Students in the middle school take course work set forth by the Texas Education Agency's Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. Core classes include: Math, English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR), Social Studies, and Science. Elective classes fall within four categories: fine arts, performing arts, physical education, and career/technical education.
All students take three years of the core courses. In the electives, every student is required to take one year of the arts, two years of PE, and one year of technology applications.
The Scheduling Process
In early spring, students are given an overview of the course of study and course selection process. The school counselor meets with each student individually to discuss courses and help them make course decisions. A draft of the student course selections goes home for parents to review and revise.
After all course selections are turned in, the master schedule of classes is finalized, and student selections are loaded into a scheduling database. The database software places students into their selected courses. Any students whose selections do not fit into a complete schedule, are hand entered.
By the beginning of August, nearly all students have a complete schedule. The first drafts of the student schedules are handed out to students and parents at the schedule pickup. At this time, new students also register and receive a drafted schedule. On the first day of school, student enrollment is taken and schedules are finalized.
If a student is having a problem with a class, the student or parent may initiate the schedule change process. This process begins with a schedule change meeting with the teacher, the parent, the student, and department head. At this meeting the "Request for Schedule Change" form is filled out and signed by all parties. At the meeting, a solution to the problem is drafted. The solution is to be implemented for three weeks.
If the problem still exists after three weeks, the "Request for Schedule Change" form is submitted to the Assistant Principal's office. A team of staff members reviews schedule change requests weekly and approves or denies the requests.