Mountainside
High School
planning PROGRAM GUIDE
A Guide for Selecting Courses
2025 - 2026
This Academic Guide contains an overview of Mountainside’s diploma requirements, academic courses, previews of courses to come, and career pathway options. Use this Guide to help plan the courses you will take prior to completing your forecasting process.
Please be advised that all offerings are contingent upon staffing and enrollment. This means that not every course described in this Guide will be offered every year.
COURSE SELECTION PRESENTATIONS
Rising 9th Grade: Click Here
Rising 10th-12th Grades: Click Here
COURSE SELECTION DOCUMENTS
Rising 9th Grade: Click Here
Current 9th Grade: Click Here
Current 10th Grade: Click Here
Current 11th Grade: Click Here
Scheduling Guidelines
- Students need to earn 24.0 credits in order to graduate. The semester schedule gives students the opportunity to take 7 credits each year (seven .5 credits per semester) for a total of 28 possible credits earned during a four-year course of study. Students should plan to take a full load of classes for all four years to prepare for study beyond high school.
- The scheduling of courses is dependent upon the number of students requesting any given course. When selecting elective choices, students should consider elective subjects carefully and select alternate classes in case there is a conflict in the schedule, or in the event that we are unable to offer the course due to insufficient enrollment or funding.
- The course selection process for requesting classes will be directed by counselors. Course selection will be conducted via a paper sheet that will be used when students' enter their selections in Synergy with their Chromebook. Before completing their course selection forms, students should make sure their course selection sheet includes the following information:
- All desired courses listed by title and designated course numbers
- A minimum of five alternate elective selections, listed in order of preference
Schedule Changes: Prepare your schedule of courses carefully. The offering and staffing of courses is critically dependent on the student requests made during Spring forecasting. Students will be expected to accept and complete the classes they ask for. Schedule changes will not be made after the start of school. Corrections are generally only allowed in the event that a student is placed in the wrong course level.
Course Sequence Overview
Included below is a general overview of course sequencing at Mountainside. When more than one course is offered within a subject area at a particular grade level, a student's individual skills and readiness will determine the specific course placement.
Oregon requires 3.0 credits in science for graduation (the BSD requires the 3.0 credits be taken as 1.0 credit each of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology). We strongly recommend that students who plan to attend a four-year university take science all four years of high school and take an advanced science course their senior year.
Students who plan on a STEM-related major or profession in science, engineering, or healthcare are highly encouraged to take the first year of any IB Science or dual-credit course after the minimum requirements are met. Experiencing college-level coursework in high school allows students to preview the rigors of post-secondary education. Consider the following recommendations based on generalized majors/professions. If you would like specific information, consult your science teacher.
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Available Career Pathway(s):
- Explore: STEM Physics
- Prepare: STEM Chemistry, Biology, Anatomy and Physiology
- Demonstrate: IB Biology, IB Physics, IB Design, IB Environmental Systems, Advanced Health Careers
Career Pathway Capstone: Take 4 years of science, including an IB class (IB Biology, IB Physics, IB Design, IB ESS), complete a science/engineering fair project, and complete a Career Related Learning Experience (CRLE) in the area of the pathway.
Forecasting Steps
- Review the "Sample Schedules" linked below to know what the required credits are for your grade level.
- Review the "Career Areas and Pathways" information linked below to know the sequence of classes in the Career Area you may pursue.
- Read course descriptions for any of the courses you are interested in taking to make sure you want to forecast for them.
- Talk with your family and teachers about your choices.
- Complete your forecasting form and four-year plan in Advisory.