We are officially a bit over halfway through the school year, and it’s time to start deciding your courses for the upcoming year.
To graduate you must have a certain amount of credits for each class, with some required by the New Jersey Department of Education. Even though graduation seems far away, it’s better to meet all of your requirements as soon as possible. There are a total of 135 credits required for graduation, and with smart planning you can get them all done while still having time to focus on classes that interest you.
The required course credits are 20 credits of English, 15 credits of social studies, 15 credits of mathematics, 15 credits of science, five credits of visual and performing arts, five credits of 21st century life and career skills, five credits of world language, two and a half credits of personal financial literature, and five credits of physical education and health for each year of attendance.
(LRHS)
Each course credit is earned by successfully completing and passing a course. Credits per class can vary but the typical amount of credits is five per course. To meet the requirements of 20 course credits of English, for instance, four years of English must be taken. The courses taken to earn these credits are usually English 1 – English 4. Depending on the amount of credits needed the number of courses taken in a specific field can vary. For example, only five credits of visual and performing arts is needed so you can take Studio Art and fulfill the required credits.
Something else that should be considered when planning courses is whether you want to challenge yourself with advanced placement and honors courses. They can help you build your knowledge of the field of study, challenge you, and potentially earn you college credit.
Setting goals and having an idea of what you want to do in your future is a great place to start when choosing classes. Depending on what you plan to do in the future there are different courses that you should think about taking. Even if there’s something that interests you, but you don’t know if you’re going to pursue it, it’s better to start building a foundation early. To add onto this, participating in extracurricular activities can help highlight your academic achievements and enhance your high school experience.
It’s important to check in with your school counselor about courses as they are very helpful if you are not sure what interests you or if you cannot decide between courses. It’s important to start considering what classes you would like to take next year and in the future. Read all about them here: LRHS Curriculum Guide
