Course Requirements and Credit Distribution
| English | 4.0 credits |
| Social Studies | 4.0 credits |
| Mathematics | 3.0 credits |
| Science | 3.0 credits + Biology is REQUIRED for all students. |
| Health/Phys. Ed/Driver’s Ed. | 1.25 credits |
| Career Explorations | .5 credit |
| Electives | 8.5 credits (some requirements- see “Considerations”) |
| TOTAL CREDITS | 24.25 credits (minimum) |
* NOTE: Students successfully completing the LCTI full day academic program will satisfy Parkland’s academic graduation requirements.
Considerations
- Students at PHS are required to schedule the following minimum number of credits per year: 6.25 for each grade level, 9-12
- Total credits to be scheduled = 25.25 (assumes no failures or repeated courses)
Elective Areas
- 8.5 credits required in electives in grades 9 – 12 distributed as follows:
- 0.5 credit in Personal Finance (652) OR Independent Living (839) (For Class of 2028 and beyond only)
- 1.0 credit in Technology Applications
- 3.0 credits in Arts and Humanities
- 4.5 credits in open choice electives
- Note: Certain courses may count as a required course or an elective but may not count as both. (For example- Physics.)
Technology Applications (1.0 credit required)
- Par Key/Yearbook
- Trumpet/Newspaper
- Introduction to Mass Communication
- Live from Parkland:Sports & News Broadcasting
- Screen & Scene: Performance for TV and Film
- Parkland Morning News
- Parkland Midday News
- AP Statistics
- Statistics
- Trigonometry/Statistics
- Game Development and Design
- Meteorology
- Astronomy
- Geology of National/State Parks
- Physics GHP
- Physics CP
- AP Physics 1
- AP Physics 2
- AP Physics C- Mechanics
- AP Physics C- Electricity and Magnetism
- Introduction to Business
- College & Career Success Skills
- Personal Keyboarding
- IT Certification Exploration
- HTML and Web Page Design
- Marketing
- Sports Administration
- Business Management
- Business Law
- AP Business with Personal Finance (Classes of 2028 and beyond)
- Personal Finance (Classes of 2028 and beyond)
- Investing
- Entrepreneurship
- Accounting 1
- Accounting 2
- Accounting Honors
- School Store Practice
- Photography 1
- Photography 2
- Photography 3
- Computer Art 1
- Computer Art 2
- Computer Animation
- Piano 1
- Piano 2
- Music Theory 1
- Music Theory 2
- AP Music Theory
- Music Production 1
- Music Listening and Literature Honors
- Fashion and Wardrobe Construction
- Fashion Design/Merchandising
- Creative Crafts
- Interior Design
- Introduction to Drafting
- Residential Architecture
- Advanced Architecture
- 3-D Comp Design and Animation
- Production Materials and Processes
- Manufacturing Systems
- Basic Electronics
- Transportation and Energy
- Innovation and Invention
- Computer Science Essentials Honors- PLTW
- AP Computer Science Principles- PLTW
- AP Computer Science A- PLTW
- Cybersecurity Honors- PLTW
- Principles of Biomedical Honors- PLTW
- Human Body Systems Honors- PLTW
- Medical Interventions Honors- PLTW
- Biomedical Innovation Honors- PLTW
- Introduction to Engineering Design Honors- PLTW
- Principles of Engineering Honors- PLTW
- Computer Integrated Manufacturing Honors- PLTW
- Digital Electronics Honors- PLTW
- Aerospace Engineering Honors- PLTW
- Civil Engineering and Architecture Honors- PLTW
- PLTW Capstone- PLTW
Arts and Humanities (3.0 credits required. 1.0 credit required for LCTI students)
- Par Key/Yearbook
- Trumpet/Newspaper
- Public Speaking
- Theatre Arts 1
- Theatre Arts 2A
- Theatre Arts 2B
- Theatre Arts 3A
- Theatre Arts 3B
- Theatre Arts 4 Honors
- Parkland Morning News
- Parkland Midday News
- Journalism
- Introduction to Mass Communication
- Live from Parkland:Sports & News Broadcasting
- Screen & Scene: Performance for TV and Film
- Creative Writing 1
- Creative Writing 2
- Greek and Roman Mythology
- Sports in Literature
- Technical Theatre
- AP Human Geography
- AP European History
- AP African American Studies
- General Psychology
- Elective Sociology
- AP Psychology
- Introduction to Criminal Justice
- Criminal Investigation
- Law Enforcement and Society
- Criminal Evidence and Court Procedure
- Heritage Spanish 1
- Heritage Spanish 2
- Latin 1
- German 1
- Spanish 1
- Sign Language 1
- French 2
- Latin 2
- German 2
- Spanish 2
- Sign Language 2
- French 3
- German 3
- Spanish 3
- Sign Language 3
- Spanish 2 Honors
- Spanish 3 Honors
- French 4
- German 4
- Spanish 4
- Sign Language 4
- French 1
- French AP: Language and Culture
- German 5
- German AP: Language and Culture
- Spanish AP: Language and Culture
- Spanish 5
- French 5
- Spanish AP: Literature and Culture
- French 2 Honors
- French 3 Honors
- German 2 Honors
- German 3 Honors
- French 4 Honors
- German 4 Honors
- Spanish 4 Honors
- Chinese 1
- Chinese 2
- Arabic 1
- Arabic 2
- AP Studio Art: 2-D Design
- AP Studio Art: 3-D Design
- Painting 1
- Painting 2
- Drawing 1
- Drawing 2
- Portfolio Preparation
- Photography 1
- Photography 2
- Photography 3
- Art History AP
- Computer Art 1
- Computer Art 2
- Ceramics 1
- Ceramics 2
- Jewelry and Metals 1
- Traditional Crafts
- Graphics and Animation
- Jewelry and Metals 2
- Music and Literature
- Music Theory AP
- Concert Choir
- Band
- Orchestra
- Piano
- Piano 2
- Music Theory 1
- Music Theory 2
- Music Production 1
- Introduction to Strings
- Intermediate Strings
- Fashion and Wardrobe Construction
- Creative Crafts
- Interior Design
- Basic Foods
- American Foods
- International Foods
- Introduction to Baking
- Nutrition for Fitness
- Independent Living (Classes of 2028 and beyond)
- Parenting
- Child Development
- Child Development Laboratory
- Child Development Management
- Fashion Design/Merchandising
- TAP
- AP Studio Art: Drawing 3
Keystone Exams
The Keystone Exams are end-of-course assessments designed to evaluate proficiency in academic content. Beginning with the Class of 2023, successful completion of the Keystone Exams is a graduation requirement. Act 158 of 2018 shifted some of our reliance on the high stakes testing as a graduation requirement to provide alternatives for high school students to demonstrate readiness for post-secondary success. In the past, most of the focus was placed on the Keystone exams. The Keystone exams are one way in which students can graduate by showing proficiency; however, Act 158 provides additional pathways to help students meet graduation requirements. The Pathways to Graduation flowchart and graphic as well as an informational video explaining each pathway can be found at https://phs.parklandsd.org/parents/pathways-to-graduation.
Career Explorations
The Career Explorations course offers a 100% online learning experience designed to help students align their personal needs and expectations with fulfilling career paths.
Students will engage in self-assessment, research various majors and career alternatives, and develop decision-making skills using factual information and resources, including the tools provided within Xello.
Successful completion requires finishing all online modules and creating a digital portfolio based on their self-reflection of interests. This course grants 0.5 elective credit upon completion of the high school project, which does not affect the student’s GPA or class rank.