Academic Planning
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Counselors work with students to plan a four-year curriculum that will keep them on track to meet graduation requirements and prepare them for college and beyond. In addition to regular classroom visits and communication from counselors, students will find useful planning resources on this page.
Academic Planning
½ûÂþÌìÌà Diploma Requirements Four-year Planning Worksheet Forecast Guide Forecast Forms Scholars Programs
Advanced Placement / Dual Credit
Taking AP and Dual Credit courses in high school can help prepare students for the level of challenge that they will find in college, signals to college admissions officers that a student is ready to succeed at the undergraduate level, and can earn college credit while still in high school.
Ida B. Wells Scholars
Ida B. Wells High School offers a scholars program to provide a framework for students to plan a rigorous course of study with attention to all disciplines. The curriculum exceeds the requirements of most colleges and is not mandatory for students planning to attend college. Students who complete seven semesters with a minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA and complete the requirements for the program, including community service, receive the “scholars” distinction at graduation.
To earn the IBW Scholars Medallion, students must complete the following:
- Four credits of English, with at least one AP or Dual Credit course.
- Four credits of Social Studies, with at least one AP or Dual Credit course.
- Four credits of Science, with at least one AP or Dual Credit course.
- Four credits of Mathematics, with at least one AP or Dual Credit course.
- Two additional credits from the following: additional World Language credit beyond the graduation requirement, or any other AP/Dual Credit course not already accounted for in the requirements listed above.
- Complete 80 hours of community service (can be recorded on a resume, Google Sheet, or any other legible format).
Ida B. Wells High School Valedictorian Honors
IBW valedictorians are recognized as those students who have earned all A’s through the first seven semesters of high school.
Credit Recovery & Alternative Methods of Earning High School Credit
Students have many alternatives to acquire high school credit, recover credit from previous courses in which they received an "F" grade, or improve grades. Always check with your counselor before enrolling to see if the credit will transfer as an elective or required course on your transcript. IBW can only accept credit from accredited institutions that have been approved by ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ. Below are the institutions most commonly used by IBW students; however, the list is not exhaustive.
Portland Evening Scholars (PES) is a supplemental credit recovery and credit advancement program; it is NOT a diploma or a G.E.D. program.
Course Credits: Students earn 1/2 credit for each semester course successfully completed at PES. Each class is held one night a week. PES follows a two-semester schedule. Fall Semester runs September through January. Spring Semester runs February through May.
Registration, fees, and course info are updated in early September for Fall Semester, and in January for Spring Semester.
Summer Scholars is a high school credit recovery and credit advancement program. It is a tuition-based program for students who want to recover credit, improve a grade, or get ahead by earning original credit. Each three-week semester carries 0.5 credits.
Work Experience Elective Credit
Students may earn credit toward graduation through work experience, either paid or unpaid. For information on earning credit for paid employment, Click here. For information on earning credit for unpaid employment, click here.
STAMP (Standards-based Measurement of Proficiency) is a web-based test that is an option for high school students to earn academic credits for language proficiency. Students should be native English speakers or ESL students with high intermediate to advanced English. See your counselor to sign up for the STAMP test.
Virtual Scholars
Virtual scholars is a free online credit recovery program offered as a class at IBW. See your counselor to sign up.
Enrichment Opportunities
Saturday Academy offers a broad range of hands-on classes and camps during the school year and school vacations. Courses include topics in science, engineering, writing, college entrance test prep, programming, art, filmmaking, and more.
The ASE Program provides a full summertime work experience beginning with the application process and interview skill training. Successful applicants are selected by ASE mentors and gain professional experience while working as interns with mentor scientists and engineers from industry, university, non-profit and government agencies. Applications due in late February.
The Partnership for Scientific Inquiry class is designed to allow Portland area high school students an opportunity to experience scientific research. The class pairs students with OHSU faculty mentors. Students prepare a research proposal that describes work which could be done in the mentor's lab over the ensuing summer. Please note this program meets during the second academic semester (Feb-June) and students may continue in the summer to conduct research with their mentor. High school credit can be obtained for participation in this upper level class. This class meets every Monday from 4:30 to 6:30 PM on the OHSU campus beginning approximately Feb. 1 and continuing throughout the remainder of the school year. High school freshmen, sophomores, and juniors are invited to apply. Students must have no scheduling conflicts that would interfere with attending all classes. The class is rigorous with weekly homework as well as written and oral presentations.
To be eligible, students must have at least a 2.0 grade point average, good attendance, teacher recommendations and two full years of math. They must also complete an interview. Applications are usually due in December. Teams are composed of 15-25 students and their industry mentors. Each team is set up to emulate an actual design team, with students guided through a mock design project by their architect, engineer, and construction management mentors. Several companies will be assigned to each team, each providing one or two mentors. Mentors guide the students as they work towards a final project, introducing them to the careers, industry vocabulary, and various roles companies play in the construction industry. ACE runs for the duration of the school year. The teams meet for approximately 15 sessions, for about two hours after school. In addition to these team sessions, there are also all-team activities such as "College Night" and field trips to construction sites. ACE students are eligible for ACE scholarships, which they can apply toward higher education in a building-related field.
Reed College
High-school seniors who are ready for part-time, rigorous college study may apply to take one college class at Reed for the full academic year while concurrently enrolled in high school. Applicants must have exhausted high-school curricula options in the subject he or she wishes to take at Reed, or have demonstrated a serious and sustained interest in a subject not offered at the high school.
Some students elect to take a class or two at PCC to supplement their education. Families are responsible for any costs associated with these courses. See your counselor if you think this might be a good option for you.
Portland State University
The is an academic-year scholarship program (not offered in the summer) for selected high school juniors and seniors to attend Portland State University for part-time advanced study. To qualify for the program, students must have a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average and have exhausted all available course offerings in a particular subject area.
BYU Independent Study is a nonprofit online educational program. Enrollment is open to anyone, any time of the year, with a full year to complete most courses. Students must see their counselor to start the registration process; if the course has not been approved by ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ, we will not be able to add it to a student's transcript.
Tutors
Khan Academy is an educational non-profit with an extensive library of content, covering everything from arithmetic to physics, finance, and history, and including interactive challenges, assessments, and videos accessible for free from any computer with access to the web.
Tutor Doctor's local Portland tutoring services provide affordable one-to-one tutoring for children and adults that covers all subjects as well as test preparation and study skills. Our students’ success is our only goal.