The “No Child Left Behind” law mandates that high schools must share directory information, such as names, addresses, and phone numbers of juniors and seniors, with military and college recruiters upon request. During registration each year, parents and guardians can choose to withhold this information. If you wish to change the preference you selected at registration, please contact the Student Registration Department.

The Credit Recovery program uses Edgenuity, an online educational platform that provides a flexible, self-paced solution for students who need to recover lost credits and stay on track for graduation. Through interactive, personalized lessons in core subjects like English, Math, Science, and Social Studies, students engage with videos, readings, assessments, and practice exercises tailored to their learning needs. The platform employs a mastery-based approach, allowing students to review challenging concepts and advance once they demonstrate understanding. With access to certified instructors, support, and progress monitoring, students can recover credits at their own pace during the school day or after school, while receiving the guidance necessary to succeed and stay on track for graduation.

AP: Advanced Placement Course

CAREER-RELATED ACTIVITIES: Experiential learning opportunities incorporated into the academic curriculum to support students in gaining practical knowledge and skills related to their college and career paths.

CERTIFICATION: Formal recognition awarded to students who have successfully completed a specific job training program and demonstrated the necessary knowledge, skills, and competencies required for a particular occupation or industry. 

CO-LAB: Collaboratively Instructed Course

COLLEGE AND CAREER PATHWAY: A college and career pathway combines rigorous, high-quality education, training, and services, aligning Secondary Education, Adult Education, Workforce Training, Career and Technical Education, and Postsecondary Education systems and programs. It includes multiple entry and exit points, allowing individuals to build skills and advance in sector-specific employment as they progress through education and training.

COLLEGE AND CAREER PATHWAY ENDORSEMENTS: Endorsements awarded on high school diplomas to students who demonstrate readiness for college and careers through the following indicators:

Individual post-secondary plan
Professional learning
Career-focused instructional sequence that must include at least 6 hours of early college credit
Academic readiness

COLLEGE MAJORS: Areas of study within a college or university, allowing students to focus on a particular academic discipline or professional field.

CREDIT:  A measure of school achievement.  A student earns one half credit by passing a semester-long course.  Students must complete at least 22 credits to graduate from West Aurora High School.  Typically, students enroll in seven courses each semester and therefore have the opportunity to earn three and one half credits per semester and seven per year.

COURSE TITLE KEY: 

Y: Year-long course
F: Fall semester course
S: Spring semester course
N: NCAA Eligibility Courses

DUAL CREDIT COURSE (DC): Select courses at West Aurora High School offer students the opportunity to earn both high school and college credit at the same time. Through our partnership with Waubonsee Community College, students enrolled in these dual credit courses gain valuable college experience while meeting high school graduation requirements, all within a School District 129 facility. These courses are aligned with the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI), a statewide agreement among Illinois colleges and universities that ensures credits transfer seamlessly to most four-year institutions.

ELECTIVE:  An elective course which does not necessarily meet a specific graduation requirement.

ML: Multilingual Course

PATHWAY-RELATED ELECTIVE: Courses encouraged for students to take over the 4-year sequence. These courses provide opportunities for students to build skills and knowledge connected to a future career. 

PREREQUISITE:  A condition a student must meet in order to enroll in the next course in a series of courses.

PROGRAM OF STUDY: Recommended courses that provide students opportunities to develop skills and knowledge within a specific career pathway.

REQUIRED COURSE:  A course a student must pass in order to graduate.

STUDENT CLASSIFICATION: SD129 classifies students as 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th graders. The standards for classification ate as follows:

9th Grade: Entering from 8th grade or students with less than 5 credits earned
10th Grade: 5 through 9.5 credits earned
11th Grade: 10 through 15.5 credits earned
12th Grade: Minimum of 16 credits earned

WORK-BASED LEARNING EXPERIENCES: Provides students the ability to engage directly with employers, for the purpose of gaining knowledge of industry sectors or occupations.

If a student would like to drop a course or have a level change, they need to fill out the request form which can be found in their house. The classroom teacher, Department Administrator, Counselor, and parent must sign the form. After the 10th school day, students will receive an “NG” (no credit) on their transcript. After the 32^nd school day, students will receive a “WF” (withdrawn failure) on their transcript.

Select courses at West Aurora High School offer students a chance to earn both high school and college credit simultaneously. Through our partnership with Waubonsee Community College, students enrolled in these courses gain valuable college experience while fulfilling high school graduation requirements, with all courses taking place within a School District 129 facility. All of these courses align with the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI), a statewide agreement among Illinois colleges and universities that ensures credits transfer smoothly to most four-year institutions.

Most students take four years to complete the graduation requirements. It is possible, however, for a student to complete all graduation requirements at the end of the first semester of the senior year. Students who wish to attempt an early graduation should contact their guidance counselor early in their high school career. West High requires students who graduate early to have parent permission.

4 Years of English
3 Years of Math (Algebra, Geometry and Algebra 2)
3 Years of Lab Science
3 Years of Social Studies
2 Years of the Same Foreign Language; 2 Years of Fine Arts, or 2 Years of Vocational Courses

West High staff uses the following letter grades to report progress to parents at the end of each quarter and semester:

A – Excellent 
B – Good 
C – Average 
D – Poor 
F – Failure/no credit earned

Occasionally, the mark, “I” (incomplete) is used. This mark indicates that the student’s work is not complete. Teachers only use this mark in instances when the student has been unable to meet course requirements due to circumstances beyond the student’s control. The mark automatically becomes an “F” if the student does not complete the missing coursework within two weeks after the end of the semester. The student’s teacher can request an extension of the two week time period. 

The grade point average (GPA) is an average of all grades received for all classes taken with the exception of Pass/ Fail options, which are not counted in the GPA. Each letter grade has a point value:

To determine the GPA, add the number of points earned for each letter grade and divide the total by the number of classes taken.

A student must earn a minimum of 22 credits to graduate from West Aurora High School. 

In order to receive Homebound/Hospital instruction, the student must have a medical certificate signed by the doctor and parent(s) stating that the student will be absent from school for a minimum of two weeks.

A student who earns a GPA between 3.5 and 3.99 in a semester will be on the honor roll. A student who earns a GPA over 4.0 in a semester will be on the high honor roll.

The Latin honors system is a traditional academic classification used to recognize students’ academic achievements upon graduation. These honors are awarded based on a student’s Grade Point Average (GPA) or equivalent academic performance, with specific thresholds for each level of distinction. The three primary Latin honors are:

Cum Laude: “with honor”, GPA: 3.75-3.99
Magna Cum Laude: “with great honor”, GPA: 4.0-4.249
Summa Cum Laude: “with highest honor”, GPA: 4.25+

The only classes offered with a Pass/Fail option are CTE, PE, Driver’s Education, and Fine Arts. A Pass/Fail ruling may be earned if the student earns the equivalent of an “A”, “B”, or “C”. If a “D” or “F” is earned, the letter grade will be recorded. Students must return a signed form within the first 7 days of the semester to their teacher. Forms are available from the classroom teacher or the guidance counselor. A Pass “P” does not count towards class rank or GPA.

The school year is 36 weeks in length and is divided into two semesters of 18 weeks each. Each semester consists of four 4 ½ week grading periods. Students receive final grades at the end of each semester. Each school day consists of eight 50-minute class periods. Each student will have one 50-minute lunch/stud hall period during the school day. All students begin the day with the first period class at 7:35 am. West Aurora High School does not permit students to audit classes.