BELOW ARE THE CUSD HIGH SCHOOL PLACEMENT CRITERIA FOR THE 2023-24 SCHOOL YEAR
Students may challenge their placement in any course if they do not meet the specified placement criteria by completing the Course Waiver Form and arranging a meeting with their High School Academic Advisor or Assistant Principal during summer registration.
Below are the CUSD placement guidelines. Course offerings differ at each high school site and not all courses may be offered at your home school.
High School Placement Guidelines
Honors English I - Students in English 8 Accelerated who maintain a four quarter 3.5 GPA or students in English 8 with a four quarter 4.0 GPA will qualify for Honors English I. All other students shall be placed in English I.
AP Human Geography (formerly Honors World History) - Students who qualify for Honors English I qualify for placement in this course. Students may select this as an additional elective.
This class is designed to prepare students for the rigors of AP classes their Sophomore Year. 9th Grade Students registering for and completing this course will automatically be enrolled in AP Euro or AP World History in 10th Grade).
AP World History - Concurrent enrollment in Honors English 1.
AP Human Geography - Concurrent enrollment in Honors English 1.
Astronomy - Students who do not pass Science 8 may be placed in this course. This course meets CUSD graduation requirements only but is a non college prep course that does not meet the A-G requirements for college admissions.
Biology - All freshman shall be enrolled in this course.
Honors Biology - Students in achieve both an A or B in 8th grade Algebra or higher and A in 8th grade Science and an A or B in 8th grade English Acc or A in 8th grade English** All other students with a passing grade in Science 8 (A, B, C, or D) shall be placed in Biology.
**Subject to change.
AP Biology - *9th grade enrollment may be possible; contact Assistant Principal of Guidance.
Physical Education - All 9th grade students must be enrolled in a full year of PE Activities or sport. Students will not be placed into 'tryout sports' until tryouts are completed and lists provided by respective sport coaches.
CCP/Health - One semester of each course shall be taken by all freshmen. Students with impacted schedules may qualify however, to take health during the summer and/or there may be options to take health after school hours (or during lunch) during the school year following their freshman year.
Honors Algebra II/Trigonometry - Current eighth grade students in Geometry who meet the placement criteria shall be placed into this course. Those not meeting the placement criteria shall be placed into Geometry. See CUSD Math Department webpage for placement criteria.
Geometry - Current eighth grade students in Algebra I who meet who meet the placement criteria shall be placed into this course. Those not meeting the placement criteria shall be placed into Algebra I. See
CUSD Math Department webpage for placement criteria. into Algebra I.
Algebra I - All students currently in Math 8 and current eighth grade Algebra I students not meeting the placement criteria for Geometry shall be placed in this course.
Guidelines for summer math courses for acceleration purposes:
Since Algebra 1 is a graduation requirement, students will not be allowed to take Algebra 1 over the summer for acceleration purposes.
Although not recommended, current Grade 8 or higher Algebra 1 students are allowed to take a two-semester/one-year Geometry course over the summer for accelerated purposes at any WASC-accredited school including Pacific Coast High School (PCHS), or at BYU or the University of Missouri (this option is not available for current Grade 7 Algebra 1 students). See the document attached in the Elective Locker regarding pre-approved Geometry courses at PCHS, University of Missouri, and BYU.
Although not recommended, current Grade 9-11 Geometry students are allowed to take a two-semester/one-year Algebra 2 course over the summer for acceleration purposes at any WASC-accredited school. This option is not available for current Grade 8 Geometry students. Students who take this course would qualify to enroll in Precalculus (regular), but not Honors Precalculus.
Although not recommended, current Grade 9-11 Algebra 2/Trig (acc) students are allowed to take the Math 2 course over the summer at Saddleback College. Students who take this course would qualify to enroll in AP Calculus AB, but not AP Calculus BC. (Note: Students would need to follow Saddleback College’s policies for math placement at the college.)
Other requests for summer acceleration courses will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please see the CUSD Math department webpage for more information.
Students will need to provide their high school counselor with transcripts that they have passed both semesters of the summer course they took PRIOR to the start of the school year in order to be transferred to the next higher math course.
Also, please note the following regarding PCHS mathematics courses:
PCHS Trigonometry does not equate to any CUSD courses. Students should not sign up for any PCHS Trigonometry course. PCHS Algebra 2 will not replace grade in CUSD Algebra 2/Trig (acc). PCHS Pre-calculus will not replace grade in CUSD Honors Precalculus.