Plan Sheet

I am almost finished with the high school v planner. The planner is currently being checked (by me) sheet by sheet and I am writing help pages. Yesterday, while working on the help pages for the planner, I became sidetracked with the idea to add a high school planning and check sheet. I did this because one should lay out all four years of subjects and credits.  Throw in a spreadsheet with some formulas and you have a little helper that could warn you if you forget something. Just how obnoxious a warning is depends on the one who makes the spreadsheet. Me, I want to get your attention with these sorts of messages, so the messages in all of my final spreadsheets are toned down from the first versions that I put in there to amuse myself. Messages aside – the result of yesterday’s efforts is a sheet that I named “Plan.”

The Plan Sheet

This is how it works and what you can do with it:

First  you are to enter the number of credits required by your state for each course category. There will already be a list of credits per category, you should change them to show the actual numbers for your state.

Second you are to enter your 4-year plan for high school along with choosing the course category, entering the credit value, and a course name. Pictured below is one of the places for the 4-year plan – There are four of these areas and you should fill them in.
1. Choose category; 2. type class name; 3. type credit amount

Check One – As you fill in the 4-year plan, the spreadsheet will compare your data with the state requirements. The “OK” column will display “X’s” until your list meets or exceeds the state’s list. The check for electives is handled differently because a set number of required electives doesn’t actually exist unless one considers certain elective classes that are suggested for the “college path” as a requirement.

Check Two –  At the Data sheet, you’ve no doubt already set up this year’s list of courses and credits. Check Two compares the categories and credits listed at Data with the state requirements. The formulas look for:

• Column I: Are the requirements for this category met?
• Column J: How many credits remain yet to be earned.
• Column K: Should a class in “this” category be added this year?

Finally, I would like to add two closing comments:

• The checking system relies on your use of course categories at the Data sheet.
• Using this Plan sheet is entirely optional. Not using it has no effect on the rest of the planner.