Academics
Courses
Schedule Change Form
Forecasting
Forecasting Your Classes
At the end of every school year, we open up the forecasting process to prioritize classes for the following year.
At that time, students will be instructed to visit this page for a link to the forecasting form.
View the Forecasting Guidance document here.
Course Guide
College Credit Courses
Earning College Credits in High School
Riverdale students can graduate with 20+ college credits – taught on our campus by Riverdale teachers through partnerships with Portland State University, Portland Community College and Western Oregon University.
The Western Oregon University credits are through the university's “Willamette Promise” program, which costs students only $30 per year – no matter how many WOU credits they earn. Additionally, our Willamette Promise course teachers are part of a larger professional learning community of educators – high school and college level – who meet regularly to develop common proficiency assessments, share effective teaching strategies and review data on student performance.
Many Riverdale students also earn off-campus credits through Templeton Scholars at Lewis & Clark College and similar programs at other schools.
4-Year Course Sequence
This is a typical progression of classes RHS students will take during their four years in our school.
If you are experiencing trouble viewing the embedded document, simply click to view a PDF of the 4-Year Course Sequence.
RHS 4 Year Course Schedule
Academic Advising
Riverdale High School’s mission is that “Students learn to use their minds well, engage creatively and act compassionately.”
The high school counselor helps students with obstacles that they confront while trying to realize that vision.
As academic advisor, the counselor helps students to clarify their career, college and other goals. And then the counselor, student and family will plan classes, projects, internships, independent studies, reading, thinking and play that are aligned to those goals.
This work is based on the fundamental values of progressive education:
- Each student’s path, personality and skill-set is unique.
- Students have a right to community inclusion and recognition.
- Students thrive when we relate to them with commitment, basic positive regard and careful coaching.
Riverdale High School is not a therapeutic setting, and we quickly refer students to community professionals when their needs are clearly beyond the scope of a school. But as coaches of academics, athletics and community life, high school staff inevitably work with emotions, habits and beliefs that present themselves as obstacles.
As with all of our efforts, we work closely with parents, teachers and service providers to ensure continuity of care and to optimize the use of the school environment to enhance growth.
Formal academic advising at Riverdale happens in these ways:
- The Education Plan: The Counselor creates the formal Education Plan at the end of junior year, after each student does planning work in Advisory. The formal Education Plan is shared with parents and the student as a Google Doc.
- The College Application Process: This is described on the College section of the website.
- Career information: Careers are discussed in Advisory, and during special assemblies and events.
- The PSAT: This test includes a short interest inventory that can be helpful.
- Individual counseling: The counselor proactively identifies students in need of coaching based on their academic performance and other factors.
The following information will help parents and student understand the standard path through high school:
- Graduation requirements for the Riverdale Diploma.
- The 4-Year Course Sequence sheet.
- The Master Schedule.
Please contact the high school counselor or registrar with questions.
Graduation Requirements
Riverdale students exceed the Oregon state graduation requirements by 4 credits, in completing the following 28 credit graduation requirements:
English - 4 credits
Social Science - 4 credits
Science - 4 credits
Mathematics - 4 credits
Art - 4 credits
Foreign Language - 2 credits
Electives - 3.5 credits
PE - 1 credit
Health - 1 credit
Senior Exhibition - .5 credits
Classes are each .5 credits.
Curriculum - Core Classes
ENGLISH: Literacy is developed through an emphasis on reading, writing, and literature analysis.
MATHEMATICS: Students complete a math sequence that integrates algebra, geometry, trigonometry, probability, statistics, discrete math and calculus. Emphasis is placed on mathematical thinking within the context of problem solving.
SCIENCE: Students complete a science sequence that includes physics, chemistry, ecology and biology, with a Geology course in the senior year.
SOCIAL SCIENCES: Students complete an integrated social science curriculum that emphasizes 20th century history. U.S. History is included.
ART: Students are provided with a foundation in the critical, intellectual, and aesthetic skills necessary for the creative process. In addition, students come to understand the historical and cultural contexts in which art is created. Art includes visual art, music, dance, technology and cinema.
FOREIGN LANGUAGES: French and Spanish are offered in classes for years 1, 2, 3 and 4 - with advanced standing possible.
ELECTIVES: Elective courses are one, two or three terms, and available to all students. Examples of electives include Band, Choir, Computer Art, Drama, Advanced Experimental Science, Leadership, Movement, Mock Trial, Newspaper and Yearbook Publishing.
SENIOR EXHIBITION: This capstone project combines research, writing and presentation skills with experiential learning. This year-long project results in a comprehensive thesis and oral presentation to the community.
Valedictorian & Salutatorian Selection
-
For each graduating class, Riverdale High School honors outstanding scholars in five categories: Valedictory Scholars, Salutatory Scholars, 4.0 GPA, National Honor Society Scholars and Service Learning Hours Recognition.
Report Cards
High school report cards are accessed electronically using ParentVUE and StudentVUE.
How to locate electronic report cards
Once parents or students are logged into ParentVUE or StudentVUE, respectively, they can click on the Report Card link in the Navigation menu to access progress reports and report cards. Simply click a term (e.g., Trimester 3 Progress) and its "Click here to view report card" link will appear below the student's photo. Clicking that link will display the progress report or report card. View screenshots of these steps.
How to access ParentVUE & StudentVUE
PARENTS:
Parents can find the login link for ParentVUE in two places on this website: 1. There’s a quick link on shortcut bar at the bottom of the screen, or 2. Navigate to the For Parents menu and click ParentVUE.
Parents who have forgotten their ParentVUE account password should click the "Forget your password?" link in order to reset their password. They'll need the e-mail address that's associated with their ParentVUE account (the one the school uses to email you).
You can also just go straight to www.riverdaleschool.com/
Parents who have never activated their ParentVUE accounts, or have forgotten the e-mail address that's associated with their account, should contact Grace Thompson at the front desk.
As a reminder, parents should NOT share their ParentVUE account credentials with students.
STUDENTS:
Students should use their own Riverdale credentials to access their StudentVUE account. (The same username and password are used to log in to students' Riverdale Google and Riverdale StudentVUE accounts.) StudentVUE login links are available in the shortcut bar at the bottom of this website, or in the Resources menu.
You can also just go straight to www.riverdaleschool.com/studentvue or download the iPhone app or Android app.