Class of 2020
Performance
Acknowledgements
Distinguished Level of
Achievement
Endorsements
Foundation High School Program
for students entering
high school in 2014 and
thereafter
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
English Language Arts – 4 credits
Math – 4 credits
Science – 4 credits
Social Studies – 3 credits (4 credits recommended)
Physical Education – 1 credit
Languages Other Than English (LOTE) – 2 credits (same language)
Fine Art – 1 credit
Speech – ½ credit
Electives – 6½ credits (dependent upon endorsement)
• English 1
• Algebra 1
Grade 9 • Biology
Grade 10
STAAR/EOC
Exams
Grade 11
• English 2
• US History
A student earns a credit (1.0) when he/she successfully completes a
year-long course. Passing requires a minimum of a 70 and being in
attendance 90% of the time.
A student earns a .5 credit by successfully completing a semester-long
course.
Students must earn a particular number of credits to be promoted from
one grade to the next.
6 credits = Sophomore (Grade 10)
13 credits = Junior (Grade 11)
19 credits = Senior (Grade 12)
•
•
•
•
•
•
Pre-AP Algebra I*
Art I*
Communication Applications (.5)*
Spanish I*
Health (.5)
Lifetime Nutrition & Wellness
*Required for high school graduation – Algebra I, one high
school fine art (i.e. Art I), two years of the same world
language (i.e. Spanish), Communication Applications
8th Grade Math
PreAP Algebra I
(high school credit)
Regular or
PreAP
Algebra I
PreAP
Geometry
10th Grade
Regular or
PreAP
Geometry
PreAP
Algebra II
11th
Grade
Regular or
PreAP
Algebra II
PreAP
PreCalculus
12th Grade
Regular or
PreAP
PreCalculus
AP Calculus
or AP
Statistics
9th
Grade
A student may
not receive
credit for the
same course
twice. If a student
is in PreAP
Algebra I, he/she
will sign up for
PreAP Geometry.
• Athletics class (by sport)
• Athletic Trainer (all start by assisting Football)
• Band, Color Guard, or Drill Team - provides 1.0 fine art credit AND .5 PE
credit (fall only)
(Note - completing two years of one of these activities will provide your full PE
credit; can earn a maximum of 1.0 PE credit through these activities.)
• Cheerleading I – provides 1.0 PE credit the first year
• Dance I - provides 1.0 Fine Art credit and 1.0 PE credit (Aerobic Fitness)
(Note: Athletes who take Dance cannot be awarded additional PE credit.)
• PE class
Baseball (B)
Basketball (B,G)
Cross Country (B,G)
Diving (B,G)
Football
Golf (B,G)
Soccer (B,G)
Softball (G)
Swimming (B,G)
Tennis (B,G)
Track (B,G)
Volleyball (G)
Wrestling
Aerobic Fitness (.5-1)
Individual/Team Sports (.5-1)
Outdoor Education (.5)
Foundations of Personal Fitness/Strength & Tone
(.5-1)
• Spanish I
• Spanish II or PreAP Spanish II (must have successfully completed
Spanish I)
• Spanish I/Spanish II for Spanish Speakers (requires an oral and
written fluency test)
• French I
• German I
• ASL I (not accepted at every college as meeting admission
requirements)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Art I
Band I (includes Color Guard/Winter Guard)
Choir I
Dance I or Drill Team I (Drill Team is by audition.)
Digital Art and Animation (Grades 10-12 only)
Floral Design (Grades 10-12 only)
AP Music Theory (Must read and write basic music notation and have
basic skills in voice or instrument; to be taken concurrently with Band,
Choir, or Orchestra)
• Orchestra I
• Theatre I
• Technical Theatre I (requires Theatre I as a pre-requisite or director
approval)
19.5 CORE credits (including required electives)
6.5 elective credits geared towards your ENDORSEMENT
Total: 26 credits for graduation!
7 classes per year X 4 years = opportunity for 28 credits
A coherent sequence of electives in a specific area of interest.
These electives may be taken through an academy or through a
specified Career Pathway.
There are FIVE endorsements:
•
•
•
•
•
Arts and Humanities
Business and Industry
Multidisciplinary Studies
Public Services
STEM
An endorsement can be
changed as long as
there is still time to
complete a new
endorsement.
Students who choose an Arts and Humanities endorsement will
need to take a coherent sequence of credits in a specific area of
interest:
• Additional Social Studies
• Fine Arts
• Additional World Languages
Courses available to 9th
graders are highlighted
in yellow.
Students who choose a Business & Industry endorsement will need to
take a coherent sequence of credits in a specific area of interest:
• Agricultural, Food, & Natural
Resources
• Architecture & Construction
• Arts, Audio/Video
Technology &
Communications
• Business Management and
Administration, Finance, &
Marketing
• Hospitality & Tourism
• Information Technology,
Technology Application, &
Business Information
Management
• Transportation, Distribution, &
Logistics
Courses available to 9th
graders are highlighted
in yellow.
• Complete four credits from each core area (English, math,
science, and social studies). Must include English 4 and Physics
and/or Chemistry.
• Complete four AP or dual credit (college) credits from the
following departments: English, math, science, social studies,
LOTE, and/or fine arts.
• Complete four advanced courses from within one endorsement
or among multiple endorsements (*Denotes advanced
applicable CTE courses.)
Courses available to 9th
graders are highlighted
in yellow.
Students who choose a Public Service endorsement will need to
take a coherent sequence of credits in a specific area of interest:
•
•
•
•
Education and Training
Health Science
Human Services
Law, Public Safety, Corrections, and Security
Courses available to 9th
graders are highlighted
in yellow.
Students who choose a STEM endorsement will need to take a
coherent sequence of credits in a specific area of interest and
Algebra 2, Chemistry, and Physics. Options may include:
•
•
•
•
STEM/Engineering
Additional Science
Additional Math
Computer Science
Courses available to 9th
graders are highlighted
in yellow.
Academy of Aeronautics & Aviation Sciences (AAAS) = Business & Industry Endorsement
Academy of Biomedical Sciences (ABS) = Public Service Endorsement
Academy of Business Management & Entrepreneurship (BME) = Business & Industry
Endorsement
Collegiate Academy = Multidisciplinary Endorsement
Cosmetology Academy = Public Service Endorsement
Culinary Arts & Hospitality Academy = Business & Industry Endorsement
Academy of Media Arts & Technology (AMAT) = Business & Industry Endorsement
Academy of Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math (STEM) = STEM Endorsement
Performance
Acknowledgements
Distinguished Level of
Achievement
Endorsements
Foundation High School Program
• Must meet all Foundation High School Program requirements
• Must meet all the requirements for an Endorsement
• Math - one of the advanced mathematics courses must include
Algebra 2
Examples of math sequences:
Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra 2, PreCalculus
Algebra I, Geometry, Algebraic Reasoning, Algebra 2
• Students in the top 10%* of their graduating class are eligible
for automatic admission to any public university in Texas.
• To be eligible for this automatic admission, students entering
high school in 2014-15 and thereafter must complete the
Distinguished Level of Achievement.
• UT Austin – top 7% currently
Students may earn performance acknowledgments for
outstanding performance in the following areas:





Dual credit courses
Bilingualism and bi-literacy
AP testing
ACT – Plan, PSAT, SAT, or ACT
Earning a nationally or internationally recognized business or
industry certification or license
* See NISD Course Selection Guide for more detailed information.
College admissions – Colleges look for students who have
completed rigorous coursework (PreAP, AP, Dual Credit).
While in high school, students will have the opportunity to
earn college credit through AP courses and Dual Credit
college courses.
Students with higher level courses are generally more
prepared for college level work and more likely than their
peers to complete a college degree on time.
Students can earn college
credits early through AP
courses if they make qualifying
scores on the AP exams in May
(in high school). Highest score
possible is a 5. Typically,
students need to make a 3, 4,
or 5 to receive any college
credit. Credit awarded varies
depending on the
college/university and may
also depend on the student’s
major.
Are you taking
at least ONE
PreAP or AP
course next
year?
Arts
AP Art History
AP Music Theory
AP Studio Art: 2-D Design
AP Studio Art: 3-D Design
AP Studio Art: Drawing
English
AP English Language & Composition
(English 3)
AP English Literature & Composition
(English 4)
History and Social Science
AP European History
AP Human Geography
AP Macroeconomics
AP Psychology
AP US Govt. & Politics
AP World History
Math & Computer Science
AP Calculus AB
AP Calculus BC
AP Computer Science Principles
AP Computer Science A
AP Statistics
Science
AP Biology
AP Chemistry
AP Environmental Science
AP Physics C: Mechanics
AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism
AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based
World Language & Cultures
AP French Language and Culture
AP German Language and Culture
AP Spanish Language and Culture
Consider…
•
•
•
•
•
Your academic strengths
Teacher, parent, and/or counselor input
Reviewing past grades and test performances
Personal goals
Extra-curricular activities
Most importantly…your motivation, effort, &
attitude!
• Class Ranking will include grades earned in courses under the
following headings: English, Math, Science, Social Studies, and
Languages other than English.
• The Grade Point Average (GPA) used to determine class rank
only is calculated on a weighted scale.
Advanced Placement (AP) = up to 7 points
PreAP/Dual Credit = up to 6 points
Regular = up to 5 points
9th Grade
Courses on
the PGP
will serve
as your 9th
grade
course
requests!
Each secondary student has his/her own Naviance (a.k.a. Family
Connections) account.
Through Naviance, our students have the opportunity to research
colleges and careers, track their community service, build a
resume’, and take personality and career assessments.
As a student enters high school, he/she will continue to use
Naviance/Family Connections to:
•
•
•
•
•
Indicate colleges he/she is thinking about or applying to
Request transcripts
Request teacher and staff letter of recommendations
Track college applications/view deadlines
Utilize the personalized TestPrep course for SAT and/or ACT
We invite you to partner with us as your child begins to plan for
his/her future and the path he/she will take to get there.
-NISD Counselors