High School 101

BHS Counseling Team

• Niki Fuss, Last names A-F
• Angie Beyer, Last names G-N
• Krista Zeigler, Last names O-Z

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Course Preview Night

• Review 4 Year Planning
• Basic graduation requirements
• Selecting courses for 9th grade
• Important dates
• Questions

4 Year Planning

Lesson 1: Core classes - Math, Science, English, Social Studies

• Advanced vs. on-level, consider life balance
• GPA - weighted vs. unweighted courses

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Lesson 2: Graduation required electives - 1 fine art, 2 LOTE, 1 physical education

• If you are planning to play more than one sport, select the sport that comes first.
• 2 years of Band, Dance, or Highlandettes will satisfy both 1.0 fine art credit and 1.0 PE credit
• If you are interested in a try out sport/elective, please be sure to pay attention to try out meetings and deadlines.

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Lesson 3: Endorsement Electives

• Arts & Humanities, Business & Industry, Multidisciplinary, STEM, Public Service
• See the endorsement sheet for help mapping out your endorsement electives/pathway.

Graduation Requirements

Graduation Plans:

• 26 credits = Distinguished
• College Bound
• Allows a student to compete for Top 10% automatic admissions eligibility

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• 26 credits = Foundation + Endorsement
• College Bound

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• 22 credits = Foundation Only

Endorsement Areas

• An Endorsement is required by HB5 for DLA graduation plan and Top 10%
• Earned by completing a program of study
• Available endorsements in BCISD
• Arts & Humanities - Band, Theater Arts, Theater Tech, Dance, Art, Choir, LOTE
• Business & Industry - Ag pathways, Culinary, Bus. & Finance, Des. & Multimedia Arts, Digital comm
• Public Service - Healthcare Therapeutic, Teaching & Training, Exercise Science and Wellness
• STEM - Math, Science, Computer Science, Programming and Software
• Multidisciplinary - 4 Credits English, 4 Credits Math, 4 Credits Science, 4 Credits Social Studies
• All students will begin freshman year with the Multidisciplinary endorsement and may change/add endorsements

Scan here for a complete list of endorsement electives at BHS.

STAAR/EOC Requirements

In addition to earning the required number of credits, each student must pass required STAAR End of Course Assessments to graduate:

• English I
• English II
• Algebra I
• Biology
• US History

Retest opportunities are available three times per year for students who are not successful on their first attempt.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

• GPA calculation begins with courses taken after the completion of 8th grade.
• Students receive an unweighted and weighted GPA.
• GPA is only figured on Core 4
• English
• Math
• Science
• History
• GPA is only calculated twice a year
• January
• June
• More information regarding GPA is available in the Burnet CISD Course Catalog.

Top 10% and Automatic Admission

Automatic admission to a Texas Public College or University is available to students who graduate in the top 10% of their class on the Distinguished Graduation Plan.

• Students are assured admission to the college, but not always their desired major.
• Students must apply by the deadline set by the college/university.

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University of Texas (UT) at Austin Automatic Admission varies by year.

• Class of 26 and beyond – Top 5%

Advanced Coursework

(Honors, Dual Credit, & Advanced Placement)

• Content is challenging and will require more time outside of the school day
• Honors courses prepare for the rigor of AP and dual credit courses
• Organization and time management skills are needed in order to be successful
• Enrolling in honors courses is an individual decision
• There is a GPA bump for honors courses
• Important to maintain a healthy balance when deciding on courses to take
• Students can drop down to on-level within the first 5 weeks of school

Choosing Your Core Classes

Choosing Electives:

• World Language (LOTE) - 2.0 credits required - Spanish I & II
• PE or Substitute - 1.0 credit required
• Fine Art - 1.0 credit required
• Endorsement Elective/Other Elective - 7.0 credits

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Entering Selections in Skyward

Step 1: Click on Career Plans

Step 2: Click on the Planned Curriculum Tab

Step 3: Review & updated courses as needed

Course Selection Resources

Endorsement electives at BHS

25-26 BHS Course Catalog

Important Dates:

• Feb. 24-28, 2025 - Individual Student Meetings with BHS Counselors (Students Only)

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• March 6-May 7, 2025 - Students can request changes to selections by filling out the change form in their grade level Google Classroom
• May 7, 2025 - Last day to request changes to course selections

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