Program of Studies/Course Catalog

Course offerings will depend on the availability of staff, space, resources and potential scheduling limitations.

Semester-only courses will be scheduled depending on the availability of staff, space, resources and potential scheduling limitations. Occasionally, courses may be dropped due to insufficient enrollment. If this happens to a course you have selected, your school counselor will help you make a new selection.

Students are to carefully and thoughtfully select courses with the advice and consent of their parents. Courses should be selected based on individual needs and interests. Budgeting decisions are based on the course selection process, so students should only choose those courses in which they are sincerely interested in and intend to complete.

Each student is assigned a school counselor by last name. Students may go to the counseling office for counseling and assistance. Parents may contact school counselors by phone (412-833-1600) to talk with the school counselor or schedule an appointment by accessing the individual school counselor’s schedule via the counseling website.

The minimum permissible student load is five full-credit classes in addition to wellness education.

During the first two weeks of each semester, changes may be made based on the following valid reasons:

1. CURRICULUM PROGRAM CHANGE – College preparatory to vocational or vice versa, college preparatory course for particular college majors, level changes (Honors/Advanced Placement/IB to Academic or vice versa, Academic to Conceptual or vice versa.)
2. EMPLOYMENT – When a student has gained employment requiring early dismissal, early release forms must be approved before a change can be processed. 
3. SCHEDULING ERROR – When a student registers for a course that is no longer being offered or the master schedule creates an overlap in course selections (i.e. two courses are offered once a day in the same blocks).
4. PREVIOUS FAILURE – When a class is scheduled with a teacher with whom the student has achieved failing work and when another instructor is available to teach the same course.
5. SUMMER SCHOOL RECORD – When a student completed or failed a course during summer school and when this circumstance affected the student’s course selections.
6. URGENT PERSONAL AND APPOINTMENT CONFLICTS – When a student has a medical issue verified in writing by a doctor and requiring a change of schedule.

PLEASE NOTE: 

• Meeting any of the conditions listed above does not mean the automatic granting of a schedule change. There are times when the student’s course change request cannot be met due to full classes, unavailability of classes at appropriate times necessary to meet the student’s needs or other similar circumstances. 
• No schedules will be changed for the purpose of requesting a different teacher.
• For class size equity, schedules are subject to change, by school officials, over the summer months.

Classes may be added or dropped during the first two weeks of the semester with no impact on the student’s transcript if the student’s schedule consists of at least the minimum permissible number of courses.  

Students must request permission to drop a course after the first two weeks of the semester via the Schedule Change Procedure, which permits changes only at certain junctures of the school year.

If permission to drop is granted, a designation of "W" will appear on the student's transcript next to the student's eared grade at the time of departure from the course, unless otherwise decided by the counselor and teacher. This becomes part of the student's permanent record. For level schedule changes, the student's percentage of achievement will transfer to the new course.

Parents: If you would like your child to be assigned to the resource center when not assigned to classes, please contact your school counselor. Unassigned pupils are expected to use the many designated areas available at the high school.
 

Honors level courses have an increased level of rigor and cover content in more depth and breadth. Students should anticipate material being covered at a faster pace, a higher demand for outside of school work, and additional reading and writing assignments. Only those students recommended for Honors Level courses are encouraged to enroll.

Courses identified as Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate are also considered Honors courses. They are intended for (but not limited to) those students wishing to take the AP and/or IB exams offered in May. Only IB students are permitted, AND ARE REQUIRED, to take the IB exams. All AP courses are under review through an AP Audit conducted by the College Board and will be offered based on approval.

Courses identified as CHS are also considered Honors courses.

We believe that each student should have a minimum of one block for independent study. When students request more than six classes and wellness education, it is likely that the student will not be scheduled for independent study several days a week. 

High school students earning course credit outside of the Upper St. Clair High School curriculum must receive approval from the school district before having it placed on their transcripts. After obtaining approval and successful completion of the course, credit will be granted toward graduation and the grade will be designated on the student’s high school transcript as earned but will not be calculated into the GPA. Documentation of the course title on the student’s high school transcript will be exactly the same as the course title is documented on the official notification from the external agency supervising the course work.

Students are to meet with their school counselor prior to taking any external course work to discuss the process for receiving approval for such course work.

A high school student is deemed as any student in the school district scheduled to attend Upper St. Clair High School in the fall.

Students who transfer to Upper St. Clair High School will have their transcripts transcribed to an Upper St. Clair High School transcript. The transcription process will reflect the course titles and grades as they appear on the sending transcript by granting credit via the Upper St. Clair School District’s semester method (one credit per semester per course). If the sending transcript contains: 

1. Letter grades, the exact letter grades will be transferred to the student’s USC transcript.
2. Percentage grades, the grades will be translated to letter grades by the sending institution’s system as noted on the transcript. If no translation system is provided, the Upper St. Clair percentage scale will be used.