[Educational Planning] [Planning a Class Schedule] [Graduation Requirements] [Admission Requirements]
[Tests] [Four Year Plan] [Course Descriptions] [Scholarships] [Financial Aid] [FAFSA]

Educational Planning

Course Offering Decisions

Decisions regarding which classes will be offered are made by the Principal, Teachers and Students.  The school administration uses student registrations to determine which classes will be offered the next year.  When students sign up for classes in the spring, they are helping choose the classes to be scheduled for the next year.  When students come to school in the fall and suddenly decide to make schedule changes the new classes they desire might not be available.

Registration for Classes

The School Counselor and Teachers aid students in their registration decisions.  Students register for classes by talking with their teachers and by turning their registration into the School Counselor.

Schedule Changes

All schedule changes are made with the assistance of the Principal and the Counselor.  Plentywood High School tries to be very student centered.  We want our students to be happy with their schedules.  Students may attempt to arrange the times their classes meet by talking with the School Counselor or the Principal; however, when making schedule changes the school must also consider issues such as class size.

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Planning a Student's Class Schedule

Develop a Four-Year Plan of Study

Your School Counselor will help you plan your four years of high school in such a manner that your course selections will meet graduation requirements and help you in preparing for the future.  The Counselor will also encourage you to take courses that enhance your development and a well-rounded personality by including the arts, personal interests, and developmental skills during each of your high school years.

A four-year-plan of study will help you determine which classes are pre-requisite for other classes, those that provide excellent job skills, or those classes that are required for college admissions.  A four-year plan of study will help you to understand which classes are required for graduation, which classes are needed for admissions into college, and which classes are needed for you to make the most of your high school education

Review your plan of study each year after adjusting to the current course schedule.

Due to scheduling conflicts, not every student is able to schedule all of the classes they desire each year.  If you are forced to drop a course due to a conflict, you should check your four-year plan of study and make the necessary adjustments.  The school administration will schedule courses to accommodate the majority of the students' needs, within the constraints of the existing staff and budget.  The master schedule is generated by using student class registrations.  If you want the schedule to reflect your wants and needs, be sure to develop a four-year plan of study and to pre-register each spring.

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Graduation Requirements

To motivate students toward satisfactory performance in every course of study, the requirements for graduation from Plentywood High School will be twenty-five credits according to the following schedule:

The board shall award a regular high school diploma to every student enrolled in the District who meets the requirements of graduation established by the District.  In order to assure the best possible opportunity for the student to earn the diploma, it is recommended that parents and students, and relevant school personnel when needed, design an Individual Education Plan for the student upon entering high school.  A student who possesses a handicapping condition shall satisfy those competency requirements that are incorporated into the Individualized Education Program (IEP).  Satisfactory completion of the objectives incorporated into the IEP shall serve as the basis for determining completion of a course.

The requirements are a minimum of 25 credits.  The 25 credits will consist of the following:

    4 credits of English:  a) English 9; b) Composition/Speech I;
        c) American Literary Traditions; d) Senior English
    5 credits of Math and Science
        3/2 credits of Science:  a) Biology required
        3/2 credits of Mathematics:  a) Algebra I required
    1 1/2 credits of Computers
    3 credits of Social Science:  a) United States History; b) American Government;
        c) World History
    1 1/2 credits- 3 semesters of Physical Education
    1/2 credit of General Health
    7 1/2 credits of electives:  1/2, 1, 1 1/2, or 2 elective credits may be school to work
    2 credits of Fine Arts (Music and/or Art classes) and/or Foreign Language

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College Admission Requirements

Montana University System Admission Policies

In order to be admitted to any of the four-year campuses of Montana University System, students must meet a combination of admissions standards, on the MSU website at http://mus.edu/admissions.asp.

First, Admissions Policy 301.1, requires that students meet one of the three minimum requirements:

Or have at least a 2.5 high school GPA (grade point average)
Or rank in top half of school's graduating class.

And, students must complete the Board of Regents' College Preparatory Program in high school.  There are two tracks of college prep courses, the minimum core, established in 1991, and the rigorous core, adopted in 2002 as part of the math proficiency standard.  OCHE maintains and posts the lists of each high school's core on the website:  http://mus.edu/asa/hscp/index.asp.  Students graduating in 2010 or later must complete the Rigorous Core to be eligible for a Montana University System Honor Scholarship.

And, students must satisfy the Mathematics Proficiency standard (Policy 301.15):

    Minimum Score of 22 on ACT, 520 on SAT, math (quantitative) score, or

    Minimum Score of 3 or above on the AP Calculus AB or BC Subject Examinations, or

    Minimum Score of 50 on CLEP College Algebra, College Algebra-Trigonometry,
    Calculus or Trigonometry or current ACE Recommended Score for Awarding Credit is also allowed or

    Minimum Grades of C in each math course of the High School Rigorous Core
    including 4 years of math (Algebra I & II, Geometry and a course beyond Algebra II)

Exceptions and additional details are available at:  http://mus.edu/borpol/bor300/301-15.htm. 

And, students must satisfy the Writing Proficiency standard (Policy 301.16) according to this phase-in schedule:

Or, a Minimum Score of 50 on CLEP Subject Exam in Composition.

Exceptions and additional details are available at:  http://mus.edu/borpol/bor300/301-16.htm.

Students who do not meet the Writing and/or Mathematics Proficiency standards may enter a four-year program under Provisional Admissions:

If a student has not yet demonstrated the ability to meet mathematics or writing proficiency standards, the student may be admitted to a 2-year program.  Before gaining full admission status, the provisionally admitted student may prove appropriate proficiency by re-taking one or more of the listed assessments to earn the required score or earn a grade of C- or better in the math or composition course that is the prerequisite to the course that satisfies the general education program requirements.  If students have been provisionally admitted, they must achieve full admission status before the end of three semesters of the completion of 32 credits in the Montana University System, whichever event occurs first.

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Tests

Seniors

ACT- College Entrance Level Test (Math, Reading, Science Reasoning, English, optional Writing)

    Beginning in the Spring of 2005 an optional writing test will be added to the ACT. 
    For an additional fee, the student my register for the writing.  Some colleges
    (not in the Montana University System) may require a writing score for admission
    beginning with the fall of 2005.

SAT- College Entrance Level Test (Math, English, Writing)

    Beginning in the Spring of 2005 a writing test will become part of all SAT exams. 
    The cost of the exam will increase as well as the length of the exam.

Juniors

ACT- College Entrance Level Test (Math, Reading, Science Reasoning, English, optional Writing) see above.

SAT- College Entrance  Level Test (Math, English, Writing)

ASVAB- Armed Service Vocational Aptitude Battery

    (General Science, Arithmetic Reasoning, Word Knowledge, Paragraph Comprehension,
    Mathematics Knowledge, Electronics Information, Auto and Shop Information, Mechanical Comprehension.) 
    The ASVAB also provides the student with some excellent career exploration materials.

PSAT- Pre-SAT- Qualifying exam for the National Merit

Scholarship (Math, Verbal, Writing Skills)

Sophomores

PLAN/ACT- Pre-ACT (Math, Reading, Science Reasoning and English)

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For more Information, please contact Mrs. Tryan

Four Year Plan

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