Please note that class offerings vary from one year to another and that this information is a rough guide for reference only. The budget dictates how many Exploratory Classes may be available in any given year.
Toward the end of 6th grade (late Spring), you can expect your student to bring home a form that will allow you and your child to pick electives and/or express preferences for Exploratory Classes.
A 7th grader has 7 mandatory periods. An Advisory class (25 Minutes) and 6 periods of 50 minutes each. 5 periods are common to most students:
- Language Arts (LA 7) or Honors Language Arts (LA 7H – known as Spectrum)
- Social Studies (SS 7)
- Math (7th grade, 8th grade or Algebra 1)
- Science 7
- Physical Education – PE*(1 semester). For the other semester, students will be placed in a semester-long Exploratory Class (see list below).
*Note: It is sometimes possible for a child who is actively involved in a sport all year long to get a PE waiver so that they may take an additional semester-long Exploratory Class instead. Download the PE waiver form or talk to the school administration to learn more.
Students who did not meet the state standards the previous year will be placed in Math Topics or Reading Improvement, depending on the area of need.
For the 7th period (50 minutes), 7th graders can choose a full-year elective:
o Music: Band or Orchestra, all Grades. Students who are in Band or Orchestra might be eligible for Jazz Band. Jazz Band is an “extra period”, from 7:15 until 7:45 every morning. Jazz Band also practices for 2 hours after school on Early Release days. If your child plays saxophone, trombone, trumpet, piano, bass, guitar or drums and is interested in auditioning for Jazz Band, please contact Mr. Bathum: cobathum@seattleschools.org
o French 1*. Two years of French in middle school might count as one year of French in High School, depending on student’s level of knowledge (entrance exam in High School).
o Spanish 1*. Two years of Spanish in middle school might count as one year of Spanish in High School, depending on student’s level of knowledge (entrance exam in High School).
* Note: If your student has a PE waiver, he/she might be able to choose Band AND a World language.
And/Or express preferences for semester-long Exploratory Classes:
o Visual/Fine Arts Intermediate. 7th and 8th Grade
o Computer Technologies (Tech Art): Digital Photography or Video Production. 7th and 8th Grade. Photography and Video alternate so there is no repeat for students who take this class twice in a row.
o Technology Education, known as Tech Ed. 7th and 8th Grade.
o Financial Literacy. 7th and 8th Grade.
o Leadership Development Class. 7th and 8th grade, including ASB officers.
o Teacher’s Assistant, known as TA. 7th and 8th Grade. 3.35 cum GPA and application required. Students are allowed to TA for one semester TOTAL during their 7th and 8th Grade year.
Schedule Changes (ten day rule): If you have strong feelings about the Exploratory Classes assigned to your student, please get in touch with the school administration. Schedule changes must be completed before the end of the 10th school day of the semester.
During 7th Grade, late Spring, students will need to make choices and express preferences for 8th Grade… To know more, click here.
If you have additional questions regarding your student, please contact the school administration or school counselors. If you have suggestions on how to improve this page and make it more useful for parents and students, please contact us directly at webmastermadisonptsa.com. We welcome any feedback, thank you!