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BUILDING YOUR FOUR-YEAR-PLAN

Westlake High School

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MATERIALS YOU NEED TODAY

• Course Number Folder
• Four-Year-Plan | Time Management Worksheet
• Courses for Freshmen
• Core Class Sequences
• iPAD

WESTLAKE COUNSELORS

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Feel free to email us questions!

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EANES ISD ACADEMY for ACCELERATION

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• Geometry or Geometry Honors
• Math Models
• Health
• Economics (only required through the class of 2029)
• US Government
• US History
• Principles of Health Science
• PE

• Registration opens in late February and will close in late April.

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• Cost is $300 per semester.
• Courses will be remote, except for PE.
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• Session 1: May 26-June 18
• Session 2: July 6-July 23

Courses Available

Registration Information

Courses offered through the Eanes Academy for Acceleration are not eligible to be taken through correspondence.

More information will be sent out via email from the school district.

TERMS TO KNOW

SEMESTER

• A half-year of school
• Fall (August – December)
• Spring (January – May)

GPA (Grade Point Average)

• Average of the grades you make in classes taken at Westlake from August to May (middle school, summer, online, ACC, CBE, etc., do not count)

WEIGHT

• Students who take more rigorous courses earn bonus points on their semester average when GPA is calculated.
• Honors = 5 bonus points
• AP = 10 bonus points

*Subject to change*

CREDIT

• Each course earns a 0.5 credit each semester.
• The distinguished graduation plan requires 26 credits.

REQUIREMENT: UNWEIGHTED CREDITS

All students are required to have at least 5 unweighted credits by the time they graduate, and 3 must be complete by the end of 11th grade.

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Any of the courses that are NOT bold/italicized on the course number listing and that you take at Westlake as a part of your regular school year schedule can be included. *These courses are subject to change.*

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Credits earned in middle school, the Acceleration Academy online (correspondence), ACC, and CBE do not count because they are not included in GPA.

Grade Level vs. Honors vs. AP

• Pace of instruction
• Depth of study
• Volume of homework (reading, writing)
• Level of teacher guidance
• Expectation for organization, maturity and self-direction

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Note:

AP Classes are college-level classes

Unsure? Visit with your current teacher in that subject. They know your abilities and study habits best.

BALANCE IS IMPORTANT!

Consider the following:

• Extracurricular activities
• Areas of strength and weakness
• Organizational skills
• Family, religious, and social commitments

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

English 4 credits

Math 4 credits

Science 4 credits

Social Studies 4 credits

World Languages 2 credits

Physical Education 1 credit

Fine Arts 1 credit

Health .5 credit

Electives 5.5 credits

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TOTAL CREDITS 26 credits

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Let’s Review!

How many class periods are in a school day at WHS?

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8; one of them is lunch. Students take 7 classes each year.

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How many credits are required to graduate with the Distinguished Level of Achievement?

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26

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How many credits EACH are required in English, Math, Science, and Social Studies?

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4

Let’s Review!

True or False: You need 3 credits in a Language other than English to graduate with the Distinguished Level of Achievement.

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False. You only need 2 credits of LOTE. They must be in the same language.

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True or False: You earn an 85 in AP Human Geography. Your report card will show a 95 since it’s an AP weighted class.

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False. The bonus points are only included when GPA is calculated. Your actual grade does not change.

Let’s Review!

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Use your course number card to determine which of the following can be used in your unweighted course count:

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Calculus French 2 Robotics II

Let’s Review!

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Use your course number listing to determine which of the following can be used in your unweighted course count:

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Calculus French 2 Robotics II

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Calculus and French 2 are unweighted. We know this because they are not bold/italicized on the course number list.

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Remember, you need 5 unweighted credits by the time you graduate. Three must be completed by the end of 11th grade.

TAKE OUT YOUR IPAD:�LET’S BUILD YOUR �FOUR-YEAR-PLAN

Planning for Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior years is required by the State of Texas. You will update this plan every year.

Go to Skyward Family Access and login to your account

On the left side, select Career Plans

Career Plan = Four-Year Plan

If you have taken high school credits in middle school, they will appear here.

Today you will add courses for all four years of high school here.

At the top right of the screen, click this

GOAL: Plan for graduation requirements

On the right are all the courses you need to graduate: this is a helpful tool.

Items in RED are courses you have not planned for.

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(If you plan to take a course online, or complete a PE waiver it will stay red until the credit is complete.)

ADDING COURSES TO THE CAREER PLAN

Click + Add Curriculum

In the SEARCH box type in the course number or a keyword, select the course, and click SAVE.

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ADD YOUR LUNCH PERIOD

type in

LU996 or lunch

English: Add your English classes now.

Math: Add your math classes now.

Science: Add your science classes now.

Social Studies- Add your social studies classes now.

3 More Spots To Fill In 9th Grade

Options for the Rest of Your Schedule: Language Other than English

American Sign Language (ASL)

Chinese

French

Latin

Spanish

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If you have taken a language in 7^th and 8^th grade (or 8th grade compacted), you should choose Level 2 for your next class.

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Options for the Rest of Your Schedule: Fine Arts

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Chosen from Visual Arts or Performing Arts sections of the course number listing:

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Band, Choir, Orchestra, Color Guard

Beginning Guitar

Dance

Art (three choices for Art 1)

AP Art History

Theater

Technical Theater

Options for the Rest of Your Schedule: Physical Education

PE801: YOGA/FITNESS AND WELLNESS (Lifetime Fitness and Wellness Pursuits)

PE802: REC AND OUTDOOR PURSUITS (Lifetime Recreation and Outdoor Pursuits)

PE803: PER FIT/IND & TEAM ACT (Skill-Based Lifetime Activities)

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Options for the Rest of Your Schedule: Physical Education

Cheerleading

2 Years of Band (marching in fall)

Dance

PE waiver (online application; available fall/spring only)

Options for the Rest of Your Schedule: Physical Education

• You can only have ONE sport on your schedule at a time.

• If you plan to play 2 sports, you will enter your FIRST sport for both semesters in your plan.
• Your counselor will change your schedule when necessary.

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• If your second sport is Track, most athletes stay in their first sport all year and just go to Track before/after school.

Options for the Rest of Your Schedule: Physical Education

• Athletics (pick BOYS or GIRLS)

Enter each semester of the sport, fall and spring, separately.

AT889A

AT889B

Options for the Rest of Your Schedule: Health and Electives

• Health (½ credit; one semester)

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• Electives of interest

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• Use the Courses for Freshmen to identify electives for 9^th graders

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• Use the Course Number Folder to find other electives for 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th grades

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• We know you will change your mind; you will update this every year, so don’t stress.

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Add the rest of your courses for all remaining years of high school.

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• Keep in mind, you can take each class only one time. You may not repeat a course you have already earned credit for.

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• You will be able to edit this each year.

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Review your plan with your parents.

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Next Steps

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Next Steps: Signatures

• When you are sure it is final, sign off on it electronically.
• Click the tiny “Sign” link next to your name near the top left.

• Ask your parent to log into their Skyward account and sign as well.
• These signatures are required by State law.

Click here,

check the box that you agree

If you change your Career Plan after signing it, both you and your parent will need to re-sign it.

Alternate Elective Choices

Enter your top 3 back up classes into this Google form.

DEADLINE IS MARCH 12, 2026

Course selections for all 4 years of high school should be entered by this date, but only 9th grade will be considered your final choices.

Questions?