Course selection happens every January, with freshmen through juniors getting their first opportunity to select what classes they want to take during the next school year. On Jan. 13, teachers spent each class period advising students on what their options were for courses.
Course selection gives students the time to choose what they want their next year to look like depending on their own priorities.
“My thought process was, I wanted to take harder classes because I need to get my GPA to go up,” sophomore Scarlett Perez said.
During course selection, students heard about changes in the course offerings for next year, including updates to advanced biology, government and economics, as well as senior-year AVID.
AP Biology is switching to OnRamps Biology for the 2025-26 school year. Students had the opportunity to pick the course during course selection this week.
“Last year was an eye-opening experience for me with AP because I had a handful of kids, I would say five or six who worked authentically, genuinely hard in AP Bio and earned an A or B in this class,” said Kristen Lynam, who has taught AP Bio for 11 years. “And had I been an actual college professor, they would have earned college credit hands down and made an A or B, and they didn’t [due to the AP test].”
Biology was the last advanced science class that was still offered on campus as an AP course. For students to earn college credit for AP classes, they typically need to score at least a 3 on the exam. Some schools require a 4 or 5.
Lynam said switching to OnRamps Biology will help more students earn college credit. While she is not completely sure what the course will look like, she said retests will be allowed in some form, and she will organize the course’s format and plan over the summer after a training from UT.
“I’m going to do my best to make sure that the content is presented, and I can help guide them through the course so that they can master this basic fundamental biology course that would allow them to skip it in college and move on,” Lynam said.
The switch to OnRamps excites and worries students due to the unknown changes to the course.
“I think it is a positive change because I was leaning more towards the Dual Credit/OnRamps classes,” junior Emily Le said. “And I noticed a lot of complaints from other people [about AP Bio]. They said they felt like that class was really difficult, but I just noticed they got rid of classes like that. I am worried about [OnRamps] because it’s new. I don’t really know what to expect, but we’ll see.”
Other changes coming include senior year AVID will now be dual credit through San Jacinto College. The first semester will be focused on college applications, essays and scholarships, and the second semester will be an education course.
Dual Credit Government is also switching to OnRamps Civics to accompany OnRamps Microeconomics. Each will remain one semester classes.
For the past two years, students who took Dual Credit Government and Econ would take an OnRamps class through UT one semester and take a dual credit course through San Jac the other semester. Now, both semester courses will be through UT.
“The district has done dual credit with San Jacinto, and it’s been a positive relationship, however in an effort to get some more continuity, we’re switching to OnRamps Civics,” Government teacher Jess White said.
If students take Government or Economics over the summer, it will still be through San Jac. If students wish to take Gov and Econ over the school year, they still have the choice between AP and OnRamps.
The main change will be the role of the teacher, from dual credit that is designed and controlled by the high school teacher, where now OnRamps will be led by a college professor with the high school teacher serving as a facilitator.
“Honestly either way, AP or OnRamps, especially with knowing who the two teachers are as of now, both are outstanding courses and I think all kids are going to learn something,” said Eric Coovert, who teaches US History and AP European History. “It’s just going to be one of those things where it’s not dual credit anymore, so it’s going to be a little bit interesting to see how students react.”
