Resources
In alignment with the American School Counselor Association, Deerfield "school counselors deliver school counseling programs that enhance student growth in three domain areas: academic, career, and social/emotional development.
As a part of that program, school counselors implement strategies and activities to help all students enhance their academic development – the mindsets and behaviors students need to maximize their ability to learn – while recognizing that growth in all three domains is necessary for students to be successful now and later in life."
School counselors assist freshmen with graduation tracking curriculum through Advisory. The Tracker will be available through the student's Google Drive.
Course selection and registration begin in January with a pre-registration meeting to discuss course options for the following year. Actual course registration takes place in late January and February.
- Auditing a Course
- Course and Recommendation Questions
- Course Designations
- Course Level Change Requests
- Grade Replacement/Learning Retake
- Graduation Tracking
- Independent Study
- Lake County Tech Campus
- Learning Assistance Program (LAP)
- Pass/Fail Option
- Summer School
- Withdrawing From a Course
Auditing a Course
After conferring with their counselor and with the permission of their parent or guardian, students may elect to audit a course for the purpose of enrichment. These courses are listed on their transcript as an audit (AU), but receive no credit, are not included in GPA calculations, and cannot be used as prerequisite courses. Attendance is taken and reported for students in audited courses.
An audit agreement is made between the student and teacher once the semester has begun but not later than the end of the third week of the semester. In order for the audit to appear on the permanent record, students must notify their school counselor and teacher at the time the agreement is made. The teachers verify audits at the end of each semester.
- Teachers and Department Chairs must approve a request to audit.
- Teachers are not required or expected to evaluate student work or progress for auditing students.
- Although the student is not considered part of the class load, the student is expected to conform to all regular attendance and classroom management procedures and policies.
- The course will be entered on the student schedule, but schedule changes will not be made to accommodate audits.
- If, at the discretion of the teacher and the student’s school counselor, the audit arrangement is no longer beneficial, the student in question will be moved to a study hall in lieu of the audited class.
Students who have time in their schedule and who are interested in a particular course but do not want to engage in the work to earn credit are encouraged to audit classes.
Course and Recommendation Questions
If you have questions or concerns regarding your student's registration, please call your student's counselor.
If you want to receive more information about specific courses, please go to the Program of Studies for the specific departmental offerings.
If you have questions regarding the course(s) for which your student has been recommended, please contact the recommending teacher(s).
Course Designations
Students are enrolled in courses based on standardized test scores, prior achievement and teacher recommendation. If the parent/guardian and student are not sure which course designation is most appropriate, they should contact the appropriate department chair.
Advanced Placement and Honors:
Highly challenging courses with expectations that students will work independently and demonstrate high levels of critical and analytical thinking, reading and writing. The textbooks and materials used are above grade level or at college level.
Standard (College Preparatory):
Courses that demand high levels of cognitive and problem-solving processes. A rigorous instructional pace allows for both curricular depth and enrichment.
Course Level Change Requests
If a student finds themselves struggling in a course, there are several proactive steps they can take to improve academically:
- Review and Practice: Regular review of class material and consistent practice can reinforce learning. Students can create a study schedule, use additional study materials, and attempt practice problems or quizzes to strengthen their understanding.
- Collaborate with Peers: Studying with classmates can be beneficial. Explaining concepts to others can solidify understanding, and peers might offer insights or explanations that resonate better than those from the teacher.
- Seek Extra Help in the ARC: Students are encouraged to use the Academic Resource Center (ARC), where they can receive individualized or small-group tutoring in a particular subject area. Our dedicated ARC tutors can offer personalized guidance and strategies to improve academic performance.
- Talk to the Teacher: Communicate with the teacher in person or via email to set up a time to further discuss academic progress. The teacher can offer guidance, clarify concepts, and provide extra help or resources.
- Talk to the School Counselor: School counselors can offer guidance on adjusting study habits, exploring different learning strategies, and supporting overall wellbeing.
If a student continues to struggle academically despite taking these proactive steps, it is imperative that the student meet with their teacher again to establish a time-bound academic intervention plan. The plan will identify the areas in which the student is working to improve, detailed interventions in the classroom, and additional support outside the classroom. If eligible, the student may also be invited to participate in an academic intervention class with a dedicated subject-area intervention teacher (referred to as an MTSS Tier 2 interventionist). Students are required to take advantage of this level of support as a part of their intervention plan.
Throughout this intervention plan, regular communication between the student, teacher, and any additional support personnel (i.e., case manager, MTSS Tier 2 interventionist) is vital to monitor progress, reassess strategies, and make necessary adjustments to ensure the student's improvement in the subject. A typical intervention plan will last 6-8 weeks before more intense interventions are established or a course level change is considered.
After schedules are finalized, a course level change request will only be considered after a student has engaged in the established intervention plan. Please be aware that even after engaging in an intervention plan there is no guarantee that a schedule change is possible based on class sizes and the overall class schedule. Extenuating circumstances (such as impact of student progress due to hospitalization) will be considered on a case-by-case scenario. Guidance pertaining to course withdrawals can be found in the course withdrawal section.
Beginning the 2025-26 school year, please see the District's message regarding the process for level changes.
Grade Replacement/Learning Retake
Students may opt to retake courses for the purpose of improving a previously earned grade of C+ or lower, or to recover an Incomplete grade for which a Learning Extension is not possible.
Students re-enroll in a course within the same course family.
Grades will be recorded as follows:
- If the retake course grade is higher than the original course grade, the original course remains on the transcript with an R (“replacement”) grade.
- If the retake course grade is the same as the original course grade, the original course remains on the transcript with an AU (“audit”) grade.
- If the retake course grade is lower than the original course grade, the retake course grade is added to the transcript with an AU (“audit”) grade.
Learning Retakes and Course Families
Once a student successfully completes a course within a course family, they may not earn additional credit from courses within the family. If a student's grade for a given experience qualifies for a replacement grade, they may replace that grade by enrolling in a course within the course family. However, the replacement course operates under the replacement grade policy and the student will not earn credit for the original experience and replacement grade experience. The student can also audit a course as described above.
Learning Retakes and External Credit
Students are permitted to retake courses taken as external credit. In these cases, the retake rules as described above apply, as well as the rules concerning external credit as described in policy 6-310 High School Credit for Non-District Experiences; Course Substitutions; Re-Entering Students.
Graduation Tracking
Through the Advisory Program, freshmen work with their counselors on a Graduation Tracking lesson. Freshmen students will learn about graduation requirements, the resources available to learn about course offerings, and how to keep track of their requirements. Each student will create an individualized graduation tracker that will be used throughout their high school career for registration and postsecondary planning. Students will want to think about special interests, talents and potential career choices as they consider courses to fulfill their requirements.
Independent Study
Students may propose independent study projects in order to pursue advanced study not offered in the curriculum or study that involves a dimension different from that offered in a regularly-scheduled class. Independent study courses may earn up to one credit per semester or two credits for a yearlong course.
Generally, independent study projects are designed for students with particular academic interests and/or talents. While independent study work can be important in a student’s academic trajectory, both DHS and HPHS offer a wealth of course options that in most cases provide a more well-rounded and enriching experience for students.
- Development. Interested students must develop a project proposal in conjunction with a faculty sponsor. Departments may have special prerequisites for Independent Study; applicants are encouraged to meet with the Department Chair prior to developing a proposal. Students should expect that the timeframe for proposing a successful independent study project will take weeks and are encouraged to begin the process the semester before the semester that the project begins.
- Grades, Credit. An Independent Study project may be taken on a pass/fail basis or for a grade. Projects of unusual difficulty may qualify for Honors credit on a pass-fail basis only. However, in the event that a student has exhausted the Honors curriculum but has not exceeded the total number of Honors credits available within the department, they will have the option of pursuing Honors Independent Study and receive a weighted grade. For example, a student who has completed all the honors courses in the mathematics sequence would be eligible to propose an independent study project for honors credit.
- Forms. Independent study forms are available online on the website of the counseling department and appear as an exhibit to this Policy. Proposals include these elements: rationale for request, objectives of the plan, mechanics of meeting times, the nature of the final product, and evaluation procedures.
- Review, Approval. Independent Study proposals that have been reviewed and approved by the faculty sponsor, department chair, and assistant principal must be submitted to the student's Counselor by the end of the third week of each semester to allow the student time to complete the project in the school year or in the semester, whichever timeframe the project requires.
Independent studies will appear on transcripts in the hosting department with the abbreviation “IS” (for “independent study”) followed by the independent study project name.
Lake County Tech Campus
Tech Campus is located next to the College of Lake County in Grayslake and offers educational opportunities to Deerfield High School students who wish to obtain specialized vocational technical skills. Students taking courses at Tech Campus split their school day between DHS and the Tech Campus site. Transportation to and from Tech Campus is provided by the high school; students are not permitted to drive their own cars. Credits earned at Tech Campus apply to graduation credits at DHS. Interested students or parents/guardians who have questions can obtain information from their counselor.
Visit the Tech Campus website for complete course listings and more information.
Learning Assistance Program (LAP)
The Learning Assistance Program (LAP) is a general education course that targets organizational strategies, homework completion, self-advocacy and study skills. Data is collected to track organization of materials, homework completion, missing assignments, Academic Resource Center (ARC) visits and communication with teachers. When students are in LAP, they will build a relationship with the LAP Coordinator as well as LAP mentors. DHS classroom teachers serve as LAP mentors. The LAP mentors are additional adults in the building that your student will build a relationship with to help them learn skills and navigate high school. Furthermore, grades and overall progress are tracked weekly in LAP to help students improve and monitor their skills. Once students have demonstrated strong, consistent growth in overall academic performance, self-regulation and self-advocacy, LAP services may be reduced or concluded. Eligibility for LAP may be considered by the Intervention Team when students earn multiple D and/or F grades.
Room: I111
Pass/Fail Option
The intent of pass/fail is to encourage students to experiment and explore by taking courses they would not take otherwise.
- Students may elect any course offered in the school for a pass/fail grade under this policy except those required for graduation, or those used for meeting a graduation requirement.
- A student may not take a sequential or prerequisite course on a pass/fail basis. Except with the permission of the department chairperson, only the last semester of an intended sequence may be taken pass/fail.
- Traffic safety is always pass/fail.
- Per policy 6-300, all students must have at least 37 credits in regularly-graded courses to fulfill graduation requirements; the minimum caseload for full-time students is 5 credits per semester.
- Once a student elects to take a course pass/fail, that decision will not be reversed.
- A student must elect to take a course on a pass/fail basis before the withdraw deadline as described above. To obtain a “pass” in a course, the student must obtain a grade of “D-” or better in accordance with the standards of that course. If special arrangements regarding the pass/fail course are requested by the student and approved by the teacher, then these special arrangements should be stated in writing.
- Students are ineligible to enroll in a course for which the prerequisite was taken pass/fail. Parents/guardians must approve decisions to take courses on a pass/fail basis.
Students in grades 11 and 12 who receive physical education exemptions for athletics and/or marching band per policy 6-310: High School Credit for Non-District Experiences; Course Substitutions; Re-Entering Students will automatically be enrolled in pass/fail physical education if their exemption season provides less than 6 continuous weeks of physical education class.
Summer School
In order to provide students with an opportunity to expand their high school learning experience or to retake a course for grade replacement or credit deficiency, a summer school program is offered in District 113. Course offerings and registration instructions are posted in the summer school brochure, which is available in January on the D113 Summer School website. Some courses have limited seats, so registering early is recommended. Summer School registration opens in February - the exact date and time can be found in the brochure. Students and families will login to Infinite Campus to register for summer school classes. District policy on External Credit during the summer and graduation credits can be found here.
If you are planning on re-taking a course using the grade replacement option, please see your counselor prior to registering.
Withdrawing From a Course
After consulting with their teacher and counselor, and with the permission of the parent or guardian, a student grades 9-12 may choose to withdraw from a course so long as the 5-credit minimum in policy 7-40 is maintained. When students withdraw from a class, they will be assigned to a study hall for the class period formerly occupied by the withdrawn course. Students receive no credit for withdrawn classes, and withdrawn classes cannot be used as prerequisites for subsequent classes.
We discourage students from withdrawing from courses. In most cases, students who are struggling with their performance in a class will be better served with more time to complete their learning and schoolwork.
When a class is withdrawn, the class will not appear on their transcript, except for either of following situations:
- If at any time the withdrawal places them below the credit minimum described in policy 7-40 (5 credits), the course remains on their transcript as withdrawn (code “W”); or
- If the withdrawal takes place after week 12 of the semester, the course remains on their transcript with a withdrawn code (“W”).
These withdrawn courses will not contribute or detract from the student’s grade point average and cannot be used as a prerequisite for subsequent coursework or designations.