Course Selection

Current eighth grade students attending a South San Francisco Unified School District (SSFUSD) middle school will select courses for the fall semester of their freshmen year after meeting with high school counselors in January.

Parent involvement is essential during the course selection process and to the overall success of the educational planning process.

Students new to SSFUSD and El Camino High School (ECHS) will meet with counselors to select courses after completing the student enrollment process.

Current ECHS freshmen, sophomores, and juniors have one (1) week to return their scheduling forms to school after deciding on a new semester schedule in consultation with their high school counselors and parents. Students enrolling in honors or advanced placement (AP) courses must receive recommendations from their teachers and turn in a signed student/parent contract.

Four Year Plan

Every class taken during high school is a step on a pathway to the future. That's why having a four-year plan is important. The plan helps students map out their graduation, college, and career goals and align their courses and activities with them.

High school counselors can help students identify their goals and put together individualized plans to realize their goals.

ECHS Four-Year Plan

Frequently Asked Questions

When are counselors available to speak with students?

Can students choose a specific teacher for a particular course?

Can students have free periods?

Can I change my schedule after I have already chosen my classes?

During spring semester each year, ECHS counselors conduct transcript reviews with freshmen, sophomores, and juniors to decide which courses the students plan to take in the coming year.

During this time, students are given a course request form, which they should bring home to discuss with their parents. Students and parents must sign this form and return it to school no later than March 1.

Course requests are then finalized, and a master schedule is created for the following year. Once the master schedule is created, the ability to make course changes becomes limited. Class sizes must be balanced, so that the teaching load is distributed equitably.

Students with a compelling reason or extenuating circumstance that warrant a course change after March 1 should speak with a guidance counselor as soon as possible.

What is a compelling reason for a schedule change?

Reasons for a class change after the creation of a master schedule may include:

Scheduling conflicts
Scheduling errors
Unavailability of original course request
Alternative placement due to CST test scores
New course recommendations due to change in second semester final grades
New placement due to changes in summer school grades

Schedule changes WILL NOT be made to accommodate preferences for certain teachers, students, classrooms, or periods.

What courses do I need to take to be ready for college?

Many students and parents think that ECHS graduation requirements and the “A-G” college entrance requirements are different sets of classes. Students who complete high school graduation requirements with C’s or better and who also pass Algebra 2, a second year of foreign language, and a year of a college prep electives will be ready for college as long as they maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0.

Do I have to take honors or advanced placement (AP) courses to get into college?

Can I take courses at a local community college to fulfill high school graduation requirements?

No. Graduation requirements must be fulfilled during the school day at ECHS. Students are allowed to take courses in math and foreign language for enrichment purposes. Students are also encouraged to take courses that help to build a college transcript and/or earn elective credit at ECHS. Students must have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 for concurrent enrollment at a local community college.

Is it true that sophomore and junior year course selection are the most important for college?

What happens if I have to repeat a class?

What is meant by “validating” classes?

Students who earn Ds in a class are generally required to take the class again in order to pass the class. However, there are certain classes that students do not have to repeat, if they earn a D in the fall semester, as long as they earn a C or better in the spring semester. This rule only applies to math courses, foreign languages, and chemistry. However, the earlier D will still be factored into the student's cumulative GPA.