High School

You may find it hard to believe that your child is already in high school!

If your child is a senior, you probably can’t believe they are almost finished with high school! It is a serious time as they prepare for their future, but it goes by so fast and is incredibly busy. Students are working hard to earn 24 credits to graduate. There are many accelerated programs to choose from that could result in college credit earned and career and technical programs that may lead to an industry certification. The junior year is when students should map out the application process for postsecondary options. We hope you find the resources on this site that will help you help your child make the most out of their high school academic experience.

Growth Mindset

Have you heard about a movement called the Growth Mindset? Research completed by Dr. Carol Dweck states that the way our students think impacts their attitude toward learning and how they perform in our classrooms. As parents, you can help your child develop a Growth Mindset, in which they believe they can improve their knowledge and skills.

One of the key concepts of the growth mindset research is that children should be praised for effort instead of ability. The research shows that these students:

• ask for new challenging tasks and persevere in solving them.

• view challenges as a way of learning, and embrace them.

A great introduction to the growth mindset vs. fixed mindset is the Youtube video “The Power of Belief – Mindset and Success” by Eduardo Brinceno.

Florida Academic Standards

Florida’s standards are the academic content objectives that describe what students should know and be able to do at each grade level. Consistent, rigorous standards are important to ensure all students are on a path to college and career readiness, and to ensure common outcomes and expectations between districts, especially for students who may move within the state. Standards are the what of learning. Local school districts are responsible for the how by choosing curriculum, textbooks and instructional methods.

All Florida students deserve to graduate from high school with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in college, careers and life. Florida’s standards are designed to ensure that ALL students reach their greatest potential—whatever their path may be. They will help our students reach their fullest potential by promoting a deeper level of critical thinking and problem solving that is necessary to be competitive in today’s job market.

Because high school students have an array of course options that are not necessarily dependent on grade level, select a subject area below to access parent guides to the state academic standards for grades and subjects or common courses. Links to the standards (and student tutorials, where applicable) are embedded within each guide, and links to other related resources can be found at the end of the lists of standards.

High School Parent Guides

Have you heard about a movement called the Growth Mindset? Research completed by Dr. Carol Dweck states that the way our students think impacts their attitude toward learning and how they perform in our classrooms. As parents, you can help your child develop a Growth Mindset, in which they believe they can improve their knowledge and skills.

One of the key concepts of the growth mindset research is that children should be praised for effort instead of ability. The research shows that these students:

• English Language Arts Parent Guide

• Algebra I Parent Guide

• Geometry Parent Guide

• Algebra II Parent Guide

• Social Studies Parent Guide

• Science Parent Guide

In addition to these guides, specific course descriptions are located on the statewide instructional tool called CPALMS at www.cpalms.org. You can access a short tutorial on how to find what you’re looking for at http://www.cpalms.org/page516.aspx.

A student tutorial for English language arts, mathematics, science, and Civics is available at floridastudents.org.

Assessment requirements for high school graduation can be found on the Florida Department of Education website here.