Planning Your Course Schedule

Module 7.2: Planning Your Course Schedule

How ACL Courses Fit Alongside Your Home High School

One of the most practical questions families have after admission is: how does my student actually schedule their classes across two schools?

Here's the structural reality. On ACL days (A days), your student takes their Academies courses --- integrated math, integrated science, track-specific classes, and eventually research or advanced electives. On home school days (B days), they take everything else --- English, social studies, world languages, PE, fine arts, and any other courses needed for graduation.

The scheduling is coordinated between the two schools. Your student's home school guidance counselor and the ACL academic team work together to make sure everything fits. But "coordinated" doesn't mean "effortless." There are real constraints, and understanding them early will save you headaches.

ACL courses replace, not supplement, certain home school courses. When your student takes AET Integrated Mathematics I at ACL, they're not also taking a math course at their home school that year. The ACL math course satisfies the same requirement. Same with science --- AOS/AET integrated science courses cover the content that students at the home school would be getting in physics or chemistry.

Your student's home school schedule has fewer slots than a typical student's. Because half the school week is spent at ACL, your student has fewer periods available at the home school. This means they can't take as many electives, AP courses outside of STEM, or "extra" classes as students who attend the home school full time.

Some scheduling conflicts are unavoidable. If a particular course at the home school is only offered on A days (which happen to be ACL days), your student can't take it. This is most common with advanced electives, certain AP courses, and specialized arts or music classes that have limited sections.

The practical advice: start the scheduling conversation early. Don't wait until course registration opens in the spring. Talk to the home school guidance counselor as soon as your student is admitted so you understand what's available, what conflicts might arise, and what flexibility exists.

Making Sure ACL Coursework Counts Toward Graduation

This is a question that causes unnecessary anxiety for a lot of families: will my student be able to graduate on time?

The short answer: yes. ACL courses are LCPS courses. They appear on your student's official LCPS transcript, they carry full credit, and they satisfy Virginia graduation requirements. Your student graduates from their home high school with all ACL coursework reflected on their diploma and transcript.

Here's how the specifics work:

Math requirements. Virginia requires specific math credits for graduation. AOS and AET integrated math courses satisfy these requirements. The AET math sequence starts with AET Integrated Mathematics I (an honors-level course covering geometric and algebraic concepts), followed by AET Integrated Mathematics II, which covers Algebra 2, Trigonometry, and Precalculus content in an integrated progression. Students then proceed to AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Statistics, or Multivariable Calculus in later years. AOS/AET integrated courses carry 0.5 (Honors) or 1.0 (AP) GPA weight, which is calculated into the student's home-school GPA.

Science requirements. Virginia requires lab science credits. AOS and AET integrated science courses satisfy these requirements. AET Integrated Science I and II cover physics and chemistry, and students take the SOL Chemistry test as part of the sequence. AOS students similarly fulfill science requirements through their integrated program.

Verified credits and SOL tests. Virginia's graduation requirements include verified credits, which are earned by passing specific Standards of Learning (SOL) tests. ACL students take the same SOL tests as other LCPS students in the relevant subjects. Your guidance counselor will help track which verified credits your student has earned and which ones still need to be completed.

Elective credits. ACL courses count toward elective credit as well. Engineering design courses, computer science courses, CTE pathway courses at MATA --- these all generate credits that count toward the total required for graduation.

The one thing to watch: because your student has fewer home school periods, you need to make sure all required courses get covered across all four years. English every year, enough social studies credits, the required PE and health credits, and any specific requirements for the Standard or Advanced diploma. Your guidance counselor will map this out with you, but it's worth double-checking the plan each year rather than assuming it's all set.

AP and Dual Enrollment Options Within the Academies

One of the strengths of the ACL curriculum is that advanced content is built into the program --- students don't need to separately sign up for AP courses to access college-level work. But here's how AP specifically fits in.

AOS and AET have AP-level content embedded in their courses. The AET AP Integrated Mathematics II course, for example, carries the AP designation and covers AP-level material. AET AP Calculus AB and BC are offered in Years 3 and 4. AET AP Statistics is available for seniors. AET AP Physics is offered for juniors, and AET AP Biology is a senior-year option. AOS similarly integrates AP-level rigor into its science and math sequence.

Students can take AP exams even when courses aren't labeled "AP." Some ACL courses cover AP-equivalent content without carrying the AP designation in the course title. Your student can still register for and take the corresponding AP exam if they choose.

AP courses at the home school are also an option. On home school days, your student can take AP courses in non-STEM subjects --- AP English Language, AP US History, AP Government, AP World Languages, etc. This is how many ACL students build a strong, well-rounded transcript. They get advanced STEM through ACL and advanced humanities through home school AP courses.

Dual enrollment is available through NOVA. Loudoun County Public Schools has a dual enrollment partnership with Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA). Some ACL students take dual enrollment courses to earn college credit alongside their ACL and home school coursework. This is more common in junior and senior years, after students have settled into the rhythm of the alternating schedule.

The strategic consideration: don't overload. It's tempting to stack AP courses at the home school on top of an already demanding ACL courseload. But there are only so many hours in a week, and spreading yourself too thin helps no one. A focused, excellent performance in a reasonable number of advanced courses is worth more --- both for learning and for college admissions --- than a mediocre performance across an unrealistic number of them.

Coordinating with Your Home School Guidance Counselor

Your home school guidance counselor is one of the most important people in your student's academic life, and this is doubly true for ACL students. Here's how to make that relationship work.

Meet early and meet often. Schedule a meeting with the guidance counselor as soon as your student is admitted to ACL. Go over the four-year graduation plan together. Identify potential scheduling conflicts. Make sure the counselor understands your student's goals --- not just "graduate on time" but "build a strong transcript for competitive college admissions" or "explore dual enrollment" or "keep doing orchestra," whatever matters to your family.

Bring the ACL course plan to the meeting. Know which ACL courses your student will take each year (the program publishes this), so you can map out which slots are available at the home school. The counselor needs to see the full picture to advise effectively.

Revisit the plan every year. Things change. Course offerings shift. Your student's interests evolve. A class they planned to take sophomore year might get moved to a conflicting time slot. Check in with the counselor at the start of each school year and again during spring registration.

Don't assume the counselor knows the ACL curriculum inside and out. Home school counselors work with hundreds of students, and ACL students are a small fraction of their caseload. They're familiar with the general structure, but they may not know the details of every AET or AOS course. Be prepared to share information and ask specific questions.

Use the ACL academic advisor too. ACL has its own guidance and advising resources. If you hit a scheduling issue or have a question about how an ACL course translates to credit, the ACL academic office can help. The best outcomes happen when the home school counselor and the ACL advisor are communicating with each other --- and sometimes you need to be the one who connects them.

Building a Four-Year Course Map

The most organized ACL families build a simple four-year course map during the summer before 9th grade. It doesn't need to be fancy --- a spreadsheet or even a handwritten grid works. Here's what to include:

For each year (9th through 12th), list:

• ACL courses (pulled from the program's published sequence)

• Home school courses (English, social studies, world language, PE, electives)

• AP courses and when they'll be taken

• Any dual enrollment courses you're considering

• SOL tests and verified credits needed

• Extracurricular commitments that might affect scheduling

This map will change --- count on it. But starting with a plan gives you something to adjust, which is much better than making it up semester by semester.

One final note: your student's transcript is their transcript, regardless of whether a course was taken at ACL or the home school. Colleges see all of it as one unified record. So think about the overall shape of the four years --- the breadth, the depth, the progression --- rather than obsessing over any single course decision.