Course Planning & Scheduling

Course selections for next year should reflect each student’s interests, abilities, and future goals. Students and families are encouraged to make these decisions together, with support from teachers and school counselors. Please remember that students are strongly encouraged to follow teacher course recommendations.

Students should plan a complete schedule for both the first and second semesters now, as opportunities for mid-year changes are limited. When selecting courses, students should aim to balance their workload evenly across both semesters.

SCHEDULING TIMELINE:

JANUARY 26 - Teacher course recommendations for 2026-27 are released in the Focus Portal for current 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students.
JANUARY 26-30 - School counselor scheduling presentations (in-class) for current 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students.
FEBRUARY 4-11 - School counselor scheduling presentations (in-class) for current 8th grade students.
FEBRUARY 5 - 8th grade parent meeting at high school.
FEBRUARY 17 - Student course selection for 2026-27 begins. School counselors will meet with students (in-class) to select courses. 
MARCH 9 - Student course selection ends.
MARCH 10-20 - Parents and students review final course selections for 2026-27. Changes to student's course selections may be submitted during this time.
JUNE 4 - 8th Grade Simulation Day (8th grade students may receive their tentative 2026-27 schedule).
JUNE 5 - 9th, 10th, and 11th Grade Simulation Day (students may receive their tentative 2026-27 schedule).

Graduation Requirements are printed in Bold Print.

*MYP Completion - All MYP Students must also take two semesters of a technology and/or an art elective.  

**IB Diploma - Theory of Knowledge (TOK) must be scheduled in grades 11 and 12.  The IB Extended Essay and the Creativity/Activity/Service Component must be scheduled in either grade 11 or 12.  

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

Students are encouraged and should consider having at least one block for independent study. This unscheduled time allows students to take initiative and manage their learning. However, students who request more than six classes plus wellness education are unlikely to have an independent study block in their schedule.

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 should carefully and thoughtfully select courses with the advice and consent of their parents. Course choices should reflect individual needs, interests, and long-term goals. Because these selections have broader implications for planning and resource allocation, students are expected to choose only those courses in which they have a genuine interest and a clear intent to complete.

School counselors use these guides when helping students through the course selection process. Click on the links below to view students' course options by grade level.

During the first two weeks of each semester, changes may be made to a student's schedule 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 permission to drop outside the two week window is granted, a designation of "W" will appear on the student's transcript next to the student's earned 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.

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.