Homestead High School
8th Grade Parent
Open House
January 22, 2014
Ninth Grade Scheduling:
The Basics
The schedule built will start a student on
any diploma pathway
 Seven selections per semester, 14 total
 All students must take English,
Mathematics, and Biology in their
freshmen year

Ninth Grade Scheduling:
The Basics


A student who takes 6 subjects and a study hall
or seminar (a not-for-credit course) each
semester every year will still earn 48 credits by
graduation. (47 are required for the Core 40 with
Academic Honors).
Students who are involved in sports or cocurricular activities should consider taking only 6
academic courses and seminar.
Ninth Grade Scheduling:
The Basics

Three main diploma pathways
 Core
40
 Core 40 with Academic Honors
 Core 40 with Technical Honors


Note: This Spring we will focus on building a
Freshman Schedule.
In October, students will work with guidance
counselors and their parents to design a
complete four year plan
Two
Choices
English 9A/B
College Prep
3011/3012
Honors English
9A/B
3031/3032
Required Summer
Reading
Students who wish to qualify for 9th grade Honors English 9
should have a strong academic record in grade 8 English (B+ or
higher), achievement indicative of student talent and diligence.
They must meet the following qualification criteria:



NWEA Language Usage Test RIT score of 234 or higher
and a NWEA Reading Test RIT score of 237 or higher
OR
Pass+ designation on the E/LA ISTEP+ test at the end of
grade 7 or grade 8
OR
Passing score on High School Honors English
Department Exam that is given Spring Semester.
*You will be notified in advance of testing dates via
direct mailing.
Please note:

Students who do not achieve a passing score on the
placement test may appeal.

There is a summer reading assignment for Honors
English 9. Students will be expected to complete this
PRIOR to the start of the school year.




Math courses are sequential and students
should progress to the next level.
Students currently in Algebra (8th) may enroll in
Geometry.
Students who are currently in Honors Math will
advance to the next step: Honors Algebra II or
Honors Advanced Modeling and Analysis with
Trigonometry.
All other students will enroll in Algebra.
Students must earn at least 6 credits in
math while in high school.
 All students must be enrolled in a
mathematics or quantitative reasoning
course each year in high school.
 Universities such as IU and Purdue
require students to achieve through AMA
with Trig.

There are two options in Science: Biology
and Honors Biology.
 NOTE: Students must have concurrent
enrollment in Geometry or qualify for
Honors English 9 to sign up for Honors
Biology.
 Science Elective for freshman: Biomedical


All students are required to have two semesters
of World History, beginning in either 9th or 10th
grade.

To qualify for AP World History, in 9th Grade, a
student must:
 Be
enrolled in Honors English 9

All sophomores are eligible for AP World History
without testing.

Sophomores will not be allowed to take AP US
History until their Junior year unless they are
enrolled in Honors English 10 or complete AP
World History.
Please note that all diplomas require:
 ONE semester of Health
 TWO semesters of PE
(Must be PE1 and PE2, summer PE can
count as either)

Although World Languages are not required to graduate
from high school, the study of at least two years of a
World Language is strongly encouraged.

Universities such as IU and Purdue will not accept
students who do not have at least two years of a World
Language.

To graduate with a Core 40 with Academic Honors
Diploma, a student must complete 3 years of one
language or 2 years of two languages.

All students are required to take 1 credit in
personal financial responsibility instruction
 Homestead courses that meet this
requirement :
 0806
Adult Roles and Responsibility
 2106 Personal Financial Responsibility
 2580 Preparing for College and Careers
There are some courses which a student should start as a freshmen in
order to participate in the advanced levels of study or opportunities.
These include:
 Journ 1 & 2 - will lead to Newspaper, Yearbook, or Literary magazine
 Intro to Radio/TV - can lead to either Radio Broadcasting or TV
Broadcasting
 Intro level art courses. For example, two visual art classes are
required as prerequisites for Beginning Jewelry
 Engineering Courses Project Lead The Way: PLTW I through PLTW
IV
 Biomedical Courses Project Lead The Way: Biomedical I through
Biomedical IV
 Child Development and Advanced Child Development: Future
Teachers
Family & Consumer Sciences (FACS)
What does the Fox Say?
#takethefacsclassestofindout
• Adult Roles & Responsibilities
**(Personal Finance Credit)**
• Child Development
• Fashion & Textiles
• Housing & Design
• Interpersonal Relationships
• Nutrition & Wellness
Department of World and Classical Languages
French, German, Latin and Spanish
• Students can take six years of Spanish, French
and Latin by starting in middle school ... and
four years of German at the high school!
• Two years at the MS = one year of HS credit!
• By taking a world language course in middle
and high school, students will test out of many
classes in college!
• Students have opportunities to travel abroad on
school trips to experience new cultures!
• Learning a second language now will make you
more marketable and employable in the future!
Middle School Credits
Math and World Language



Do middle school math and world language
credits count in high school?
Yes if students want them to count.
Students will be given the option in the 2nd
semester of ninth grade to have these grades
and credits not included in your high school
transcript.
 You cannot receive credit for the courses
without accepting the grade earned.
 You must choose to have both semesters of a
course included on your transcript or neither
semester.
Middle School Credits
Math and World Language
If a student choses to repeat a course that
was taken in middle school, the grade and
the credit of the repeated course are listed
on the transcript and factored into the
overall GPA.
 It is recommended that students retake
courses that they receive lower than a B in
middle school.

Example of Typical 9th Grade
Schedule
English
 Algebra
 Biology
 Seminar
 PE/Health/Prep for College and Careers
(one semester each) or Elective
 Elective or World History
 Elective or World Language

Next Step for Students




Refer to Ninth Grade Academy Program
Enrollment Guide for descriptions of courses
Ask questions if the answer is not found in the
Enrollment Guide
High School Counselors will assist the Middle
School Counselors with inputting 8th grade
schedules Summit 2/5 and Woodside 2/6-2/7.
Have Blue Course Selection Sheet filled out with
teacher signatures and ready to go
 Parents please sign your student’s
course selection sheet.
 Teacher assignments and numbers are
determined by student course selection.
Therefore, after selections are established,
requests for course changes cannot be honored.

HHS does not allow for students or parents to
request a specific teacher. Schedules are
determined by course request through
automated computer scheduling.
Please make note of final exams dates
and schedule accordingly. Early finals will
not be permitted. Finals date are as
follows for 2014-2015:
December 17, 18, and 19th 2014
May 25, 26, and 27th 2015
(with the possibility of the dates being later
into June due to snow make up days)

Thank You
The Complete Course Description Guide and Flow Charts
Available on Homestead’s Student Services Home Page
Go to www.sacs.k12.in.us
Click on SACS Schools: Homestead
Student Services Home Page on the left
(Minimum 47 credits)
with Academic Honors
Course and Credit Requirements
English/
Language
Arts
Mathematics
8 credits
Including a balance of literature, composition
and speech.
6 credits (in grades 9-12)
2 credits: Algebra I
2 credits: Geometry
2 credits: Algebra II
Or complete Integrated Math I, II, and III for 6 credits.
All students must take a math or quantitative reasoning course each year in high
school.
Science
6 credits
2 credits: Biology I
2 credits: Chemistry I or Physics I or
Integrated Chemistry-Physics
2 credits: any Core 40 science course
Social
Studies
6 credits
Directed
Electives
5 credits
Physical
Education
Health and
Wellness
Electives*
2 credits:
1 credit:
1 credit:
2 credits:
U.S. History
U.S. Government
Economics
World History/Civilization or
Geography/History of the World
World Languages
Fine Arts
Career and Technical Education
2 credits
1 credit
6 credits
1 credit in Personal Financial Responsibilities
40 Total State Credits Required
Schools may have additional local graduation requirements that apply to all students
* Specifies the number of electives required by the state. High school schedules provide time
for many more electives during the high school years. All students are strongly encouraged
to complete a College and Career pathway (selecting electives in a deliberate manner) to
take full advantage of career exploration and preparation opportunities.
(minimum 47 credits)
For the Core 40 with Academic Honors diploma, students must:
 Complete all requirements for Core 40.
 Earn 2 additional Core 40 math credits
 Earn 6-8 Core 40 world language credits (6 credits in one language or 4 credits each in two
languages).
 Earn 2 Core 40 fine arts credits.
 Earn a grade of a “C” or better in courses that will count toward the diploma.
 Have a grade point average of a “B” or better.
 Complete one of the following:
A. Earn 4 credits in 2 or more AP courses (4 credits) and take corresponding exams
B. Earn 6 verifiable transcripted college credits in dual credit courses from priority
course list
C. Earn two of the following:
1. A minimum of 3 verifiable transcripted college credits from the priority
course list,
2. 2 credits in AP courses and corresponding exams
3. 2 credits in IB standard level courses and corresponding IB exams.
D. Earn a combined score of 1750 or higher on the SAT critical reading, mathematics,
and writing sections and a minimum score of 530 on each
E. Earn 4 credits in IB courses and take corresponding IB exams.
with Technical Honors
(minimum 47 credits)
For the Core 40 with Technical Honors diploma, students must:
 Complete all requirements for Core 40.
 Earn 6 credits in the college and career preparation courses in a state-approved College &
Career Pathway and one of the following:
 Complete a career-technical program (8 or more related credits)
 Earn a grade of “C” or better in courses that will count toward the diploma.
 Have a grade point average of a “B” or better.
 Recommended: Earn 2 additional credits in mathematics and 4-8 credits in World Languages
for four year college admission.
 Complete two of the following, one must be A or B:
A. Score at or above the following levels on WorkKeys: Reading for Information Level 6; Applied Mathematics - Level 6; Locating Information - Level 5
B. Complete dual high school/college credit courses in a technical area (6 college
credits)
C. Complete a Professional Career Internship course or Cooperative Education course
(2 credits)
D. Complete an industry-based work experience as part of a two-year career-technical
education program (minimum 140 hours)