• Course Selection FAQs

    Q: When will I select my classes for next year?  

    A: In the Spring during your English class.  Your counselors will visit your English classes and facilitate a process to gather your course preferences.


    Q: What should I do if I was absent on the day that my English class was visited by the counseling team?

    A:  Make an appointment with your counselor during your grade level scheduling window.  You can email your school counselor for an appointment or you can stop down to the school counseling suite to make an appointment or pick up a course request form.  

    Q: What if I am absent and I don't make an appointment to talk to my school counselors?

    A:  If you do not make your requests known to your school counselor during your grade level window, your school counselor will create your schedule based on your graduation requirements and their best knowledge of you as a learner.

    Q:  How do I know what classes I can take?

    A:  Courses are listed on this website.  Your required academic courses will be added to your schedule by your school counselor based on what you need for graduation.  For example, in Math, if you passed the course you are in, you will take the next course in sequence.  If you completed Algebra, you will enroll in Geometry.  If you completed Geometry, you will enroll in Algebra 2 or Statistics.   


    Q:  What is the purpose of the carbon copy duplicate request sheet?

    A:  The purpose is to give one sheet to your counselor so they have the details of your requests and to bring one sheet home so you can discuss your requests with your family.  You may want to take a photo of your copy so you have it handy when your family asks you about your schedule requests for next year.

    Q:  Once I complete the carbon copy duplicate request sheet, is my schedule guaranteed?

    A:  The request sheet is not a promised schedule.  It is a way to notify your counselor about the course you want to take next year.

    Q:  When will school counselors be visiting my English classes so I can request courses?

    A:   Juniors:  March 3 - March 14th. 
          Sophomores:  March 17 - April 2
          Freshman:  April 3 - April 25


    Q:  When can I view my schedule?

    A:  Check your email for an update.


    Q:  I want to change my requests and my schedule. Is this possible?

    A:  Changes can only be made for compelling reasons.  Your schedule is created for you and your individual gradation plan. You cannot change your schedule to be with friends, have particular teachers, attend particular lunch waves, accommodate an early shift at a part time job, etc.   Schedule changes will ONLY be made for what is needed for graduation and what is needed for your individual graduation pathway.

    Q: What if I want to take an Honors, AP, or Early College Experience class and my teacher did not recommend me for it? 

    A:  Put a note on your request form so your school counselor knows your desire for the class.  The school counselor can update all recommendations in order to create your schedule.  If there is a big discrepancy between your academic history and that of students who typically find success in more rigorous courses, expect a follow up conversation with your school counselor.  Wilbur Cross encourages students to take advantage of all course opportunities and rigorous courses that will help prepare students for continued academic success.  There are many examples where a student has not been recommended for an AP, Honors, or ECE course by a teacher yet has has had success once enrolled.  

    Q:  What is the difference between a required academic course and an elective course?

    A: Required courses fit in to a band of academic courses required for graduation.  Required academic courses, or their equivalent, are required for all students in order to earn a Wilbur Cross High School Diploma.  Elective courses are also required for graduation, but students have more choice in these courses.  Students can elect to take a course that is of interest to them or is likely to support them in their post high school experience.

    Q:  Do I have any choices in the classes I take?

    A:  Some courses are required for graduation and some courses can be requested given your interests and future plans.

     

  • General FAQs

    Q: What is a course credit?

    A: Credits are obtained after the successful completion of courses during grades 9 through 12.  One credit is obtained for one full year course.  A half credit is obtained from completing semester long courses (2 marking periods). 


    Q: How many credits do I need to graduate from Wilbur Cross High School and earn a Wilbur Cross Diploma?

    A:  All students must have a minimum of 26 credits in each of the categories required for graduation.  


    Q: What is a New Haven Public Schools Diploma?

    A:  For students graduating in 2023 and 2024 students can earn a New Haven Public Schools Diploma.  Students must earn a minimum of 25 credits in each of the categories  as required by the state for graduation. 

    Q: What is a transcript?

    A: Transcripts are permanent record of your academic performance and attendance in high school.

    Q: I changed high schools. How are my transfer credits treated when I enroll at Wilbur Cross?

    A: Transfer courses and obtained credits are added to your high school transcript, but the quality points that were awarded at your previous school will not be applied to your Wilbur Cross GPA or class rank.

    Q: I am a transfer student.  Am I ranked?

    A:  No


    Q: When is my class rank calculated?

    A: During the fall of your senior year.  Typically one week after the end of the first marking period. 


    Q: How is my class rank determined?

    A:  Class rank is determined by calculating the number of quality points you earned upon completion of your courses.


    Q:  I really loved a particular course at Cross.  Can I take it again?

    A:  If you have already passed a course, you cannot take it again.

     

    Q:  I strongly disliked the class and I failed it. Do I have to take it again?

    A:  If the class you failed is a graduation requirement, you must retake the course.

    Q: What is a GPA?

    A:  GPA stands for grade point average.  Your grade point average is an average of the quality points you have earned from the classes you have passed while at Wilbur Cross High School.  


    Q: How many AP Classes can I request as a Junior or Senior?

    A:  You can request as many as you want,  but you will only be prioritized into the number allocated to your grade level for the first round of scheduling.  Be sure to request courses where you will be happy to enroll and where pre reqs have been met.

    Q: How many AP Classes can I take as a Junior or Senior?

    A: Juniors and Seniors can start the year with up to 3 AP Courses in their schedule.  During the earlier days of Add/Drop, you can make a request for courses beyond the early limit.  The tentative date to review requests beyond the early limit is September 7, 2023. 

    Q: How many AP Classes can I request as a Sophomore?

    A:  You can request as many as you want,  but you will only be prioritized into the number allocated to your grade level for the first round of scheduling.  Be sure to request courses where you will be happy to enroll and where pre reqs have been met.   


    Q: How many AP Classes can a Sophomore take?

    A: This number is known after Juniors and Seniors are scheduled and after the school can determine if all sophomores requesting AP Courses can be accommodated.  For school year 22-23, we anticipate sophomores can start their year with up to 2 on AP courses on their schedule.


    Q: Do all my grades show up on my permanent record?  My exam grades?  My marking period grades?

    A: The year end final grade is the only grade that is recorded on your permanent record/transcript.  If your counselor receives a request to forward grades during the school year, they will forward report cards that show academic progress and include marking period grades and exam grades.


    Q:  How do I know if I am on the honor roll?

    A: The honor roll is published after each marking period. 

    Q:  I have a compelling reason to change my schedule.  When can I do this?  

    A:  During the add/drop period.  


    Q:  What is Senior Seminar and do I have to take it?

    A:  It is a course designed to help seniors complete their Capstone project over the course of one semester.  In a Senior Seminar course, students will have the support of a classroom teacher and a community of learners to offer critical preparation for your project.  This preparation includes guided reflections of high school experiences and accomplishments, deep understanding of 21st Century Competencies, targeted feedback from teachers and peers as well as practice simulations. While you do not have to take the class, and can Opt Out of the Senior Seminar Class with the permission of your family, you should know the following: 

    • By OPTING OUT you are taking on the Capstone Project as an independent learning project.  You will need to manage your own time, garner support where needed, dig into the details of the rubric and show up for your assigned CAPSTONE Outcome slot. 
    • Capstone is a graduation requirement.  Before considering opting out, speak with your family and or your school counselor to discuss if opting out of senior seminar is the best option for you.