2021-2022 Course Selection

ATTENTION Inter/Intradistrict Transfers and New Family to San Marcos: this page is for currently enrolled SMUSD students only.  If you have not enrolled, please click HERE to complete the enrollment application.

2021-22
2nd Semester Schedule Change Requests

If you are requesting a schedule change for 2nd semester please complete this google form:
Schedule change form
Other forms you may need:

TA and Unscheduled Period Form

Parent/Guardian approval to drop AP/Honors course 

2021-22 Course Catalog

Elective Fair Video

Graduation Requirements 

Course Selection Checklist: The following checklist it designed to guide you through the course selection process.  Most students will select 6 classes for the upcoming school year.  Seniors may be eligible to take 4-5 classes with approval.  In addition to selecting classes, students are also asked to select 3 alternates in case their first choice is not available (e.g., the class is full, the class is no longer offered, the class does not work with the other classes selected, etc.). When selecting courses, please take note of the following:

• Check for prerequisites.  Prerequisites are courses a student should complete BEFORE enrolling in a course.  The purpose of prerequisites is to ensure that students are academically ready to take the course of interest.
• Read course descriptions.  Students often sign up for courses that sound interesting to them based off of the title of the course.  It is important to really understand what the class entails. While schedule changes are granted once the school year has begun, it is often much harder to make changes.It is much easier to take the time upfront and review course descriptions than to make a schedule change later.
• Obtain signatures.  If a course requires a signature, school counselors can NOT add a class to a student’s schedule without approval.  
• Complete relevant forms and applications.  Some courses require an application and/or form (AVID, Teacher’s Aide, etc.).  Without the proper documents, school counselors are unable to add these courses to a student’s schedule.

Graduation Requirements: A student must earn 230 credits in order to graduate from Mission Hills High School. Each course is worth five credits per semester. Students and parents/caregivers are encouraged to monitor carefully the student’s progress towards meeting these requirements. Failure to complete six classes successfully each semester will jeopardize a student’s timely graduation.

Course Description: Please review the MHHS 2021-22 Course Catalog for course descriptions found on the Mission Hills Website under Counseling.  Students should take note of the grade levels at which the course may be taken, prerequisites, etc. Some of the abbreviations commonly used in this section are explained below.

AP        Advanced Placement (designates classes to prepare students for the Advanced Placement exams, which may result in a student’s receiving college credit for a course, even though the course was completed in high school)

CSU     California State University (identifies courses which meet the entrance requirements of that school)

ELD      English Language Development (designates English classes for those learning English as a second language)

P          College preparatory (designates classes accepted by colleges and universities for purposes of meeting their entrance requirements)

H          Honors (designates honors classes designed to prepare students for Advanced Placement classes)

CTE      Career Technical Education (designates classes funded from that source)

UC        University of California (identifies courses which meet the entrance requirements of that school)

College Entrance Requirements: Students planning to go directly to a four-year college or university must meet college/universities entrance requirements. Those interested in private colleges or universities should contact the appropriate schools early in their high school career to ensure they are taking the necessary courses. Please note that students must pass with a grade of C or better in any courses taken to fulfill entrance requirements. Although D grades are considered passing for purposes of graduation, they are NOT considered passing by the university systems.

Credits: Credits towards MHHS graduation may be earned in the following manner:

• Successful completion of courses offered during the regular school year or summer sessions.
• Transfer of units from accredited private or other public schools.
• Transfer of units from a community college.

The following limitations apply unless prior approval for exemption is granted by the principal:

• While attending MHHS, a student may apply no more than 30 credits from off-campus sources (community college, adult school, college, and university) towards graduation.
• Courses which meet specific requirements (English, History, math, Science and PE) must be taken at Mission Hills High School or must have been completed at another accredited private or public school prior to transfer to MHHS.
• Courses identified as repeatable may be taken multiple times for credit. Students earning a grade of D in a college prep A-G course may repeat the course for additional credit providing that they earn a grade of C or higher the second time through. The initial course with the D grade will be applied as elective credits for graduation purposes.

Expected Progress: Students are expected to pass all classes. Students who fail to accumulate credits may be transferred to an alternative setting (Twin Oaks High School) in order to get back on track for graduation. By the end of each year, students should have earned a minimum of the following credits in order to remain at Mission Hills:

Advanced Placement (AP) Classes: Advanced Placement courses provide a college-level learning experience. Students who enroll in AP classes are expected to take the AP exams given in May of each year. Some colleges will grant credit for scores of 3, 4, or 5 on the AP exams; thus, students may earn college credit while still in high school. Students earn an extra grade point for a grade of C or higher. State law mandates that weighted grades can be assigned only to courses designated as eligible by the University of California (UC). UC has approved weighted grades for all MHHS Advanced Placement courses as well as the honors courses in French III (H), Spanish III (H), Physiology (H), Biochemistry (H), Introduction to Engineering and Design (H) and Principles of Engineering (H). Our other honors classes have been approved by UC, but do not qualify for weighted grades.

Student Scheduling: During the scheduling process, students and parents/guardians have many opportunities to provide input regarding the courses the student should take. The student and their parents/guardians should check the transcript carefully to ensure that they are meeting graduation requirements and to use as a guide in planning the following school year. If parents/guardians have concerns or questions regarding classes and requirements, they should contact the counselor before student selects courses. Once the semester starts, class changes will only be made for a student who:

• does not meet prerequisites
• has taken the course over the summer, credit recovery, and/or no longer needs the class
• needs to drop an elective in order to take a required class he/she has failed
• has been placed in the incorrect level of a class (e.g., honors instead of college prep)

In order to maintain balanced class sizes, students are assigned to teachers randomly by a computer system designed to accommodate the needs of pupils, scheduled six periods a day in a total of approximately 100 different courses.

Schedule changes will be considered during the first two weeks of the first term. Students requesting to drop an AP class must have parent/guardian approval/signatures. For a variety of reasons, it may be necessary to revise students’ schedules at the beginning of the second semester. Students are not guaranteed identical schedules for both semesters.     

Students may not change teachers once class assignments are made. A teacher change will only be considered if the student has had the teacher for an entire school year previously.  With support, students can be successful in every class with our highly-qualified teachers. A consistent policy in assigning students to classes ensures fair treatment for all. Throughout their lives, students will encounter many challenging and difficult situations. It is our responsibility as educators to help our young people develop strategies for dealing with those situations. If a student is experiencing ongoing difficulty in a course, the following steps must be followed:

1. Student meets with the teacher to discuss the difficulty and identify how best to deal with the issue.
2. If further action is needed, the parent/guardian contacts the teacher.
3. After a parent/teacher contact, the matter may be referred to an assistant principal who may choose to meet with the parties involved.