Secondary (6-12)

6-12 Program Guides

The purpose of the program guide is to assist students and families in selecting appropriate classes for middle school and high school, and preparing for a successful future in college/career.

PUSD High School Program Guide for 2024-25 (English, Spanish, Chinese)

PUSD Middle School Program Guide for 2024-25 (English, Spanish, Chinese)

6-8 Course Outlines

All course outlines are aligned with California Standards and have been part of a rigorous course approval process in order to be approved by the Governing Board. Please contact the Curriculum and Instruction Team should you have questions about any of the course outlines.

9-12 Course Outlines

All course outlines are aligned with California Standards and have been part of a rigorous course approval process in order to be approved by the Governing Board. Please contact the Curriculum and Instruction Team should you have questions about any of the course outlines.

If you are interested in the course approval process, please see our New/Revised Course Approval Process.

6-12 Academic Calendar

When students enter the 6th grade, the academic calendar changes. For secondary students, school years are divided into two semesters, and each semester is divided into two quarters. At the beginning of each year, the academic calendar is posted so that students, parents, and staff can anticipate the end of grading periods. It is important for families to be aware of grading periods so that they can anticipate times when grades are reported and when extra support and academic guidance are helpful.

View the current Academic Calendar

K-12 State Standards

In the Pleasanton Unified School District, our curriculum and instructional programs are directly aligned to the California State Frameworks and Standards. State Frameworks have been in existence since 1983 and outline in more general terms what good instruction is in each of the curricular areas. The Frameworks also describe the specific programs, strategies, materials, professional development and assessments needed for a particular subject area. The Standards, on the other hand, provide grade by grade-specific learning skills and learning outcomes that are to be achieved. Visit the California Department of Education website, which has posted all State Frameworks and Standards documents.

Promotion/Retention/At Risk

When students are not performing as well as they could or when students need extra support or guidance, the school uses various strategies and interventions in order to assist students and families. The school’s responsibility is to communicate with families at the end of the first quarter and at the end of the semester if students are in danger of falling behind or being retained. In addition to communication with families, schools provide many interventions to help students succeed, including:

• Teachers contact parents and/or make referrals to the counselors and administrators when students are performing below grade level
• Counselors contact parents and /or see students individually regarding low grades
• Whenever possible, students whose skills are below grade level are referred to math and reading skills sections.
• SST’s are held for students who are failing courses or who are having other difficulties
• Mandatory study halls are often used with students who are failing
• Special education testing is sometimes an outcome of an SST or other interventions
• Mentoring is often employed with the most at-risk students
• At-risk letters are sent to parents
• Weekly phone conferences and face-to-face meetings are held with students and parents

Retention meetings are held in May. In attendance at these meetings are the student, parent, administrator, counselor and often the language arts and mathematics teachers. The team does look at whether the student is meeting grade-level standards in language arts and math. It is at this meeting that the decision is made whether to retain the student or promote the student with an intervention plan for the following year. This plan often includes summer school for at-risk students.

Summer School

Summer School provides make-up and review classes for most academic areas. We strongly recommend that any student who fails a class or loses credit during the school year attend summer school to make up the credit. Registration information is available in May.

View the Summer School Website

Promotion Policy Information

The Pleasanton Unified School District has developed policies and procedures that address promotion and acceleration. Progress toward graduation shall be based on the number of credits earned. The class standing of the student is based on the number of semester credits successfully completed with passing grades of A, B, C, or D (or CR). Pupils are classified as follows at the beginning of each semester.

Our ultimate goal is to assist our students to meet graduation requirements. Progress toward graduation is based upon the student’s ability to pass required subjects, electives and proficiency tests. At the comprehensive high school, students must earn a minimum of 230 units to graduate. It is extremely important for students to pass classes so that their graduation is not placed in jeopardy. Parents and students are encouraged to communicate frequently with counselors and teachers. Grade checks are available from the counseling office on posted dates. Teachers can also be contacted via their voice mailboxes and email addresses.

The minimum number of credits that should be earned at the end of each semester is listed below:

 

PUSD 9-12 Basic High School Graduation Requirements

In order to stay “on track” for graduation, students in high school must earn 30 credits per semester and 60 credits per year. When students fail a semester course, they earn 0 credits and fall behind on the road to graduation. Below please find the Pleasanton Unified School District’s graduation requirements and what constitutes a high school student credit deficiency.

Out-of-District Courses

While PUSD does not recommend outside courses, if you choose to purchase one, it is important to verify that the out-of-district course is approved by UC/CSU.

See information on how to research and verify out-of-district courses

Application to Add Out-of-District Coursework to the PUSD High School Transcript

Please contact your child’s counselor if you have questions and/or need additional information.

Incoming 6th Grade Math Placement Appeal

Please submit this completed form to the principal of the Pleasanton school your student will be attending in the fall.

Petition for World Language Credit

Please submit this completed form to your high school counselor to request World Language credit.

CSU/UC Links

Many Pleasanton Unified School District students complete their education and move on to a California State University or a University of California campus. It is important for students and their families to be aware of the requirements for admission and the additional “recommendations” of classes, test scores, and grade point averages to be selected to attend the more impacted campuses. Click here for the University of California system-wide website. Click here for the California State University website. For additional information, contact the Counseling Office or the Career Centers at each of the comprehensive high schools.