books
High Schools » Rising Freshmen Information

Rising Freshmen Information

Welcome rising Freshmen. Please review the important information below to make the most of your CCSD High School Experience. If you have questions, please contact your child's school counselor, or, new students not yet enrolled in a CCSD high school, can contact email [email protected]

Semester Scheduling

All Columbia County School District high schools operate on a semester system in which the school year is divided into two halves of approximately 90 days each. Each half of a year is a semester and high school credits are earned by semester. 
 
Fall Semester
18 wks semester avg
Semester Exam
Semester Grade
Half-credits earned
Spring Semester
18 wks semester avg
Semester Exam
Semester Grade
Half-credits earned
 

Units of Credit

Credits are awarded for courses based on semester hours. Each course is 18 weeks long and earns a half-credit.

Semester

 Course

Credit

Fall Semester English 9A 0.5 Credit
Spring Semester English 9B 0.5 Credit
  Total Credit 1.0 Credit for English 9
 
A total of 24 units are required to graduate

Subject

Unit

Required Units

Additional Information

English 4 Credits
  • 1 unit 9th Grade Literature
  • 1 unit 10th Grade Literature
  • 1 unit 11th Grade American Literature
  • 1 unit of 12th British Literature* OR
  • Multicultural Literature* OR Advanced Composition
Dual Enrollment
  • Dual-enrolled students must earn credit in ENG101/102 or ENGL1101/1102 to meet this requirement.
Math 4 Credits
  • 1 unit Algebra I
  • 1 unit Geometry
  • 1 unit Advanced Algebra
  • 1 unit AP Pre-Calculus or Additional Math
4th Math Options
  • Statistics
  • Adv. Math Decision Making
  • Calculus
  • AP Calculus (A/B or B/C), AP Statistics
  • Additional Pathways to Earn Math Credit
  • Support Classes
Science 4 Credits
  • 1 unit Physical Science or Physics
  • 1 unit Biology
  • 1 unit Chemistry or Environmental
  • Science or Earth Systems
  • 1 unit Additional Science
Additional Sciences
  • Anatomy and Physiology
  • Astronomy
  • Forensics
  • Microbiology
  • AP Biology, Chemistry, Physics,
    Environmental Science
Social Sciences 3.5 Credits
  • 0.5 unit American Government
  • 1 unit Personal Finance and Economics
  • 1 unit World History
  • 1 unit United States History
N/A
Health & Physical Education 1 Credit
  • 0.5 unit Health
  • 0.5 unit Personal Fitness
  • Students earning 3 or more units of JROTC
  • can waive the health and personal fitness requirement
Modern Language OR CTAE OR Fine Arts 3 Credits
  • CTAE Career Pathway- 3 credits in same area of CTAE: Agriculture, Architecture/Construction, AV Technology, Business, Education, JROTC, Health Science, Hospitality, Human Services, Information Tech, Law/Public Safety, Marketing, STEM and Transportation
  • Fine Arts Pathway -3 credits in the same area: Art, Band, Chorus, Drama/Theater
  • Modern Language Pathway- 3 credits in same language. State Colleges and Universities require two sequential years of modern language credit. 2 years of AP Computer science can be used as a modern language.
 
Additional Electives 4.5 Credits College and Universities recommend electives from the core areas of English, Math, Social Studies, Science and Modern Languages
 
 
TOTAL 24 Units  24 total units are required to graduate.


  • 9th Grade English
  • Algebra I or Geometry
  • American Government and World Geography
  • Physical Science, Biology or Environmental Science
  • Physical Education and Health (or ROTC)
  • Elective- World Language, CTAE, Fine Arts
  • Elective- World Language, CTAE, Fine Arts
  • Freshmen (9th Grade)- Successful completion of 8th grade
  • Sophomore (10th Grade)-Earned a minimum of 5 units
  • Junior (11th Grade)- Earned a minimum of 11 units
  • Senior (12th Grade)- Earned a minimum of 17 units
  • Continuous average for 18 weeks
    ○ Progress Report 1- 4.5 weeks
    ○ Progress Report 2- 9 weeks
    ○ Progress Report 3- 13.5 weeks
    ○ Semester Average- 18 weeks
  • Semester average- 80%
  • Final exam or EOC- 20%
 
Example English 9 Percentage Total
Semester Average 75 80 60
Final Exam 95 20 19
    Final Grade 79
 
Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) course grades are weighted with an additional 10 points added to the final semester average.
 
Course 1st Semester Average Exam Grade Semester Average Final Average
AP Government 80 70 78 88
  • Determination of academic honors and honor graduates are based on a cumulative average of all course grades
    received in high school.
  • Students must have a 90.0 or higher cumulative average to receive academic recognition.
  • High school credits earned in middle school are included in the cumulative average.
  • All freshmen are initially eligible first semester of their freshman year to participate in sports
  • To maintain eligibility, students must be enrolled in AND pass 5 or more classes (2.5 credits) after first semester.
  • Student-athletes must be on track for graduation, carrying credit toward grade promotion the semester before participation.
  • Merit-based scholarship that provides assistance with tuition at eligible public/private Georgia post-secondary institutions.
  • Requires a minimum 3.0 HOPE GPA (as calculated by GSFC) and meet specific rigor course requirements.
  • GPA based solely on core courses taken in high school-English, math, social studies, science, and foreign language only.
  • High school credits accepted in middle school are not included in the HOPE GPA.
  • GPA is calculated based on a 4.0 scale.
        A equals 4.0
        B equals 3.0
        C equals 2.0
        D equals 1.0
        F equals 0
  • The AP/IB weighting applied by the district is stripped prior to HOPE GPA calculation.
  • HOPE adds back a half a point (0.5) to Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and Dual Enrollment (DE) degree-level core course grades.
  • For additional questions regarding HOPE, please talk to your high school counselor and go to www.gafutures.org.
  • All high school credits earned in middle school will be placed on the high school transcript. If a student retakes the course in 9th grade, the high school course taken in middle school will be deleted and the high school course grade and credit will replace the middle school grade/credit
  • For example, if a student makes an 72 in Algebra I in middle school, the grade/credit will automatically go on the high school transcript. The student has the option to retake Algebra I in high school. The student makes a 92 in Algebra I in high school. The 72 middle school credit will be removed from the high school transcript and a 92 will replace the Algebra I grade and credit.
  • Credit accepted in middle school will not be used to calculate the grade point average (GPA) for HOPE scholarship.
  • Credit accepted in middle school will be used in the grade point average (GPA) calculation for high school.
  • Record of all student academic accomplishments in high school.
  • Lists every course a student takes, when the course is taken, and the grade received.
  • Transcripts are used for scholarship selections and part of the application process to post-secondary schools.
  • Based on input from middle school teachers and student data, the four core courses have been pre-selected for students.
  • Students have the option to select three additional electives for a total of 7 courses.
  • Most freshmen take the required elective: 
    • Health (0.5) credit
    • Personal Fitness (0.5) credit
  • Students can select two additional electives- consider pathways.
    • Select three alternates in case a course is not available.
    • Elective options for Freshmen (HS will provide a copy)
 
Advanced Placement (AP)
  • Provides students the rigor of college-level courses in a high school setting.
  • AP exams are administered in May.
  • Based on the score earned, students can earn college credit.
  • Why Take AP?
    • AP exam takers:
      ○ Have a higher probability of graduating college in 4 years.
      ○ Earn the same or higher grades in subsequent college courses in the same content area.
 
International Baccalaureate (IB)
  • Academically challenging curriculum, address the intellectual, social, emotional and physical well-being of students.
  • IB students experience IB in cohorts.
  • High college acceptance rate.
  • IB core classes, conducting college-level research, community service and investigating assumptions about what we know.
  • District program housed at Lakeside High School; students transfer.
  • Application process: Rising freshmen interested, please contact your middle school counselor.
 
Dual Enrollment
  • Funding is provided for students enrolled in both high school and an eligible postsecondary institution.
  • Postsecondary coursework for credit counts toward both high school graduation and a postsecondary degree/certificate.
  • 9th grade - Not eligible
  • 10th grade - Eligible for CTAE courses or must have an SAT score of 1200 or ACT score of 26 to take other courses
  • 11th and 12th grade - Eligible to take any approved Dual Enrollment course
 
Columbia Virtual Academy (CVA)
  • CVA is an online school for students in grades 6-12 who are residents of Columbia Columbia School District.
  • Students take online courses full-time or part-time that are taught by Columbia County School District teachers
  • Students continue to participate in extracurricular activities/sports at zone school.
  • CVA representatives are available to answer questions at the table in the commons/main hallway area.
  • Registration Deadline: January 19th.
  • Core courses are pre-selected based on 8th-grade teacher recommendations and student data.
  • Students will receive a registration form to select electives. The registration form can be turned in at Freshmen Orientation or to the middle school counselor the following week.
  • January 19th- Deadline to submit registration