Placement Earning a nationally or international recognized business or industry certificationIn addition to meeting graduation course requirements, students are required to pass five end-ofcourse (EOC) exams to earn a diploma.The Five State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) EOC Assessments are:Algebra IBiologyEnglish IIEnglish 1US History2

Foundation High School ProgramDistinguished Level of AchievementWith an endorsement-26 credits English Language Arts – 4 CreditsEnglish I, English II, English III, English IV Math – 4 CreditsAlgebra, Geometry, Algebra 2 and an Advanced Math Science –4 CreditsBiology, Chemistry, Physics and an Advanced Science Social Studies – 4 CreditsWorld Geography, World History, U.S. History and Government (.5)Economics (.5) Fine Arts- 1 Credit Technology - 1 Credit Physical Education – 1 Credit LOTE (Language other than English) - 2 Credits(In the same LOTE) Electives- *5 Credits*Beginning in 2016‐2017 and thereafter; students who entered grade 9 will no longer need the health and speech creditas part of their graduation requirement.Benefits of Graduating under the Distinguished Level of Achievement: Allow you to compete for Top 10% automatic admissions eligibility at any Texas public university; Position you among those first in line for a TEXAS Grant* to help pay for university tuition and fees; and Ensure you are a more competitive applicant at the most selective colleges and universities.*Must be financially qualified3

ENDORSEMENTS, Performance Acknowledgements, andDistinguished Level of AchievementWhat is an endorsement? The FOUNDATION PLAN expands the availability of career and technology(CTE) and academic courses, and encourages students to select a personal pathway of study, called anENDORSEMENT. An endorsement is similar to a “major” in college. All students entering the 9th grade in2014 will be required to select an endorsement pathway. An endorsement is a sequence of coherent courses thatprepare the student to enter the workforce or to prepare the student to make decisions on what career to studyfor in any postsecondary institution. Within each endorsement is a career cluster that provides at least oneprogram of study that includes a variety of occupations that require different levels of education and training.By choosing an endorsement, you can look at a specific area of focus and prepare for the future regarding yourinterests, abilities, talents, and desired level of educationWhat is a Performance Acknowledgement? When a student earns an outstanding performance inareas such as dual enrollment, AP exams, ACT, SAT, ACT-PLAN, and bilingualism/bi-literacy, then theseacknowledgements are placed on the student’s diploma as well as their transcript.What is the Distinguished Level of Achievement? A student can earn this by completing thecurriculum requirements of the Foundation Program and at least one endorsement with a total of 4 credits inMath including Algebra II and a total of 4 science credits. A student must achieve the Distinguished Level ofAchievement in order to be eligible for the top 10% automatic admission to universities.What if I change my mind? Selecting an endorsement is not a permanent commitment. As you have newexperiences, you will learn new things about yourself and may change your mind. If you decide on a newendorsement, you should discuss it with your family and counselor and adjust your future course selectionsaccording to your new endorsement direction.Performance Acknowledgements1. Dual Enrollmenta. at least 12 hours of college academic courses, including those taken for dual credit as part of theTexas core curriculum, and advanced technical credit courses, including locally articulatedcourses, with a grade of the equivalent of 3.0 or higher on a scale of 4.0.2. Bilingualism and Bi-literacya. complete all English language arts requirements and maintaining a minimum grade point average(GPA) of the equivalent of 80 on a scale of 100; andb. satisfying one of the following:i. completion of a minimum of three credits in the same language in a language other thanEnglish with a minimum GPA of the equivalent of 80 on a scale of 100; orii. demonstrated proficiency in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Level IV orhigher in a language other than English with a minimum GPA of the equivalent of 80 ona scale of 100; or4

iii. completion of at least three credits in foundation subject area courses in a language otherthan English with a minimum GPA of 80 on a scale of 100; oriv. demonstrated proficiency in one or more languages other than English through one ofthe following methods:v. a score of 3 or higher on a College Board AP exam for a language other than English; orvi. a score of 4 or higher on an IB exam for a higher-level languages other than Englishcourse; orvii. performance on a national assessment of language proficiency in a language other thanEnglish of at least Intermediate High or its equivalent.viii.c. In addition to meeting the requirements to earn a performance acknowledgment in bilingualismand bi-literacy, an English language learner must also have:i. participated in and met the exit criteria for a bilingual or English as a second language(ESL) program; andii. scored at the Advanced High level on the Texas English Language ProficiencyAssessment System (TELPAS).3. Advanced Placement Testa. A student that earns a 3 or above on a College Board Advanced Placement examination.4.PSAT , the ACT-PLAN , the SAT , or the ACT :a. earning a score on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test(PSAT/NMSQT ) that qualifies the student for recognition as a commended scholar or higherby the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation, as part of the NationalHispanic Recognition Program (NHRP) of the College Board or as part of the NationalAchievement Scholarship Program of the National Merit Scholarship Corporationb.achieving the college readiness benchmark score on at least two of the four subject tests on theACT-PLAN examinationc.earning a combined critical reading and mathematics score of at least 1250 on the SAT ; ord. earning a composite score on the ACT examination of 28 (excluding the writing subscore)5. Industry certification or license:a. performance on an examination or series of examinations sufficient to obtain a nationally orinternationally recognized business or industry certification orb. performance on an examination sufficient to obtain a government5

DUAL ENROLLMENT PROGRAMThe dual enrollment program gives students different ways to earn college credits while in high school. Students earning creditsthrough the various modes of dual enrollment opportunities will receive transfer credit if the course is listed in the Texas CommonCourse Numbering System. Go through the different options below and discuss with your parent to see which dual enrollment optionis for you. Freshmen are not eligible to take dual enrollment courses.Dual Enrollment Options:a.) Texas Southmost College – Dual Enrollment with TSC is focused on academic courses and is taught oncampus with an adjunct instructor. These classes do count towards GPA credit.Eligibility Requirements: Must be TSI compliant (passing scores Math, Reading, Writing) Must apply to TSC through Apply Texas. Complete a TSC dual enrollment application Obtain at least a “C” in each enrolled course to continue participation per semesterb.) Texas State Technical College- Harlingen – Academic Dual Enrollment with TSTC is done during thesummer on the TSTC campus. These classes do not count towards GPA.Eligibility Requirements: Must be a junior or senior to enroll in courses at TSTC Must be TSI compliant (passing scores Math, Reading, Writing) Must apply to TSTC online Complete a TSTC dual enrollment application Obtain at least a “C” in each enrolled course to continue participation per semester Must have transportation to and from the TSTC campus Pay for books and other school supplies needed for courses Must have their MCV4 immunizationc.) Texas State Technical College- Harlingen – Technical Dual Enrollment with TSTC is done during theschool year on the TSTC campus. These classes do not count towards GPA.Eligibility Requirements: TSI is not required for most Level I courses. Specific courses requiring testing will be announced. Must apply to TSTC online Complete a TSTC dual enrollment application Obtain at least a “C” in each enrolled course to continue participation per semester Transportation will be provided to and from the TSTC campus Books and supplies will be provided for courses Must have their MCV4 immunization6

Crosswalk for TSTC Summer CoursesPrerequisiteTitleCollege CoursesCollegeCreditLFHS CoursesEquivalentCollege AlgebraMATH 13143Algebra 2HighSchoolCredit1.0Art AppreciationBeginning Spanish IBeginning Spanish IIGeneral PsychologyIntroductory SociologyUnited States History 1ARTS 1301SPAN 1411SPAN 1412PSYC 2301SOCI 1301HIST 1301344333Art ISpanish 1Spanish 2PsychologySociologyUS History1.01.01.0.5.5.5United States History 2HIST 13023US History.5Biology for ScienceMajors IBiology for ScienceMajor 1 LabBiology for ScienceMajors IIBiology for ScienceMajors II LabAnatomy & Physiology IAnatomy & PhysiologyLabAnatomy & Physiology IIAnatomy & PhysiologyLabComposition 1Composition 2BIOL 13063Biology.5BIOL 11061BIOL 13073Biology.5Biology/Biology1306/Biology 1106BIOL 11071BIOL 2301BIOL 21014Anatomy & Physiology.5Biology/ChemistryBIOL 2302BIOL 21024Anatomy & Physiology.5ENGL 1301ENGL 130233Lit/ Comp 4Lit/Comp 4.5.5Federal GovernmentGOVT 23053Government.5Principles ofMacroeconomicsECON ogy 2101English 1‐3English 1‐3/English1301WorldGeography/WorldHistory/US HistoryWorldGeography/WorldHistory/US HistoryAlgebra1/GeometryNoneNoneSpanish dGeography/WorldHistoryBiology*all courses may not be available7