Navigating High School Electives

Electives truly are one of the most exciting and fun aspects of high school for learners. When it comes to finding an elective course that is right for your learner, the sky’s the limit!

In order to fulfill graduation requirements, high school learners need to earn 60 credits of electives. These elective credits can be fulfilled in countless ways.

Here are some ideas to keep in mind:

• Once the required credits are met in any given subject area, any additional classes taken in that subject will count towards elective credits.
• Some learners opt to take electives through vendors, at home, or out in the community, while some prefer to learn the content online.
• When trying to decide which elective would be best for your learner, start with what he or she is passionate about. Options range anywhere from baking to cosmetology to creative writing, and everything in between.
• If iLEAD does not currently offer an elective that your learner is interested in taking, you can create a customized course request to add that elective to our course list. Please talk with your EF if you are interested in doing this. Learners have created some very interesting and “outside the box” courses based on their interests and passions!
• Another option is looking at the vast offerings of courses offered at local community colleges. Since one semester of a community college class can count as two semesters of high school (depending on the course), many learners are taking advantage of this great opportunity. As an added bonus, community college classes are free to high schoolers, so you can’t beat that! If this sounds of interest to you, talk to your EF about the process of dual enrollment.

Electives truly are the “dessert” in our independent studying banquet. They are a fun and enriching way to nurture your learner’s passions as well as introduce him or her to new and exciting activities!