The Board of Trustees on Tuesday approved the 2021-22 Education Planning Guides (EPGs) for middle and high school students as they prepare to select courses for the next school year and plan their paths toward graduation.
“We’re very pleased to offer our students and their families these updated guides so they can see all of their options,” said Chief Academic Officer Khechara Bradford after the meeting. “These EPGs really help us lay out all of the courses that are available so our students can find the path that will help them achieve their goals.”
The guides are published each year and include important updates for families on a range of topics, including graduation requirements, Advanced Placement (AP) and dual credit options, Career and Technical Education (CTE) classes, exams and testing, grading and class rankings, credit recovery, sports and academic eligibility, and the college admissions process.
- Spring ISD High School Education Planning Guide 2021-2022
- Spring ISD Middle School Education Planning Guide 2021-2022
They also feature a “Planning for the Future” section that contains yearly checklists to help students make the most of their education, and ensure that they are college and career ready when graduation day arrives. The guides also include relevant data related to jobs and salaries so that students can see the importance of completing high school and also seeking post-secondary education and training.
Students will begin the course selection process in January after the winter break and it will continue through at least early February.
New this year in the high school EPG are revisions to the CTE pathways to provide additional scheduling opportunities for required endorsement courses and to increase student completion rates. In addition, the P-Tech Pathway was added for Dekaney High School. That program will give students the opportunity to earn an Associate Degree though the district’s partnership with Lone Star College – North Harris. In another new addition, the Westfield High School barbering pathway was upgraded to an Associate Degree program, also in conjunction with Lone Star College – North Harris.
Middle school students will also see new course offerings as part of the district’s commitment to build more choice opportunities within its neighborhood schools. Specifically, the Bailey School for Performing and Visual Arts will offer new sources in advanced creating writing, advanced dance, instrumental methods, jazz band for advanced scholars, as well as new classes in theatre, film, and visual art/photography.
Students attending the School for International Studies at Bammel Middle School will also have the opportunity to sample different language rotations in Spanish, French, Mandarin, German and American Sign Language before choosing their preferred language of study in grades 7 and 8.
At the new Polytechnic Institute at Claughton Middle School, students will be able to choose among three pathways in animation/video game programming, robotics and media technology. Among those pathways, will be a selection of new courses, ranging from Principles of Applied Engineering to Principles of Arts, A/V Technology and Communication.
In another change to the EPGs, the district will no longer designate courses as Pre-AP, but rather as Advanced. The courses, however, will be of the same rigor and alignment to college and AP preparation, Bradford said.
Trustees at the Dec. 3 work session praised the EPG for being a comprehensive and family-friendly document that is easy to access.