HJS Registration Information
It is incredibly hard to believe that we are preparing to complete registration for the upcoming school year. This is a very important process for our students, our parents, and our school. This year, there are some important changes that we want to share with each of you, and make ourselves available to answer any questions you may have throughout the process.
On the morning of Thursday, March 4, your student met to discuss our process for registering for the upcoming school year. We reviewed the timeline for registration which is very quick, we discussed which metrics are used to assign students to advanced classes, presented information on new and existing elective choices, and finally reviewed updates to our Talented and Gifted (TAG) program. At this time, we want to share this information directly with you.
First, our timeline for registering your student is over the course of the next week. Click HERE to view the 2021-22 School Year Registration Guide. This document provides course descriptions for each of our classes. Also attached at the end of this article is the registration document for your child. This document was received by each student in their 1st period class on Friday, March 5. Students will go to each of their core teachers (Math, ELA, Science, and Social Studies) and the teacher will make a recommendation on your child’s placement. The decision is based on multiple different criteria including MAP scores, work ethic, academic growth, and service needs. Your child will bring this signed document home and this weekend, we are asking our families to review elective options with their students and allow them to make selections on their interests. On Monday, March 8th, we will start collecting these documents in your child’s 1st period class. Students will have until the end of the day on Wednesday, March 10 to complete and turn in this document. At this point, our leadership team will begin the process of developing the Master Schedule and placing students into classes.
A few FAQ’s on this process:
Q: What if I believe my child should be in advanced, but they were not recommended?
A: Complete the “Petition to Upgrade” Form at the bottom of this article, and it will be reviewed by our building leadership team.
Q: What if we have questions, what should we do?
A: Please call our office at 367-4831 or email us directly at Christian.tracy@southwestschools.org
Q: My child forgot their sheet, where can I get a fresh copy?
A: They will be available in our front office, and at the bottom of this article.
Q: What are the metrics/MAP score for MAP?
A: This is dependent on Grade level, and is based on “readiness scores” established by a review of local and national norms to ensure our students are prepared for this level. It is specific to each subject and Grade level.
Q: What if the class my child wanted to be in is full, or there is a schedule conflict?
A: We will work with families on a case-by-case basis, our schedule will be developed around student needs, but there still may be conflicts. Know that we will be in contact with each of these families and our student requests drive the schedule, but we have limited resources and some shared staff. This is the typical cause of conflict for student’s schedules.
Next, we want to share some new opportunities for our students for the upcoming school year. We are excited that we are evolving our Talented and Gifted Program to better meet the needs of this group of students. TAG will no longer be tied directly to Language Arts class. Working in partnership with our teachers, we have developed Semester Elective courses for this group of students that will focus on critical thinking and problem solving. In addition, the focus of our TAG courses is to allow ALL students who qualified for TAG to be able to participate, and allow our TAG students to focus on their area(s) of strength to better support their needs. Our TAG courses focus on the following areas: Humanities, STEAM, Leadership & Entrepreneurship. For each of these courses there will be a focus on a specific communication tool which could include presentations, technical writing, interpersonal communication, etc… and the focus is included in the course descriptions.
With this being a new change to our TAG program, I want to also offer some FAQ’s specific to TAG.
Q: How do I know if my child is eligible for TAG courses?
A: You should have received a letter of notification at the time of their Qualifications. We will also communicate directly with students if they are TAG at the time of the registration process.
Q: Why the change to the TAG program?
A: After consultation with key stakeholders including students, parents, current and former TAG teachers, and building/district leadership, the program was ready to evolve to ensure that we were providing more opportunities for our TAG students. Each of these opportunities are supported by the design of the New Harrison Junior School, and while maintaining a key focus on the communication of ideas, provides targeted themes for which our TAG students can sign up.
Q: Will my child still be “tribed” with TAG students for these courses?
A: Yes, based upon the Talented and Gifted Guidelines through the Ohio Department of Education.
Q: Does it matter which order students take their TAG courses?
A: No, students may take them in any order, however Leadership is a 6th Grade only course, and Entrepreneurship is designed for 7th and 8th Grade students only.
Q: Will my 6th Graders be in class with an 8th Grade student?
A: No, TAG courses will be set up so 6th Grade students are in their own class. 7th and 8th Grade students will be combined allowing them to have schedule flexibility over the course of 2 school years. In addition, each course is designed in a specific band. This means that if a student takes TAG STEAM as a 6th Grader, they can also take it as a 7th/8th Grader and it will be a different experience.
Q: What about ELA? How will my child be served?
A: TAG students will be served in our ELA classrooms, and teachers will be notified which students are TAG in their courses. The curriculum remains the same as this year for ELA courses, and TAG students will conference and set specific goals with their ELA teacher. ELA teachers at all grade levels have also received specific professional development on how to support TAG students. TAG students will only by assigned to teachers with this training.
Q: What if my current 7th Grader wants to take the following schedule: Advanced ELA, Algebra I, Advanced Science, Advanced Social Studies, Spanish 2, and Intro to Engineering Design (IED), will there be an opportunity to take a TAG class too?
A: Unfortunately, no. We anticipate being on a 6 Bell schedule for the upcoming school year, however in this scenario, your child is already accelerating by taking multiple courses for High School credit (Algebra I, Spanish 2, IED). In essence, they have created a schedule that is already serving them at a high academic level. In addition, we are partnering with our teachers who have completed professional development to potentially create new opportunities outside of the school day and throughout the school year. This, of course, will be based on demand, but we are committed to offering new opportunities.
Our school is incredibly excited about these new opportunities for our students. If you have questions, please reach out to us directly and we will work to answer any questions you may have. Our number is 513-367-4831 or via email at Christian.tracy@southwestschools.org or Britney.derisi@southwestschools.org.
Below are the documents referenced in the article above.
21-22 Registration Bulletin
21-22 8th Grade Registration Worksheet
21-22 7th Grade Registration Worksheet
21-22 Petition to Upgrade Form