Course planning and course selection are a typical part of the annual high school calendar. It is a necessary rite of passage to ensure that all students are registered for the correct number of classes, across an array of requirements, and that schools can create a master schedule that accommodates these choices, requirements, and fits. The process for students often spans a couple weeks’ time to identify the courses the student needs and wants to take the following year, get the appropriate approval for high-level or specialized classes, and submit to the school counselor to ensure that basic graduation and program requirements are being met. 

Despite a seemingly mundane and standard step each year during high school, the decisions a student makes about which courses to take and when to take them can have significant impacts on opportunities that are available later in high school and for their postsecondary trajectories. In other words, course options, content, and experiences are the very heart of student learning and growth during high school. 

Many schools and districts utilize graduation requirements as the prevailing guide for protocols, communications, and student decision-making. Though it is obviously important that schools ensure that students are on track to graduate, course planning and selection should be seen as so much more than making decisions so students meet these minimum requirements. Rather, schools and districts can and should use the course planning and selection process as a foundational component for student goal-setting, college and career exploration, postsecondary planning, and a mechanism to track and reflect on progress. 

Course Selection Should Be Fundamentally Tied with Student Goal-Setting

Course selection is one of the most critical series of decision points for high school students and has profound impacts on postsecondary options. It is crucial that students understand the importance of these decisions and explicitly connect the course selection process with their short-term and long-term goals–both in setting them and in mapping out a plan to make their goals a reality. 

As students select courses, it is important that they understand the need to show breadth, depth, and reach on their transcript of courses–specifically as they relate to their postsecondary goals. Breadth is seen with core classes and electives of interest. Depth is demonstrated through a developmental pathway of courses in a career field or other form of alignment. And reach is shown by taking accelerated coursework such as honors, advanced, or dual enrollment or, for those hoping to go directly to the workforce, by doing work-based learning or earning industry certifications. Producing a transcript with these characteristics is possible only when the student and the school work together to make intentional course choices that combine personal interests and prior course experiences to select the next set of courses. 

With this in mind, districts and schools might include goal-setting exercises and reflection on goals as part of the course planning process. Schools might embed ways for students to articulate and document their goals on their course planning documents and do a check on whether their course selections will help or hinder their success in meeting those goals. Doing this each course selection cycle ensures the courses students are taking align with their goals. And, it explicitly helps students more meaningfully understand their course selections as a critical piece to working towards their postsecondary hopes and dreams.

Developing an accessible and easy-to-use system for course planning and selection that embeds so much more than checks on meeting graduation requirements can be a powerful way to cultivate this more holistic approach to course planning. Schoolinks has developed a Course Selection toolkit to support counselors and administrators in helping to convey the import of course selection to students and families and develop more robust coordination between a student’s plans and the course selection process. Using a platform that automates showing necessary prerequisites, enables four-year course planning, includes requirements for different postsecondary options, and helps students map their own goals and progress onto their course planning can be pivotal in this process. 

Re-Framing Course Selection as an Opportunity 

Because of the foundational role course selection and achievement play in a student’s readiness for their postsecondary next steps, course selection and planning should be viewed as underpinning all CCR efforts. Students and counselors can approach course selection as an opportunity for students to reach their goals and make their dreams a reality. 

Schools and districts might expand communications and information about course selection throughout the school year to further convey the fundamental role course planning plays in student opportunity and success. By emphasizing the connection between current coursework and future aspirations, schools can empower students to make informed, strategic choices that align with their long-term goals. This proactive approach both reinforces the importance of course planning and fosters a sense of agency in students, allowing them to take ownership over their educational trajectories.

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