BHS Course Information

Course Requests/Registration Guide

When requesting courses it is very important to make your course requests carefully for the year. We tally all course requests and make critical decisions regarding teacher staffing, room availability, and resource allocation based on your requests. Please understand we want you to have an educational program that meets your needs, however, once these decisions are made, it will be very difficult to change your course requests.

• Make sure you meet the prerequisites for a course.
• Make sure you include courses necessary to meet high school graduation requirements.
• Make sure you carefully select courses that will prepare you for post-secondary careers and college.
• Make sure you request at least six (6) classes per semester.

There are many opportunities available to you and we encourage you to take the time to review this catalog and make an informed decision about the courses you want to request.

Courses may be cancelled because of low enrollment or availability of a licensed teacher. Students are notified of course cancellations as early as possible. In some instances, it is necessary to reduce the number of sections of a course that is offered. In this case, seniors are given priority admission into a course where enrollment is limited.

A schedule change must be made through a counselor. The student and a parent must complete a change of class form. All schedule changes should be done prior to the 1st day of school so a student will not be missing key content from classes. Reasons for making a schedule change include:

• A student is not scheduled for a course she or he originally requested.
• A student has an incomplete schedule, and needs to add a course.
• A student doesn’t meet the requirements for a course for which she or he is presently enrolled.
• A student needs to schedule/reschedule a required course for graduation.
• A student wishes to drop a study block to add a course.
• A student needs to schedule a course that is required or recommended for admission to a specific postsecondary school or program.
• A student is recommended by her or his teacher to move from one level to another within the same discipline (i.e. regular Algebra II to Honors Algebra II or vice versa).
• The change is a recommendation on a student’s IEP or 504 Plan.

Students should plan carefully with their family and counselors to avoid the need to drop a class. A student is only allowed to drop a class if they have seven classes and would like a study hall. This needs to be completed within the first two weeks of school. A course dropped after the first two weeks of school, for any reason not listed above, will receive a grade of 'F' unless approved by an administrator.

All students must be enrolled in at least six courses each semester. Students must maintain attendance in a supervised study during any period in which they are not enrolled in a course. Students gaining credit beyond the school day through participation in any program may add those credits to the credits gained during the school day. In all cases, a maximum of nine credits per semester will be included on student transcripts and counted toward graduation requirements unless approved by administration.

After school has been in session for ten days into a semester, students may enroll for credit if they transfer grades in from their previously attended school, demonstrate proficiency on standards already covered in a course, and/or complete those assignments and assessments needed for the teacher to determine an accurate grade for the course. (Students currently enrolled may not begin a new class for credit after this date.)

Proficiency testing allows students to demonstrate knowledge and receive credit in courses as per Minnesota State Board of Education regulation 3500.2900. Applications for proficiency testing are accepted and processed according to the following guidelines only once each semester.

1. Conditions Under Which a Student May Apply for Proficiency Test

A student must have completed an out-of-school experience that has led to an unusual level of knowledge in a course or sequence of courses; e.g., attending a language camp, seminar or employment experiences.

2. Timelines for Proficiency Testing Opportunities

Student obtains application form in the Guidance Office. Application must be submitted no later than the fifth week of the semester.

• Counselor will determine whether the applicant has met the necessary criteria. If so, the counselor will pass the information to the department coordinator.
• The department coordinator or designee will contact the student and complete testing arrangements. Testing should be completed by the end of the thirteenth week of the semester.

3. Proficiency Testing Opportunities Which Are Not Available

• Obtaining credit in a course below the student’s level of appropriate placement as determined by the department; e.g., credit in Basic Math when Algebra is the appropriate placement.
• Obtaining credit for experience having no correlation with a course in the Registration Guide; e.g., credit for figure skating.
• Obtaining credit in Independent Study, since there are no standard-learner outcomes.
• Obtaining credit in a course provided exclusively to students with an Individual Education Plan.

For students in need of credit recovery, the Extended Day and Extended Year (summer) programs are offered in an online format. Students are able to sign up for a maximum of one (1) course per session during the Extended Day program and a maximum of two (2) courses per session during the Extended Year program. The online class must be completed during the enrolled session. Teachers are available for assistance during virtual office hours. Students are required to meet with their teacher through virtual office hours a minimum of 10 times during their session as well as complete all coursework in order to be awarded course credit.

A student may engage in study outside of the normal course offerings. A student may not engage in independent study for course content that is currently offered. A student may only register for one credit of independent study in a semester. A student who wishes to engage in independent study needs to contact a teacher who is willing to assist with the study. On a form to be completed by the student and the teacher, the student needs to identify the objectives of the independent study, and the teacher needs to state the means whereby the objectives will be evaluated. This form needs to be completed in the first ten days of the semester unless otherwise approved.