As course cards have already been distributed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, most students arewere actively choosing the classes they would like to take during the 2022-2023 school year. With several months left in the current school year, course cards should have come out later with an extended due date to give students more time to decide which classes they want to take.

Course cards were handed out to students on Jan. 27, and were expected to be returned to their personalization classes on Feb. 9 and 10, depending on which day they had the class. This is a seemingly short amount of time considering the fact there are nearly four months left of school.

MSD students only had a two week period to fill out their course card and have it signed by their teachers. This is notisn’t a long enough time for students to make decisions for classes they will be taking for an entire school year, since many do not expect to select courses this far in advance.

A change in the distribution time of course cards would benefit students tremendously. Course cards should be handed out to students closer to the end of the third quarter, near sSpring bBreak of 2022. This would grant an extended amount of time for students to look at different classes and find subjects they would like to take.

As there are nearly four months left in this school year, there is still a lot of time for students to discover and explore different interests. Students may find a class they really enjoy, but it is too late for them to change their selection. Giving studentsen a longer time frame to fill out course cards would lower the chances for students to put down courses they are no longer interested in taking.

There are many different levels for core classes, which include math, english, science and history. Many teachers will make recommendations for specific level higher-level classes based on current student grades, therefore, not giving some the opportunity to improve their marks and moving to a higher level of instruction, likesuch as an honors or AP class. If placed into the wrong level class, a student may find it too difficult or not challenging enough.

Overall, the selection of courses for an entire school year should be given lots of time and thought. With added time to choose classes, students can make choices that benefit them throughout the next school year.