2024 - 2025 MCPS High School Course Bulletin

For Parents...

For Parents | 給家長們 | Pour les parents | 학부모님께
Para los Padres | Dành cho các phụ huynh

for parents Welcome to the online High School Course Bulletin. Here are some tips to using this site with your student as you work together to plan a high school schedule.

Create a Worksheet Listing Possible Courses

Step
One

A new Course Bulletin is published online and in print each fall – usually around November -- for the next school year.
In December or January, ask your student to begin building a worksheet on this web site. They should list possible courses for the next school year and the rest of their high school years in their worksheet. They can do this on any Internet-connected computer at home, school, a friend’s house, or a library.
Students can list as many courses as they’re interested in. Students typically take seven or eight credits a year. Keep in mind the worksheet is not official.
Ask your student to print out the worksheet. This makes it easy for you to discuss her or his list of possible courses and for the student to show the worksheet to a counselor. The student can save the worksheet and go back online to change it at any time.
As you discuss the student’s choices, be sure to consider enrolling your child in special programs in your school or other county schools. See the Special Programs web site for details.

Submit the Official Scheduling Card to Your High School

Step
two

Your student will be asked to make a final decision about next year’s courses in late January or early February. Your child’s school will send home an official scheduling card at that time.
Refer to the worksheet to help your student make her or his choices. List final choices on the official card.
Parents must sign the card before it is returned to school.

Discuss Any Placement Questions With School Staff

Step
three

School staff will review your child’s official scheduling card.
A counselor or teacher may wish to speak with you about your child’s placement level (for example, whether she or he should try an honors or Advanced Placement class). Or they may want to check with you about whether your child took a required pre-requisite class.
It helps to keep a printed copy of your child’s worksheet handy for discussions with school staff. If you have easy access to a computer (and know your child’s email login), you can also login to your child’s worksheet while on the phone with a counselor.

For Eighth Grade Parents:

Parents of eighth graders will be asked in January or February to work with their student to create a four-year high school schedule.
Become familiar with the many special programs offered at many county high schools before beginning this process. See the Special Programs web site for details.
Learn about the state's Graduation Requirements so you know which courses your child must take.
It's also important to understand the course sequences for subjects such as math and social studies. You'll find course sequences described in the Course Selection box on the Planning Tools page.
When you're ready, help your child use the worksheet to build a four-year schedule, starting with courses required for graduation. Then add elective and other courses.
Remember: this worksheet is not official or final. Your child's schedule is not official until you return a signed scheduling card each year to your school.