General Information
This Program of Studies outlines courses and options of study from Charlottesville Middle School through Charlottesville High School. This Program of Studies provides an overview of Charlottesville City Schools’ academic offerings (grades 6 -12) and career information to help students make wise curricular decisions that will benefit them academically and prepare them for future work and training in an increasingly technical world.
Placement of students in most academic courses is based on individual achievement in prerequisite classes, needs, and interests. Students are urged to read course descriptions carefully and select the level that best suits their achievement, needs, and interests in each subject. The student, parent, school counselor, and teacher decide placement in a subject area or level of a subject cooperatively. This decision includes a thorough review of student progress, results of standardized test scores, passing necessary prerequisite classes and teacher evaluation of student performance on formative and summative assessments.
Acknowledgments
Dr. Royal A. Gurley, Jr.
Superintendent
Dr. Anna Isley
Chief Academic Officer
Ms. Amanda Burns
Board Member
Ms. Shymora Cooper
Board Member
Ms. Emily Dooley
Board Chair
Mr. Chris Meyer
Board Member
Mr. Dom Morse
Board Member
Ms. Nicole Richardson
Board Member
Ms. Lisa Torres
Board Member
Scheduling Process And Requirements
Charlottesville Middle School
Students entering Charlottesville Middle School (grades 6-8) select courses based on their abilities and interest to prepare to enter high school. Rigorous core courses are offered to all students as well as a rich selection of elective courses.
In middle school, students are provided the opportunity to try elective courses that pique their interest. Students have the opportunity to earn high school credit in several elective and math courses.
Charlottesville High School
Students should select courses that best suit their abilities and interests based on a combination of logical and sequential courses of study. Students register for courses during small group and individual program planning sessions with their counselors to review selections and discuss future plans. All students must schedule seven courses, one for each period in the day, and two alternates. Some students may wish to select eight courses, one for each period in the day plus an early morning period. Exceptions to this policy are students enrolled in approved work/study programs.
Every attempt is made to offer appropriate courses of study for students. Some courses, however, may not be offered due to insufficient enrollment, and/or the lack of teacher availability. Students wishing to enroll in a CATEC course should inform their counselor during their individual program planning session.
Drop / Add Guidelines
Before and during the annual online course selection period, families are encouraged to participate in course planning nights and student planning meetings alongside their child’s school counselor. It's essential for students and families to carefully assess diploma requirements, academic performance, educational, career, and personal objectives, teacher/counselor recommendations, skills, and interests. Thoughtful course selection is crucial for students to align their educational and career aspirations.
At Charlottesville City Schools, we advocate for students to conscientiously consider their course selections during the designated request period. We endeavor to design a master schedule that accommodates students' course preferences, contingent upon adequate student requests for each course. However, it's important to note that a course can only be offered if there is sufficient demand.
We discourage changes to course selections, especially once the academic year has commenced, as such modifications can disrupt a student's learning process. Instances warranting a course selection change include but are not limited to:
- A course is failed, and there is a need to retake the course again
- A course requested in the selection process is not offered due to insufficient requests or availability of a certified instructor
- A course prerequisite has not been met by the student
"Drop/Add Period" refers to the timeframe within which students may request a change in their schedule by dropping a class and adding another to maintain a full class load. Requests are subject to approval on a case-by-case basis. Please note that some drop/add requests may not be approved due to specific scheduling constraints. It's important to highlight that drop requests resulting in a student having less than a full class load will not be accommodated.
Each year, a designated drop/add period will be published in the School Counseling Office.
- Course changes must occur by the tenth day of school or the designated date published.
- If changes occur within the allowed timeframe, the original course and the earned grade will not appear on the student’s record.
- The only exception to this practice will be changes within the same academic discipline, or extenuating circumstances approved by an administrator.
- Courses dropped after the 10th day of school will be noted on a student’s transcript and receive a grade of “W” (withdrawn). The grade of W is not factored into the GPA calculation.
- The drop/add date for Dual Enrollment (DE) or Virtual Virginia (VVA) courses is determined by the institution. Students dropping a DE or VVA course after the allowed drop date are responsible for the tuition fees at that institution.
Repeating a previously passed course:
Repeating a previously passed course is designed to meet the needs of students wanting to continue their learning but feel they may not have mastered the necessary foundations in a content area. After discussion with the school counselor and parent/guardian, the student may elect to re-enroll in a class along with a required, signed parent/guardian request. Please note that only one course may be repeated in an academic year.
Upon completion of the repeated course, both courses/grades will become a permanent part of the student’s high school transcript with credit awarded only for the repeated course. For GPA calculations, only the repeated course will be included.
School Counselors
The School Counseling Department's policies, procedures, and curriculum are based on the American School Counseling Association’s National Model of providing a planned, sequential, and comprehensive school counseling program. The school counseling standards defined in the ASCA model ensure a program that is integral to the school, proactive, and developmental in nature. Each student is assigned to a counselor based on the first letter of the student's last name in high school with the exception of English Second Language students, and by grade level in the middle grades.
Counselors provide students with vocational and career information, college and financial aid advising, written recommendations and references, academic advising, and assistance with personal needs. In addition, they help students define goals that reflect personal interests and abilities. Students may see counselors by appointment or walk-in. Appointments may be made before school, between classes, at lunch, or after school. School Counselors may refer students for team consideration of needed supports through Charlottesville’s Multi-Tiered System of Supports.