Counselors help students and families with individual problem solving, crisis counseling, study skills, and stress and time management. The counseling department at JHS also partners with community organizations to expand the range of services offered to students and families. Youth Eastside Services provides substance abuse and counseling support, and LWSD has contracted with Evergreen Hospital to provide risk assessments.

The counseling department works closely with the College & Career Center to guide and prepare students for the many post-secondary options available. Throughout their high school career students have a chance to complete career interest surveys, learn how to conduct college research and narrow their choices, write a resume, and understand how the total college application and financial aid process works. Whether a student chooses to attend a four or two year college, attend a vocational school, take a year off to work or join the armed forces, the staff at JHS will support all students make informed choices and be academically prepared for their choice of college and career.

The High School and Beyond Plan is a state and district graduation requirement ensuring students have a post-secondary plan in place. Using an online tool called Xello, students discover interests, identify skills, research careers and colleges, build resumes and identify majors and career pathways. Students begin exploration in middle school and each year complete new lessons to further their research. Information can be used by staff to plan college visits, guest speakers and field trips aligning with student interests. Once lessons are completed in Xello, the High School and Beyond Plan coordinator will check student work and communicate with students if any part of the plan needs revision. Within Xello is a Method Test Prep link for students to prepare for the SAT and ACT exams. Method Test Prep is a free and comprehensive resource available to all LWSD students.

Active involvement of the student, parent or guardian, and counselor in developing a four-year high school academic plan is the first step toward that positive high school experience. Students should use the four-year plan form in this catalog to map out their high school academic career, and help them advance their college and post-secondary plans. When developing a plan, students should:

• Include courses to help you meet all graduation requirements.
• Be sure you can meet any prerequisites for courses you plan to take.
• Take courses in proper sequence.
• Plan for course fees, if there are any.
• Plan for your post-high school academic and career goals.
• Use your academic strengths to your advantage.
• Maximize your chance for success in areas of academic weakness.
• Keep all options open by taking a full academic load each year.
• Plan ahead for enhancement programs (AP, WANIC, Running Start, CTE Dual Credit).
• Seek recommendations from teachers who know your work.
• Revise the four-year plan every year.

Students in middle school should consult their teachers and counselors for assistance with their four-year plans and course selections for high school. Be sure to maintain alignment with mathematics and science courses. Current 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th graders should consult their teachers and counselors for assistance with their four-year plans and to review their progress toward meeting graduation requirements.

You have the opportunity to increase knowledge, expand academic and thinking skills, and develop sound study techniques in your courses. The grades you earn in those courses are recorded on the transcript. Colleges, universities, and technical training programs use your transcript to determine your admissibility into their institutions and programs. Employers and military recruiters review your grades and course work when considering you as an applicant.

To gain admission into most colleges and universities, and to be prepared for college-level work, you should take additional high school courses in academic areas beyond local district requirements for high school graduation. The level of each course should be the highest level of challenge of which you are capable and willing to put in a quality effort.

Business and technology courses, such as Marketing or Computer Science are helpful to college-bound students. In addition, computer-based courses such as Computer Science or Microsoft Tech. Certification offer beneficial skills for college students. Most colleges and universities, and many employers, seek students with skills or interests in addition to academic achievement. Participation in student government, music, drama and art, school publications, community service, sports, clubs, and other school-sponsored activities can enrich your school life and help you build leadership, cooperation, and time management skills.

Advanced Placement (AP): These examinations are administered through the College Board as final examinations for Advanced Placement courses. They are offered in May each year. Students enrolled in the courses have the option to take the examinations. Depending on the score earned on an AP examination, a student may earn college credit once enrolled in a college or university, or he/she may receive exemption from a required college course. Advanced registration is required, and there is a test fee for each examination taken.

PSAT/NMSQT: (Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) is a standardized test designed by the College Board. At Juanita High School, students take this test on a specific school day in October. The test is recommended for sophomores and juniors interested in pursuing higher education after high school. This test is an indicator of potential achievement on the SAT, and it is used to qualify juniors for the National Merit Scholarship program. The qualifying score is determined annually by the College Board. Students’ results are usually available in early January. Advanced registration is required. There is a $17.00 administration fee for juniors, paid at the bookkeeper‘s office at time of registration (waived for students on free/reduced lunch). To help 10th graders gain more experience with this test, all sophomores will be tested as well, but the School District will be responsible for these fees.

SAT Reasoning Test and ACT: These are college entrance exams which test mathematical, verbal, reasoning, and writing abilities. Either SAT Reasoning Test or ACT must usually be presented as part of an application for admission to a four-year college or university. Please check with the college(s) you are applying to and see whether they require the SAT/ACT for entrance. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many colleges changed their practices either temporarily or permanently to remove the SAT/ACT from their college entrance requirements. This information also is available through the JHS Career Resource Center and college websites. Many students take the SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT in the spring of the junior year and/or the fall of the senior year. The tests are given at many area sites on specified Saturdays. In order for results of the test to be available for the college admission process, you should plan to take one or both of these tests no later than the first week in December of your senior year. Advanced registration is required, and there is a test fee.

SAT Subject Tests: These are tests designed by the College Board, and each is dedicated to a single subject. Some colleges and universities require applicants to submit scores from SAT Subject Tests. Consult the college or university in which you have an interest to find out if it requires SAT Subject Tests. If so, plan to take SAT Subject Tests in the spring of the school year in which you are taking the course content for the test. The tests are given at many area sites on specified Saturdays. Advanced registration is required, and there is a test fee.

For SAT info, please visit www.collegeboard.org
For ACT info, please visit www.ACT.org

When choosing courses during registration, students should consider all their commitments during the school year, including but not limited to, after-school activities and number of advanced level classes they are signing up for. Signing up for a course means the student is committed to taking that course and will seek out opportunities for help, should challenges arise. Yearlong classes are yearlong commitments.

There are very limited schedule changes at the beginning of a semester, and they are limited to the following circumstances:

• A senior missing a graduation requirement
• Missing a core academic requirement (e.g. English, math, history)
• A student selected a class for which he/she has not met the prerequisite (e.g. Art 2 without taking Art 1)
• A student is assigned a class that he/she did not request, even as an alternate.

Important things to consider when choosing courses:

• Maintain a balance. Consider how many hours of homework and studying each class will entail. Ensure you will have enough time for studying and make sure you will have enough time for extracurricular activities, family, friends, and sleep. There are 7 periods in the day, which means 7 classes to manage.
   
• Take classes that interest you. Consider your post-secondary plans and whether you are interested in a 2-year or 4-year college, military, apprenticeship, vocational school, etc and request classes that align with these goals.
   
• Students choosing year-long classes (whether an elective or Advanced Placement classes) are making a year-long commitment. Students will not be allowed to transfer out of year-long classes.

In order to avoid disappointment later on, you must select enough courses to complete the entire course selection worksheet, including the six alternate choice spaces. These alternates are not considered in any priority order. Therefore, you can expect to see any of your alternate choices on your final schedule, no matter where you listed it on your course selection worksheet

Schedule changes within the first five days will not be recorded on the transcript. A “W” (withdrawn) grade will be recorded on the transcript of students dropping courses after the first five (5) days through the fifth (5th) week of the semester. The course will remain on the student’s official transcript but will not impact the student’s GPA. Students will receive an F grade for courses dropped after the 5th week of the semester except in the case of extenuating circumstances as determined by the principal. All schedule changes must follow designated school processes and be approved by counselors/administrators. The ability to schedule students into a different course is limited once the registration process ends.

JHSAcademicCoursePlanner.pdf

Grading at JHS is on a four point scale, with 4.0=A. Passing is D, but in some cases, a student must achieve a grade higher than D to progress to the next course in an academic sequence. (See course descriptions.)

In special circumstances, students, in consultation with their teachers and counselors, may elect to take a course Pass/No Pass instead of earning a letter grade. Please note: Taking this option limits eligibility for some graduation honors and may change the NCAA classification of the course. Pass/No Pass must be approved within the first four weeks of the semester.

A senior in good standing may complete an application for Early Dismissal or Late Arrival, reducing the seven class daily schedule by a maximum of 1 class. (A minimum six class per day enrollment must be maintained for the student to be eligible for graduation from JHS.) Reduced schedules are approved only for academic or vocational reasons. Students who take a semester position as a Teaching Assistant (TA) are not eligible for Early Dismissal or Late Arrival.

Credit may be approved for educational courses or experiences that are obtained through an institution or organization outside of Juanita High School. An application process is required. Approval to pursue an outside course or experience for credit must be obtained from the principal before the beginning of the course or experience. A maximum of 3 credits total throughout your high school career may be submitted for approval. The request for acceptance for out of district credit is available in the counseling office.

A junior or senior in good academic standing may register to be a Teacher Aide for a teacher, department, library, or office at JHS. Grading for TA positions is Pass/No Pass, and elective credit is earned. Students are advised to accept a TA position for no more than one semester during grades 11-12.

The Cambridge Program is one of the Choice Schools available to incoming ninth graders. Each Cambridge syllabus is developed by Cambridge Assessment International Education, a department of the University of Cambridge in England. Cambridge International is a not-for-profit organization operating in over 160 countries around the world, and the largest provider of international qualifications for 14-19 year olds. Cambridge courses emphasize higher order thinking, oral, writing, and investigative skills along with collaboration. Students enroll in Cambridge courses for the four core subjects each year.

At the end of each course, students sit for exams, many of which count toward the Advanced International Certificate of Education. The AICE Diploma requirements encourage breadth through a combination of International A (Advanced) and AS (Advanced Subsidiary) Levels. Cambridge International A/AS Levels are accepted in universities throughout the world. For more information on the Cambridge Program and application process, please visit the Cambridge page on the JHS website. 

Graduation pathways requirement
Students have the opportunity to meet the graduation pathway requirement by earning a C+ in an identified AP or Cambridge course or scoring 3 or higher on the AP exam. To see all math and ELA courses that apply, go to the Highly Capable Services page on lwsd.org. Click on "Advanced Placement" and scroll down to “Graduation pathways requirement.”

Futures School, a Choice School for 11th and 12th grade students, offers a positive alternative learning environment where students become inquisitive, engaged and self-confident individuals striving towards excellence in their future. One of the differences between Futures School and Juanita High School is that the schedule at Futures provides additional flexibility for students as well as the opportunity to gain additional credits. This program runs in approximately 30 day (6 week) sessions for a total of three per semester. For detailed information about Futures School, please visit the school website here.

In this STEM Global Health Signature Program, students will explore global health through the lens of literature, social science, body systems, and disease detection and prevention. Laboratory investigations, problem-based learning, and a variety of public health related readings will play a prominent role in the program. Opportunities to work with community partners and explore health career options will be an integral part of the course. The Science and English homework expectations apply.

STEM Global Health (Juniors/Seniors)
STEM Global Health is designed as two courses that include Science (Anatomy and Physiology) and Global Health English (grades 11 or 12). For the purpose of transcripts, credit will be earned for the following: Anatomy and Physiology (Science) and English (Global Health English; UWHS English credit will be offered). Please refer to the catalog for individual course descriptions

STEM Workplace Experience (Seniors)
This part of the program is designed to allow students who have successfully completed STEM Global Health to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding by peer tutoring in one of the STEM courses. In addition, students would be able to participate in job shadowing in a health profession with community partners. For the purpose of transcripts, elective credit will be earned. Please refer to the catalog for individual course description.