2026-2027 Choice of Subject SMS by Wafa Gadid

COS TIME LINE

wagadid — 2025-01-16 22:27:27 UTC

Students will receive a paper copy of their COS in class. This online guide and COS form will be uploaded into their student canvas as well.

Parents/Guardians and students can view course requests through Skyward starting February.

The counselors will visit with students the end of January to help them input their selections into Skyward. Once the window closes you will not have access to view or make changes through skyward.

*Parents/Guardians will be able to view courses through the parent Access in Skyward, but selections can only be made using the student log in.

COS Notes

wagadid — 2025-01-16 22:41:43 UTC

All students need to have a total of 8 classes/16 terms. Students will have 5 required classes, and 3 electives of choice.
All core subjects are AUTOMATICALLY carried over and pre-selected for students. If your student is currently enrolled in honors core classes, those will be selected for them. Similarly, if your student is in on-level classes, those will also be pre-selected. For students with a mix of honors and on-level classes, that same mix will carry over as well. Please note that students cannot adjust the level of their classes in Skyward. Any level changes must be requested through their counselor.
Students taking Athletics, Honors or Spanish I this year will AUTOMATICALLY have these electives selected for them. Changes must be made by their counselor.
Students only need two years of Physical Education in middle school. In 8th grade, PE and Athletics are considered an elective - not a requirement.
If your student is NOT in Athletics, they must try out. After students try out for Athletics and make it, the coaches will let us know which students need to be scheduled into Athletics. One of the counselors will move the student from an elective into Athletics.
An elective (or electives) may be replaced with a
Math Lab and/or Reading class based on STAAR
scores and other assessment data as determined by
the district. Counselors will not receive this information until we return from summer break.

Skyward Instructions for COS

wagadid — 2025-01-17 17:29:12 UTC

These instructions show you how to view and select courses in Skyward. You must log in as your student to make selections.

7th grade COS Form

wagadid — 2025-01-21 18:36:34 UTC

This form shows all course options for incoming 7th graders. The course names are clickable to show one page descriptions of the class offered.

8th grade COS Form

wagadid — 2025-01-21 18:38:28 UTC

This form shows all course options for incoming 8th graders. The course names are clickable to show one page descriptions of the course offered.

COS Information

wagadid — 2025-01-21 18:49:00 UTC

If you need additional information about any of the courses being offered, the links below will take you to the GISD Course Guide. Please note that Schrade does not offer every course described in the guide, only the courses listed on the COS.

GISD Course Guide in English

GISD Course Guide in Spanish

GISD Course Guide in Vietnamese

High School Credit

wagadid — 2025-01-21 19:00:08 UTC

High School Credit

Please note that 8th graders have several high school credit options including:

*Students are required to complete two years of the same foreign language to graduate high school. While middle school students have the option to begin working on this requirement early, it is perfectly acceptable to wait until high school, especially if they wish to study a language not offered at Schrade MS, such as French, American Sign Language, or Chinese. However, for students planning to apply to a magnet or collegiate program, I recommend starting foreign language courses in middle school to create more flexibility for meeting the program's requirements.

Course Difficulty Level

wagadid — 2025-01-21 19:04:59 UTC

Consider taking honors courses in subjects you excel in. Good indicators of academic success in honors courses like English, Science, and History include: maintaining at least an 85 average in on-level, passing STAAR, and scoring in the average to high range for CBAs or MAP testing. If this sounds like you, consider talking to your current teacher to get their input too!

For Math, moving from on-level to honors is not the same due to the accelerated pacing of honors math. Current 7th grade honors math students will take 8th grade pre-algebra and will take the 8th grade STAAR this school year. 8th graders will take Algebra for HS credit and take the Algebra EOC for graduation.

8th grade Endorsement

wagadid — 2025-01-21 19:55:25 UTC

Endorsements consist of a related series of courses that are grouped together by interest or skill set. They provide students with in-depth knowledge of a subject area.

In 8^th grade, students choose high school classes based on their interests. (Endorsement) You will choose your endorsement in skyward. There are 5 endorsements to choose from. An endorsement in High school is like your Major in college. Each endorsement has options to narrow it down even more. You will also a choose an option for your endorsement.

A parent signature is required, (in skyward) approving the endorsement selected.
Endorsements promote students to be more marketable for college and career.

Skyward Instructions

wagadid — 2025-12-02 18:29:42 UTC

These instructions show you how to view and select courses in Skyward. You must log in as your student to make selections.

Program of Study

wagadid — 2026-02-05 17:11:12 UTC

When students select their endorsement, their electives will auto-populate. Here is the list of electives per program of study that outline their 4 year through program completion. These will be entered in skyward but can be mapped out on their Personal Graduation Plan (PGP)