Westview
High School
Academic Planning Guide
Gaining independence, continuing your education, and finding a career – those are some of the options available to you once you leave high school. Carefully use the information presented below to develop an academic plan for high school graduation, consider your goals for your future after high school, and thoughtfully select courses that will help you achieve those goals and plans.
Make every effort to take advantage of the opportunities to educate yourself about your choices by getting input from your teachers and parents regarding the level and types of classes that will help you reach your goals, and seek your counselor’s guidance regarding course prerequisites, possible sequences, and post-high school planning.
Choose courses carefully. Students are expected to accept and complete the classes they request during the Spring Course Selection Process. There is a last look in April. Once that last look window closes, no other class changes from students or parents are available.
- Course Information
- Career Pathways
- Subject Area Department Information
- BSD Option Schools
- Graduation Requirements
- Preparation for College
- OSAA & NCAA Eligibility
- General Course and Schedule Information
- Non-BSD Off-Campus or Online Courses
- Schedule Changes & Corrections
- Understanding Your Transcripts
- Policy on International Grades / Non U.S. Transcripts
Course Information
Subject Area
- All
- AVID
- Advanced Placement
- Automotive Technology
- Business
- Construction Technology
- District Option Programs
- Dual Credit
- Electives
- English Language Development
- Family/Consumer Science
- Health
- Health Careers
- Language Arts
- Manufacturing and Technology
- Mathematics
- Music
- Physical Education
- Science
- Social Studies
- Terra Nova Science and Sustainability
- Theater Arts
- Visual Arts
- Weighted Courses
- World Language
Career Pathways
The Career Pathway program provides students a "road map" with information on what courses to take related to a career area of interest. Completing a Career Pathway offers students the academic foundation and career-related skills to prepare them for study at four-year colleges and universities, community colleges, technical institutions or other post-secondary training related to a career in a specific industry. While not a graduation requirement, completing a Career Pathway helps focus a student’s educational plan and earns the student recognition at graduation. To complete a Pathway and earn a cord at graduation, students must do the following:
- Explore different introductory classes in pathways of interest during your 9th and 10th grade year. Then Prepare during your 11th and 12th grade years by completing the required number of credits and courses for your chosen pathway.
- Check in with your pathway lead in the 11th grade. Some pathways require participation in specialized programs or have additional requirements.
- Complete at least one Career Related Learning Experience (CRLE) related to your pathway.
- Demonstrate understanding by completing the pathway project. This project counts towards the required Senior Project (Extended Application) needed for graduation.
You can change pathways at any time! Remember, while the career education activities (StEPP) are a graduation requirement, the pathway is optional (but HIGHLY encouraged). It’s a great way to focus your education!
Career Pathways
Subject Area Department Information
BSD Option Schools
Graduation Requirements
|
Subject Area
|
Credits Required
|
|
English / Language Arts
|
4
|
|
Mathematics (AGS I or higher)
|
3
|
|
Social Sciences (Global Studies, American Studies, & choice)
|
3
|
|
Science (1.0 @ in Physics, Chemistry & Biology)
|
3
|
|
Health
|
1
|
|
Physical Education
|
1
|
|
Career & Technical Education, Applied Arts
Fine Arts, or World Language
|
3
|
|
Career Development - completed in Advisory
|
.5
|
|
Electives
|
5 .5
|
|
Total
|
24
|
BSD requires all students working towards a standard diploma to enroll in and complete the AGS math course sequence to meet graduation requirements.
BSD requires all students working towards a standard diploma to enroll in and complete 1.0 credits of Physics, 1.0 credits of Chemistry and 1.0 credits of Biology to meet graduation requirements.
Career Development (0.5 CR)
All students must complete Personalized Learning Requirements earn the .5 Career Development Credit. To meet these requirements, (StEPP) : Each student must:
- Develop an education plan and build an education profile.
- Participate in career-related learning experiences in each year, of the four years of high school.
- Apply and extend knowledge in an extended application. (WHS Career Pathways and the resulting Pathway projects can count as the extended application. Other seniors will complete a Senior Project to meet this requirement.)
Students utilize CIS technology to meet some of these requirements in their Access Tutorial classes.
Students earn 0.125 credits per year for Career Education. Attending the Advisory portion of the start of Access Tutorial Period 8 is where this credit is earned.
Essential Skills
Students must demonstrate proficiency in Reading, Writing, and Math in order to meet graduation requirements
Essential Skills can be met by Reading, Writing, and Math scores on the OSAS, ACT (both opportunities are provided junior year), or SAT. For students who do not meet on these assessments, work samples may be used for Essential Skills within the Academic Options Learning Center (AOC). AOC classes are scheduled within the school day and usually replace Early Release/Late Arrival or an Access Tutorial period until Essential Skills are met
Preparation for College
Westview is committed to preparing all students for college and career readiness. College entrance requirements vary greatly. For enrollment in a four-year college, students and parents are encouraged to work with the admissions offices of the colleges they are considering. Two of the many resources out there to help with this process are College Navigator, a federal website that allows you to search the country for schools based on your criteria, and the College Board website, which contains much college comparison information.
Students applying to the State of Oregon universities must submit college entrance test scores (SAT or ACT) and should have completed at least 14 credits in college prep classes. Students should have completed at least four years of college prep English, three years of math, three years of science, three years of social studies, and two years of a second language. For more information about choosing and applying to a public university in Oregon, visit websites of the individual the Oregon universities (Oregon State University, University of Oregon, Portland State University, Oregon Institute of Technology, Western Oregon University, Southern Oregon University, and Eastern Oregon University.
College can be a challenging academic setting. To further prepare for college:
Read ...
Everything you can that relates to college planning and admissions. Seek out information about colleges and universities in the College and Career Center and online.
Talk ...
To college representatives who visit Westview High School each year. These visitations by college representatives are held in the library; the dates and times are posted outside the library or on our website. You are welcome to attend any of the college visitations; however, you must pre-arrange class absences beforehand. These visitations are also open to sophomores and juniors, not just seniors. It is never too early to start asking questions or inquiring about your future.
Watch ...
Deadline dates carefully for SAT/ACT tests, financial aid and scholarship applications, college conferences, and admissions deadlines.
Take ...
Advantage of college campus open house dates. These programs and dates are most often advertised on college websites.
OSAA & NCAA Eligibility
Oregon School Activity Association Eligibility
BSD Board Policy requires students to be enrolled in at least 2.5 credits each semester, earn at least 2.5 credits in the semester prior to the season, and be on track to graduate in four years to participate in athletics and OSAA activities. It covers all high school students involved in interscholastic athletics or in extra- curricular activities that involve competition between schools or public performances. Activities and athletics require a participation fee. Fees for 2022-23 school year are yet to be determined. Fee waivers or fee support is available to students in need.
Eligibility of Participation
Students must meet Beaverton School District and OSAA eligibility standards if they wish to participate in athletics or activities. All 9th graders are eligible to participate during the first grading period of school if they are taking five or more classes. After the first grading period, there will be additional academic standards for all students.
Students must be enrolled in a minimum of five academic classes that earn credit for eligibility. All Westview students must meet the following requirements in order to participate in athletics and/or activities:
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Students must attend all classes each day in order to participate in practice, an event, game or activity.
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Demonstrate good citizenship in the school and in the community.
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Adhere to school rules and the training rules of the school, 24 hours a day.
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Have a parent-signed participation form before tryouts or the first practice.
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All 9th and 11th graders, and any students new to the district who have not had a physical within the last two years, will be required to have a physical. BSD will accept physicals dated after May 1, 2022, recorded on BSD forms (available on the WHS website in the spring or in the Athletics Office).
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Indicate emergency medical treatment approval and provide documentation of insurance.
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Travel by school authorized transportation only.
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Demonstrate adequate progress toward graduation with the following number of credits earned by the start of the school year: Sophomores - 4.5 credits, Juniors – 10 credits, Seniors – 17 credits.
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Fifth year seniors are not eligible to participate.
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A student must reside in the attendance area of the school district he/she represents in competition.
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A student must be enrolled in courses or work which will offer 2.5 credits each semester honored by WHS. Credit for work experience, independent study and credit recovery will satisfy this requirement.
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Earn 2.5 credits the semester before the season begins.
National Collegiate Athletic Association Eligibility
Students interested in the rules and regulations of college athletic scholarships and eligibility are encouraged to visit: http://www.ncaacleaaringhouse.net.
It is the sole responsibility of the family to ensure their student meets NCAA requirements.
General Course and Schedule Information
- The State of Oregon requires that students earn a minimum of 24 credits to earn a high school diploma. Our semester schedule gives you the opportunity to earn 7.0 credits each year for a total of 28 possible credits earned during a four-year course of study.
- Elective classes are designed to build skills in areas of study that meet student needs for college admission, or the pursuit of career pathways and individual interests. Some elective courses have fees. The inability to pay fees should not interfere with enrollment in a course. Students who are unable to pay the fee should discuss the possibility of a scholarship or fee waiver with their counselor.
- When selecting elective choices, students should consider elective subjects carefully and select many alternative classes. While we strive to provide students with their first choice in classes, due to scheduling conflicts, alternate courses on your course selection list will be selected if a conflict occurs. Any course you choose on your course selection form could end up in your schedule. If you do not have enough classes selected, classes will be selected for you by administration or your counselor.
- Choose courses very carefully. We hire teachers and create classes based on student requests so changes will not be possible after course selection is finished in the Spring. Students will be expected to accept and complete the classes they request (including alternates).
- In April, students will have the opportunity to review their course requests during a window of time to make changes to elective course selections. That window of time will be communicated multiple ways so students and parents can review class choices before they are finalized.
Non-BSD Off-Campus or Online Courses
Students may apply no more than 6 credits of non-BSD off-campus or online credits toward fulfilling graduation requirements taken while currently enrolled as a BSD student. All courses must be approved by the student's counselor prior to enrolling in any course outside of Westview. See your counselor for the appropriate form. Should board policy change, this policy may be updated accordingly.
Courses from external programs* must satisfy four requirements in order for credit to be awarded by BSD and appear on a student transcript:
- External course providers must be accredited by Cognia, or regional affiliate
- External courses must be led by a properly certified teacher. A certificated teacher has the primary responsibility for the student's instructional interaction. Instructional interaction between the teacher and the student involves two-way communication that includes, but is not limited to, direct instruction, review of assignments, assessment, testing, progress monitoring, and evaluation of proficiencies.
- The content of external courses must substantially align to the learning targets of the equivalent course currently offered in Beaverton Schools.
- External course assessments must be sufficiently aligned to the BSD equivalent course learning targets, to the extent that they will collectively provide sufficient evidence towards proficiency in those learning targets.
- BSD is in the process of maintaining a list of vendors and courses that have been vetted to meet these standards, which will be updated annually once in place. This list is a work in progress for the 2022-23 school year.
See BSD Policy IKF under Transfer Credit
Schedule Changes & Corrections
Schedule Changes and Corrections
Westview staff work very hard to give students their first choice or chosen alternate courses requested during the course selection process. If a scheduling error is made (you are in the wrong level, you did not have the course anywhere on your course selection sheet), counselors should be notified before school begins so corrections can be made. If first choice courses or alternates were not selected on the course selection form, counselors and/or admins will select courses and alternates that fit your schedule for you and you will not be able to make changes. Because the offering and staffing of many courses depend upon the requests made during the spring, students are expected to accept and complete the courses they have requested. We are not able to offer students the option of scheduling classes with specific teachers or at specific times. The Westview schedule strives to ensure equity for all students and to maintain balanced class loads for teachers.
Schedule Changes after the Term Begins
Students may not change classes after the term begins unless there is an error in level or course progression. Courses dropped after the fifth week result in a grade of Withdraw (W) on the student transcript for that course. There are rare exceptions to this practice which primarily relate to significant, documented medical issues with letters from medical providers. Counselors or an Administrator can offer more information. We do not make schedule changes to switch teachers or change class periods. Exceptions will be made for students needing a late arrival/ early release, TAs, intervention courses and peer mentors.
Understanding Your Transcripts
Credits
Credits are the units by which academic progress is measured. Students may register for seven classes plus an Access Tutorial each term. Each semester class successfully completed will earn one-half credit towards the 24 required for graduation. Each semester lasts eighteen weeks. Grades other than final semester grades serve as progress reports to students and parents and are not reflected on a student’s official transcript.
Weighted Grades
Students graduating from Beaverton high schools have both a regular grade point average (GPA) and a weighted GPA on their academic transcripts. "Weighting" a grade adds to the GPA earned in certain courses. In the Beaverton system, grades of A, B, and C earned in weighted classes will earn an extra grade point. Therefore, an "A" in a weighted class yields 5 grade points (4 points for the "A" and 1 more point as a weighted "bonus"), a "B" will yield 4 grade points, and a "C" will yield 3 grade points. A student's GPA is a number calculated using two factors: credits attempted and "grade points," which are awarded to letter grades. Advanced Placement (AP) courses will be weighted. Also, some dual credit courses will be weighted. All weighted courses are indicated in the Course Planning Guide.
Credit Categories
Students must earn the required number of credits in each category outlined in the Graduation Requirements Credit summary (the top right section) of the transcript. Each course at Westview is assigned to one of these categories, and this information can be found in the Course Planning guide.
State Testing/Essential Skills Assessment
(waived through 2024 - more info to come for class of 2026)
Statewide assessments are given in writing, reading, and mathematics. Students must demonstrate proficiency by passing each of these tests in order to graduate with an Oregon Standard Diploma. In some cases, work samples that meet state standards may be used to meet graduation requirements for essential skills if students do not meet on the OSAS or ACT. Most students will take these tests in their junior year.
Policy on International Grades / Non U.S. Transcripts
Any passing grades earned through non-American schools outside the United States will automatically be converted to “Pass” (P) grades on the Beaverton transcript. These grades will have no impact on overall GPA.
International transcripts will be evaluated according to the procedures detailed in the "High School Counselor's Manual for Evaluation of International/Foreign Students' Transcripts for High School Credit."