This form is due on MARCH 14, 2025 for any 9th or 10th grade student looking to make a change to their placement in a core academic class for the 2025-26 school year.  

Current ninth grade students have been pre-scheduled into their English, Science and Math courses, as well as any additional support classes, as a result of the data review process undertaken by the Dakota High School 10-12 building Data Review Team. 

• As an additional math support, students are placed into a course titled "Geometry Focus" upon the recommendation of the Dakota High School Data Review Team in consultation with the DHS Ninth Grade Center. For students placed in Geometry Focus, that course is counted as “elective” credit toward a student’s overall credit total and does not count toward the required 4.0 credits in Mathematics for graduation. For questions or to discuss a student’s placement into Geometry Focus, please contact their current ninth grade counselor.
• Students interested in accelerating their studies in math should confer with their ninth grade math teacher to discuss any change of pathway. Changes being sought to accelerate a student’s course of study in math are handled on an individual case-by-case basis and not managed by the submission of this form - students may only decelerate their 10th grade math placement with this form.

Students wishing to deviate from their placements in their English, Math or Science classes may use this form to communicate the adjustments to their schedule that they would like to see made. Students who wish to deviate from the schedule into which they have been placed for their core classes must review the information at the end of this form and provide their rationale for the requested change(s) in the field provided. Should a student wish to alter their schedule, the desired class selections and adjustments can be indicated utilizing the fields below.  Provide information in the fields below only for the courses that you would like to change.

The section below addresses 10th grade science placements and requests for the required courses of Chemistry and Physics.  Please note, that students looking to accelerate or decelerate the studies in science must do so in both science classes.  For example, if a student wishes to move from regular Physics to Honors Physics, they must also move from regular Chemistry to Honors Chemistry.

This section addresses DECELERATING 11th grade math placement for the 2025-26 school year.

Students pre-scheduled into Algebra 2 can elect to decelerate their studies to take a course called Algebra 2 "over 2" (years).  The "2 over 2" course covers all of the state standards for Algebra 2 at a slower pace.  Students will cover all Algebra 2 content over two years (four semesters).  Algebra 2/2 students will take courses titled Algebra 2YA semester 1 of junior year and Algebra 2YB second semester.  During senior year they will take Algebra 2YC first semester and Algebra 2YD second semester.  Students must pass all four semesters of the Algebra 2Y course sequence to meet graduation requirements.

Students may also use the drop down below to decelerate from Accelerated Algebra 2 to regular Algebra 2 for the 2025-26 school year.

Students looking to decelerate their studies in math can use the drop-down field below to indicate as such.

The section below addresses changing 11th grade math placement for the 2025-26 school year by acclerating their studies from from Algebra 2YA and 2YB (described above) to "regular" Algebra 2.

Students pre-scheduled into Algebra 2 "over 2" (years) described above can initiate change requests to move to regular Algebra 2 using the drop down menu below.  Decisions related to such requests will be made through collaboration with the student's counselor, current math teacher(s) and Assistant Principal.

If a student has not already completed coursework on the Accelerated math pathway, they MAY NOT ACCELERATE their studies from Algebra 2 to Accelerated Algebra 2.

Acknowledgements Regarding Course Placement Change Requests

STUDENTS LOOKING TO REQUEST PLACEMENT CHANGE(S) TO ACCELERATE THEIR STUDIES or DROP GEOMETRY FOCUS

If a student (with parent approval) decides that they wish to enroll in a class against the placement recommendation of the school’s data review team and accelerate their studies by taking an advanced, accelerated or honors course in which they have not been placed or drop additional math support through Geometry Focus, it is important that the student, as well as their parent(s)/guardian(s), acknowledge their understanding and acceptance of the following:

• As a result of the student’s past academic performance in related classes, or lack of attainment of benchmark scores on standardized assessments, it is recognized that the student may not have the complete skill and/or knowledge base to experience immediate success in the course they are requesting to move to or in Geometry without additional support.
• The student may have to undertake efforts independently outside of class to in order to be successful.  This may or may not include seeking after school help, working with a tutor, engaging online resources to develop their skills, or pursuing other means to obtain support in order to master course content material.
• The student’s letter grade may be impacted as they work towards content mastery over the course of the semester.  Students embarking upon new, and in most cases more complex content material, may indeed struggle and finish the semester with a letter grade for the course lower than what they may have been accustomed to/earned in the past.

 

STUDENTS LOOKING TO REQUEST PLACEMENT CHANGE(S) TO DECELERATE THEIR STUDIES

If a student (with parent approval) decides that they wish to enroll in a class against the placement recommendation of the school’s data review team and decelerate their studies by opting out of an advanced, honors or accelerated course, it is important that the student, as well as their parent(s)/guardian(s), acknowledge their understanding and acceptance of the following:

• Students who elect to decelerate their studies, despite the fact that their past academic history and standardized test scores indicate that they appear prepared for accelerated coursework, may end up not being able to take future advanced courses in a particular department as a result of the sequencing of classes in that department.  For example, a student who chooses to decelerate their studies in mathematics may not have the opportunity to pursue Advanced Placement courses in math during their junior and/or senior year.
• In addition, students that choose to decelerate their studies will likely not cover the same course content in terms of complexity or volume that they otherwise would have had they remained in an accelerated course.  As a result, the student may very well need to seek out additional resources to be as prepared for standardized college entrance assessments, such as the SAT, as they otherwise would have had they remained in the accelerated course into which they were placed.

THIS FORM SHOULD BE SUBMITTED BY MARCH 22, 2024 TO PURSUE ANY CHANGE(S) OF PLACEMENT(S) INDICATED ABOVE. 

If parents have questions about the placement change request process, they are encouraged (but not required) to contact the student’s counselor at the Dakota High School 10-12 grade building.  If this form is not returned by March 22, 2024 the schedule provided through Power School during computer scheduling will be considered to be verified by the student and their parent(s)/guardian(s).