High School Academics

HIGH SCHOOL TRANSITION PROGRAMMING

The SEED MD high school experience kicks off with our 9th Grade Academy program, an event that helps ninth grade students make a strong transition from middle school to high school.  The 9th Grade Academy program focuses on:

• Providing students with an opportunity to form relationships with their teachers and high school leaders before their first day of classes

• Helping students understand why their freshman year performance matters in their long-term goal of attending college and how they can make the best choices now to build their student profile

• Providing skill-building workshops on topics such as time management, self-advocacy, study skills, and growth mindset

• Giving students the technology training they need to hit the ground running in our high school 1:1 laptop program

HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM

Students in grades nine through twelve undertake a tradition college-preparatory curriculum, including opportunities to participate in Advanced Placement courses, Dual Enrollment through Morgan State University, and senior year internships. 

Students entering the ninth grade who still need assistance in catching up to grade-level in language arts and/or math are scheduled into an additional block of language arts or math support to enable them to better meet the demands of their later high school courses.

The typical course sequence for SEED MD students is: 

This course sequence allows students to earn the SEED MD College-Preparatory diploma, which requires 24.5 credit hours of coursework, 100+ hours of documented service learning, and passing scores on required Maryland state assessments.

The SEED school also offers a wide range of elective courses, such as creative writing, psychology, and public speaking, that build upon the core content courses and provide a more challenging and enriching learning experience in subjects that interest students most.

HIGH SCHOOL ACADEMIC SCHEDULE & CREDIT RECOVERY OPTIONS

In the 2022-2023 school year, the academic day will consist of a homeroom, five class periods, and a 50-minute lunch/break.  Core academic courses will meet every day all year long, while most elective courses will be only a semester-long, allowing students more opportunity to explore their interests.

The 2022-2023 bell schedules are:

Students who need credit recovery in order to make adequate yearly progress towards their high school diploma now have three options, two during the regular school day and one summer option.  During the summer, SEED students may enroll in summer school in their home school district to retake any courses in which they were not successful during the school year.  Baltimore City students are able to attend Baltimore City summer school sites at the same $75 rate per class as in-district students.  The cost varies in other Maryland school districts, as do the registration deadlines.  Information on summer school will be sent to families in June of students who failed courses. 

During the school year, students in grades 10-12 who need credit recovery may be registered for a Period 1 course, which takes place before school from 7:00-7:57 am each day, or for a Period 9 course, which takes place from 4:30-5:30 pm each day.  These credit recovery courses can be online courses or more traditional courses taught by SEED teachers who live on campus.

COLLEGE PREPAREDNESS

SEED students are college-bound! By providing resources, instruction, and guidance to the greater SEED community, the College Center fosters this college-bound culture at SEED and directly supports students and their parents through the college admissions process. 

The College Center conducts intensive seminar courses for juniors and seniors, helping them navigate college application requirements and submit all documentation. Students receive assistance with application essays, compiling their personal portfolios, and ACT/SAT preparation.

The College Center also prepares families for the challenges of financing college, holding workshops on financial literacy and saving, financial aid and the FAFSA, and scholarship opportunities. 

Exposure to colleges and universities is critical for students’ understanding of schools’ expectations of them, as well as what they should look for in their own post-secondary choice. A hallmark of SEED MD's program is a college tour for juniors, when students travel to visit eight to ten different types of schools, including large state universities, small liberal arts colleges, historically black colleges and universities, schools in city-centers and schools in rural communities. From the time students enter SEED, they will take many day trips to colleges in Maryland and the surrounding area, but the junior college tour is essential in helping students make their final college decision.

SEED MD also provides incoming seniors with a College Bootcamp program to help them get a head start on the application process before the start of their senior year coursework.

COLLEGE TRANSITION & SUCCESS SERVICES

Once a student graduates from SEED, our relationship with that student doesn’t simply end. The SEED Foundation has a program that provides additional support through the college years to help ensure that our graduates become college graduates. CTS offers a variety of services, including financial aid advising, career advising, and outreach to universities. You can read more about CTS services on their website.