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How many classes per year for high school?


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I've been mapping out dd's year next year with some advice from the school we're enrolled with. They recommend 8 classes per year, so this is what it would look like:

 

TOG Year 1 - counts for 3: English, Bible, Comparative Civilizations

French

Italian

PE

Planning (a requirement)

Science

 

TOG and PE would run for the whole year. Italian and Science would be first semester and French and Planning would be second semester.

 

This doesn't look like very much to me... There isn't a math because she isn't sure whether to do math 12 next year or whether to enjoy a math free year (she's got three more years left of high school).

 

Planning isn't really an intensive course. I can't imagine what her days would look like...especially second semester when she's basically just doing TOG and French with a couple of planning or PE assignments being thrown in now and again.

 

How many classes is "normal" for high school?

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The local high school (supposedly, according to them, *very* rigorous) requires 6 per year, which for them seems to mean 4 "solids" (such as English, math, history, and science), PE, and an elective.

 

My son will be doing English, math, history, science, foreign language, and a tech elective. He will also be required to be physically active and learn about certain health topics and he will continue to play the violin but these things won't go down as courses on the transcript.

 

I personally wouldn't do a math free year in the middle of high school.

Edited by EKS
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ETA: OH, I realized that you are asking about normal! Well, you can ignore what I posted (though I am leaving it in case it will help you in some way)! I recommend that you check your state requirements. Our state requirements are pretty meager so it is possible to do less each year!

 

(iv) For grades nine through twelve: English (four units); social studies (four units) which includes one unit of American history, one-half unit in participation in government, and one-half unit economics; mathematics (two units); science (two units); art and/or music (one unit); health education (one-half unit); physical education (two units); and three units of electives. The units required herein are cumulative requirements for grades nine through twelve.

 

Five main classes (English, SS, Sci, Math and and Elective, pref FL) plus PE are "normal" around here but it fluctuates.

 

Anyway - here is my original post:

 

I usually schedule English, History/Social Studies, Science, Math, Foreign Language as full year classes, 1 credit each. Some of these classes are required every year, some for 2-3 years and others are electives. PE is a 1/2 credit class and I try to get in another 1/2 credit class, depending on my child's interests and our state requirements. I don't treat Bible as a class and, even though I suspect that the reading, lit study, writing, grammar, vocab I have my children do for English is probably worth 1.5-2 credits, I just give them one on their transcript.

 

For example, 9th grade for my oldest was:

 

Algebra 1 (1 credit)

Latin (1 credit)

World and American History 1600-1850 (1 credit)

Physical Science (1 credit)

English (writing, literature, grammar review and vocabulary) (1 credit)

P.E. (.5 credit)

Fine Arts (art classes, guitar, drama club) (.5 credit)

Logic (.5 credit)

 

My second daughter had a different plan:

 

Algebra 1 (1 credit)

French (1 credit)

Ancient History (1 credit)

Earth Science/Geography (1 credit)

English (writing, literature, grammar review and vocabulary) (1 credit)

P.E. (.5 credit)

Fine Arts (art classes, guitar) (.5 credit)

 

Nest year my second daughter will be a senior. She is only required to take Economics, English and a science this year so all the rest are electives. This is what we are planning, so far -

 

German 3 (1 credit)

English (writing, literature, grammar review and vocabulary) (1 credit)

Chemistry (1 credit)

Economics (.5 credit)

PE (.5 credit)

Consumer Math/Life Skills (.5 credit)

World History 1600-2000 (.5 or 1 credit - we haven't decided yet)

maybe Pre-Calc? we are undecided....

 

hth

Edited by Liza Q
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My kids went to public high school this year after our move. They take 7 classes. That makes 28 to graduate, but they have options to take online classes, including some which are AP classes. Also, Florida gives honor credits to high schoolers for taking Alg I and Spanish I during their 8th grade year.

 

My son did freshman and sophomore years at home, and he took 17 credits during those two years. We only were able to count competitive swimming as PE for one credit, and we used private violin and orchestra as extra curricular. He took physics and a college geology course last year since he needed them for a Science Olympiad competition, and he loved them both. He is taking 2 science courses as a senior - one as an elective so he will graduate with 6 science credits.

 

I was told by someone that colleges rather see 24-30 credits of real classes than to see more with stuff that should be extra curricular. The high school here and in Tn only required 1 1/2 credits of PE/Health. I think anything over that should just be extra exercise. Also, I think that Bible could be used as 1 elective credit, but I would not count it every year even though it is an important part of our lives and done daily.

 

These are just my 2 cents. Good luck

 

ReneeR

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I think 6-7 is typical. I only did 5.5 for my oldest dd's 9th grade year, but I should have had her do more.

 

oldest dd's 9th grade year:

English I - US History-based writing lessons volumes 1 and 2, lit from Core 100 with extra lit

US History - SL Core 100 with additions to bring it up to high school level

Biology - Miller&Levine

Jacobs Geometry

P.E. - tae kwon do and workouts at gym

Health (one semester)

5.5 credits

 

middle dd's 9th grade year

English I - Windows to the World, US History-based writing lessons volume 2, assorted novels and short stories

US History - American Vision textbook using OM syllabus with added novels

Biology - Holt using OM syllabus

Jacobs Geometry

P.E. - tumbling and cardio and isometric exercises at home

Health - Holt using OM syllabus, one semester

Philosophy of Mind - Teaching Company DVDs with recommended reading added, one semester

6 credits

 

My oldest had just 5.5 credits her 10th grade year also, but she took a cc psychology class over the summer that I put with 10th grade to bring that up to 6 credits. For 11th grade, she'll have 7 credits. She's doing her 4 solids at home (English, history, math, and science), but Japanese at the cc counts for a full credit each semester according to the local ISD. The local ISD also counts art as a full credit, but I think I'm going to give just 1/2 credit for it.

Edited by AngieW in Texas
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This is what my dd will be doing next year for 9th:

 

Biology (1 credit)

Bible--Comparative Religions and memory work (1 credit)

English--Grammar, Writing, Literature, Vocab., Logic (1 credit)

Algebra 1 (1 credit)

Spanish 1 (1 credit)

History--Middle Ages/Renaissance/Reformation, LOTS of reading (1 credit)

Art & Music Appreciation (lots involved...) (1 credit)

P.E. (.5 credit)

Home Ec (.5 credit)

 

That adds up to 8 credit hours

It's possible we won't do the Art & Music Appreciation, so that'd leave 7 credit hours.

 

I always heard that P.E. is only counted as .5 credit, so that's what we do.

Edited by Brindee
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I absolutely wouldn't do a math free year. If you feel you need to do math-lite, you could take one course and spread it over two years and work every other day, giving .5 credits per year. I'd consider this far superior to skipping a year and doing a full course the next year. A full year of forgetting math is a LOT.

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Only 22 *credits* are required here, with a credit = a one year class (50 minute class, 180 days of school):

4 credits English

4 credits Math

5 credits Electives

3 credits Science

2 credits Foreign Language

1 credit Fine Arts

1 credit Amer. History

1 credit World History

0.5 credit Government

0.5 credit Economics

 

We did about 5.5 credits worth of classes in 9th grade, and have been doing 6-7 credits worth of classes the remaining years. But I am pretty tough and shoot for 180 hours = a credit, while many schools use the Carnegie credit standard of 120 hours = a credit. It would be a good idea to find out what goes into making a credit in your area -- it may mean 180 days of a 40 minute class, or with a 7th class that floats through the schedule so every day you only have only 6 of the 7 classes -- which makes it a lot easier to do 7-8 credits a year.

 

Also, I'd suggest looking ahead to the colleges/universities your student might attend and gear your classes to what *they* want to make it easier to be accepted and to apply for scholarships. Cheers! Warmly, Lori D.

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It varries even within the districts here. The school dd just came out of required 8 per year, with the option of an open class in the junior and senior year if the student was on track, credit wise. The other school down the street only required 6-7. The difference being dd's school was supposed to be more rigerous, and requiring more credits to graduate, but the fact was that the extra credits ended up being electives anyways. Right now dd is doing the equivelant to 6.5. Next year, her jr. year will be 7 + ROP.

 

I agree with not taking a year off of math. If your dd wants a light year maybe she could a consumer math class instead.

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We did about 5.5 credits worth of classes in 9th grade, and have been doing 6-7 credits worth of classes the remaining years. But I am pretty tough and shoot for 180 hours = a credit, while many schools use the Carnegie credit standard of 120 hours = a credit.
:iagree: Our minimum requirement is 150 hours, so I made sure we always had at least that. Usually we had much more.
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How many classes is "normal" for high school?

 

Six credits per year is the norm.

 

What my dd is doing next year (I think!!):

English

Rhetoric/Debate

Great Books

Algebra 1

Biology

World History

Latin

 

sports and music will be listed with other extra-curriculars.

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6 classes here. Ds (public school)takes

Pre-Cal

English

Anatomy/Physiology

Broadcast Journalism (elective)

Pre-Engineering (elective)

 

and he did Government last summer, so he spends one period helping in the office, which helped him because it lightened his load and gives him time to do some of his homework in school. He needed a lighter year after his time in treatment.

 

What is "Planning?"

 

Unless your homeschool regulations in your state say you need to do PE, I wouldn't bother. Just have her do an extra-curricular that involves exercising in some way. Colleges just count it as an elective.

 

I'd also recommend looking at what colleges want--and know that what they list is the minimum, not the maximum. Your child will be competing for a space with kids who have done far beyond the minimum the college asks for.

 

She could do SAT or PSAT prep for a math course, if she wants something a touch different, but I'd recommend not taking a full year off, even if she hates math.

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high school. My son's senior year was this:

 

IB History of the Americas (second year of two year sequence)

AP Statistics

German !V

IB Biology SL (second year of two year sequence, but he is taking it as a stand-alone, not an IB. He took AP Physics last year.)

IB English (can't remember the exact title, but it is the second year of a two year sequence)

Architectural Drawing

Wind Ensemble

 

Every day there is a half hour period, used for various things. He goes to the band director and, with another kid, has organized a percussion mini-class for fun, for the drumline (he was marching band captain of the drumline this year.) Once marching band season ended, he needed more time beating on things, as percussionists do. :rolleyes: The Wed. study period is frozen and everybody in the school, teachers included, have to read. Once seniors have fulfilled the requirements for their chosen diploma (regular, advanced, or IB) they can take as few as 4 classes their senior year. Counselors will tell you, as well as admissions offices, that selective universities and colleges want to see all four cores plus language in the senior year. If you are going for an IB diploma, you add an early morning class for one semester in your senior year. There are other early morning offerings, which any student can take, but they are mostly basic/regular level classes, for students who leave school mid-day and go to jobs. About a dozen students a year, take CC or college classes, but the scheduling is tough, its called dual-enrollment. My son is not going for an IB diploma, so has had a mixture of IB and AP classes for his core classes, during high school.

 

My one regret, is that my son was on the most accelerated math track, out of elementary school, so had no choice but Statistics in his senior year. The teacher is a bat, so he hates it and it has been a real struggle, even though the subject is good and interesting to him. He was so far beyond what is on the SATs and did not study much for SATs that he scored lower than he should have, in my op. Many math teachers don't like to see the younger kids going thru the accelerated schedule, but nobody told me there was nowhere to go once he was in sr. high. He did well, though, so maybe it was for the best....

Is this what you asked for?Hope it helps.

 

LBS

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