Austin High School

Incoming 9th Grade Course Selection Presentations

Preparing for 2026-2027 School Year

October 2025

COUNSELORS

Teri Ochoa

Student Last Name Aa-Cz

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Karla Flores

Student Last Name Hi - Md

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Ann Margaret Hudson

Student Last Name Da - Hh

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Erin Hall

Student Last Name Me -Rz

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Stacey Haenchen

Student Last Name Sa-Zz

Lead Counselor

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Sylvia Chavez

Counselor for Students Receiving Special Education Services

COLLEGE & CAREER COACH

WELLNESS COUNSELOR

Brandie Cleaver

Brandie.Cleaver@austinisd.org

Sherri Patton-Grub

Sherri.Patton-grub@austinisd.org

AISD PRESCRIBED GRADUATION PLAN

(26 CREDITS)

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4 English Credits

• English I, English II, English III, and English IV

4 Math Credits

• Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Upper-Level Math

4 Science Credits

• Biology, Chemistry, Physics, 1 Upper-Level Sciences

4 Social Studies Credits

• World Geography, World History, US History, Government (0.5) and Economics (0.5)

2 Credits of the Same Language Other Than English

1 Fine Arts Credit

1 PE Credit

0.5 Health Credit

5.5 Elective Credits (Includes 4 Endorsement Courses)

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Academy Preference Survey

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeonfJ0wKh1KcQky2qcSXOJBHojnZbqYeW4WNRnZfFoTINIdw/viewform

Please complete an Academy Preference Survey for Incoming Students for the 2026-2027 school year no later than April 10, 2026.

ALL 9^TH GRADERS MUST TAKE 8 CLASSES

1. English I

2. Math

3. Science (Biology)

4. Social Studies (World Geography)

5-8. Four more classes such as:

Language other than English

PE or Athletics

Fine Art(s)

Career Technology Education Classes

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Should I take an Advanced Level Course?

Ask yourself:

• What extracurricular activities am I going to participate in?
• What do my current teachers recommend?
• How much homework can I commit to be responsible for?
• How competitive do I want to be for college admissions?
• Remember: Most Advanced and AP courses have summer work due the first day of class.

Balance is key!

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LEVEL CHANGES

If a student wishes to drop down to the academic level of a course,

they must remain in the advanced course for a minimum of one semester for yearlong courses.

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All level change requests will be reviewed by a committee of teachers, counselors, and administrators who will consider the following:

• Student’s demonstrated commitment to their academic success (completing course assignments, attending FIT & tutoring).
• Student’s academic history, preparedness for the course, and current performance in the course (Students with a grading cycle average or semester average of 80% or higher are not eligible for a level change).
• Available space in the academic level course

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ADVANCED COURSE SUMMER WORK

Advanced & AP course summer work can be found on the Austin High website:

https://austin.austinschools.org/academic-resources/summer-assignments

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CUMULATIVE GPA

The numerical average of the points assigned to EVERY grade the student has earned

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• Based on ALL classes the student has taken (core, electives, etc.) for HS Credit
• Advanced/ AP/ Honors courses are weighted on a 5.0 scale
• This GPA can be viewed in Naviance, but it is NOT used to determine rank
• Appears on transcripts; sent to colleges

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Read more in the Austin ISD HS Master Catalog (ssig):

https://www.austinisd.org/ssig

Austin ISD GPA Conversion Scale

CLASS RANK

A measure of student performance compared to other students in the class.

Based on 4 core subjects & LOTE

• Up to 8 semesters of English
• Up to 8 semesters of Math
• Up to 8 semesters of Science
• World Geo OR World History, US History, Government, & Economics
• Up to 4 semesters of LOTE

Calculated after every semester in grades 10-12. Official rank starts in Spring of 10th grade year

Used to determine top 10% and quartiles for college admissions

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Read the AUSTIN ISD BOARD POLICY regarding Class Rank

https://pol.tasb.org/PolicyOnline/PolicyDetails?key=1146&code=EIC

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SCHEDULE CHANGES

• The Master Scheduling Team is working on an ACCELERATED timeline this year .
• Schedules will be built using the courses entered in frontline/teams beginning in January–there will be no extended change of mind deadline.
• Students and families should be having honest, authentic conversations now about course selections for the upcoming school year to ensure courses submitted in January are your first choice selections.
• We will host a parent night at Austin High in January for your middle school
• If these courses do not form a complete schedule once scheduling occurs,

a course may be replaced with one of your alternates from the paper form.

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COURSE OFFERINGS & DESCRIPTIONS

• AHS Course Offerings
• Listing of courses we plan to offer on our campus along with grade-level recommendations.

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• Austin ISD Master Catalog -- Course Descriptions
• This is the definitive guide of district course descriptions, GPA information, Rank GPA information, etc.

ENGLISH OPTIONS

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*When deciding which course to take next year, speak with your current teacher to get a recommendation

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Freshman Year

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Grade Level

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Weighted

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MATH SEQUENCE

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*When deciding which course to take next year, speak with your current teacher to get a recommendation.

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Grade Level

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Weighted

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AP Precalculus

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Science Options

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*When deciding which course to take next year, speak with your current teacher to get a recommendation.

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Freshman Year

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Biology

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Advanced Biology

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Chemistry

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Advanced Chemistry

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Physics

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Aquatic Science

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Advanced

Physics

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AP Science Elective

(optional)

AP Biology

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AP Physics C

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AP Environmental Science

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Grade Level

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Weighted

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AP Chemistry

Social Studies Options

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*When deciding which course to take next year, speak with your current teacher to get a recommendation.

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Freshman Year

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Grade Level

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Weighted

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Recommended Elective: Language

Sustained study of a language (2 years minimum) is a graduation requirement.

Language credits are also included when calculating class rank.

Austin High School currently offers four languages on our campus:

• French
• Spanish
• Latin
• American Sign Language

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See all language course offerings here: Course Offerings Link

Recommended Elective: Fine Art

1.0 Credit of Fine Arts is a graduation requirement.

Any additional Fine Arts credits will count as electives towards graduation.

AHS is proud of our robust fine arts program. Level 1 courses for freshman:

• Art 1
• Band, Orchestra, Choir
• Theatre, Musical Theatre, Technical Theatre
• Guitar
• Dance
• Ballet Folklorico

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See all fine arts course offerings here: Course Offerings Link

Recommended Elective: PE

1.0 credit of physical education is a graduation requirement.

Austin High School Athletics: https://austin.austinschools.org/athletics

Austin High School currently many PE offerings on our campus:

• Lifetime Fitness & Wellness (traditional PE)
• Outdoor Adventure (hiking, rowing, archery)
• Lifetime Fitness & Dance (dance)

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Freshman can also tryout to play a sport for Austin High School.

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See all Physical Education offerings here: Course Offerings Link

What about Sports?

1.0 credit of physical education is a graduation requirement.

Austin High School Athletics: https://austin.austinschools.org/athletics

https://austin.austinschools.org/athletics

Recommended Elective: CTE

CTE Pathways are very popular programming at Austin High School.

Many Pathways culminate in a double-block internship option for students senior year..

Many reasons to begin a CTE pathway as a freshman:

• 3-4 year coherent sequence of coursework in a dedicated area.
• Weighted courses contribute to cumulative GPA
• Earn additional endorsements on transcript.
• CTE pathways are part of earning a graduation distinction for some academies.

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See all CTE course offerings here: Course Offerings Link

See Academy Distinction information here: Academy Distinction Link

Arts, AV Technology & Communications

Business & Industry Pathways

S.T.E.M. Pathways

Education & Training

Resources

• Austin High Counseling Department Website

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• Austin ISD Master Catalog -- Course Descriptions

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• Austin High Course Offerings

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• Academy Distinction Information

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�Click the links above to access

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Next Steps for Scheduling:

1. Attend Maroon & White Night 11/19 6pm
2. Talk with your current core class teachers about advanced vs. academic
3. Review the AHS Course Offerings
4. Complete the academy request form

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1. Log in to Teams/Frontline through the portal
2. Choose “Credit Summary”
3. Review all of your grades to make sure you have credit!
1. Note: Teams puts some classes in the wrong category. Don’t panic! Just ask your Counselorif you aren’t sure
4. If you have any questions about your credits, write them down to save when you meet one-on-one with your counselor

TRANSCRIPT & CREDIT CHECK

Stop Here…

The remainder of the slides in this presentation are about finalizing course requests in self-serve.

Counselors will assist students with this process in January.

Current AISD Students:

Update Naviance Email

• Access Naviance through the portal.
• To update your email address:
• Go to the About Me Tab
• My Account
• Click the Pencil Icon to Edit
• Add personal email address

Video: How to Update Naviance Email

AHS College and Career (room 264), Brandie Cleaver

brandie.cleaver@austinisd.org

Course Selection &

Self-Serve Instructions

bit.ly/SServe24

Use the bit.ly below, or the QR code to pull up the self serve instructions now.

SELECTING CLASSES IN SELF-SERVE

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Link to Complete Directions

Step 1: Type in exactly as seen https://bit.ly/SSAHS24

Step 2: Click “I Agree”

Step 3: Enter user name and password as follows:

USERNAME: Your student ID without the S (just the numbers)

PASSWORD: Your birthday in this format: MMDDYY

For example:

If your birthday is January 22, 2003, then your password is 012203

Do this now….

USERNAME: Your student ID without the S

(just the numbers)

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PASSWORD: Your birthday in this format: MMDDYY

(For example: If your birthday is January 22, 2003, then your password is 012203)

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*If you have your normal login saved to automatically enter your user ID and password, then you will need to clear it and enter it using the above information so that you do not get locked out of the system.

Self-Serve Video

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TROUBLE-SHOOTING

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1. Unable to log-in?
1. You might be using the wrong login. Please see above for User ID and Password information.
2. You might have your regular login in your browser and it is auto filling your previous password.

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1. Unable to login due to too many attempts?
1. Contact your Counselor (or Guidance Secretary) to reset it.

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1. If it says you need a “Counselor Approval Code” at the top of the page, your course count is not exactly 16.
1. Example: If your course count is 18, then you need to delete a year-long or 2 semester courses.
2. If your course count is 15, then you need to add a 1 semester course.

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1. If you can’t find a course or have any other issues, please email your Counselor.

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Use the tabs to move through different subjects and electives

View your unofficial transcript to

see courses you have taken

Refer to your 4-year plan if needed

After you have made your selection,

hit review to see summary

Off periods are listed as “Spec Assgn” under to LOC tab. Keep in mind that students who have attendance issues, grades below a 78, or missing credits will not be eligible for an off-period.

Do not use this slide deck to submit course requests for the 25-26 school year.

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Please go back to the AHS scheduling page and click on the slide deck for transfer students (even if you are zoned).

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This slide-deck was for student use back in FEBRUARY for students to enter course requests directly in frontline. You will not be able to follow the instructions in the slide deck in August.