PROGRAM
OF STUDIES
2006-2007
Dear
Parents,
This Program of Studies Guide is
designed to help the student select courses which reflect areas of personal
interest and provide direction in the planning of a four year sequence of
courses which satisfy the
I hope you will find the Program of
Studies Guide informative and useful and request that you utilize this
information in conjunction with teacher and counselor recommendations in
planning your academic program. Please note we lock our schedule in prior
to Memorial Day weekend. All changes in student schedules must be made prior to
May 27th, 2005. This allows us to balance classes as well as order the correct
amount of supplies and books.
Please feel free to contact our
Guidance Counselors at 429-8309 or contact me at Glen Ridge High School
(429-8303 High School Office, 429-8300 ext.2241- Voice Mail,
krota@glenridge.org or FAX 429-3531) if I can be of any assistance to you.
Sincerely
yours,
Kenneth
Rota
INTRODUCTION
This
Program of Studies booklet has been prepared to assist in the selection of
courses for the 2005-2006 school year.
The
information on each course in each department gives the grade level, length of
course, number of credits awarded, number of academic or college units recognized by
college admission personnel, a brief description of the material to be covered
in the course, any prerequisites necessary to be completed prior to the start
of the course, and whether a student must receive a recommendation by a
previous teacher to take the course.
Please
read the information carefully and feel free to consult with the professional
staff, teachers, guidance counselors, and administrators who are committed to
the principle that every student have a realistic and
successful educational experience at
Superintendent
..................................
..Dr. Daniel Fishbein
Principal
.... .Mr.
Kenneth Rota
Assistant Principal
.... Mr. Jon Heitmann
Assistant Principal
.. Dr. Mary Lynn DePierro
Guidance Counselor.................................... Mrs.
Ellen Coburn
Guidance Counselor................................... .Mr.
William Indek
Guidance Counselor
.............. Mrs. Kathleen LaConte
During the scheduling period each year, students are
counseled individually and advised to register for the most appropriate
courses. Some students, however, elect to take classes for which they have not
been recommended. In those cases, students request a waiver form from the
Guidance Department. When the form is returned with a parent signature,
guidance counselors will enroll the student in the requested course. The
deadline for submitting waiver forms is
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Graduation
Requirements............................................................................... 1
Attendance/Grade
Point Average/Ranking Policy............................................ 2
Procedure for Adding/Dropping a Class
.
..3
Scheduling Process
.
...3
Independent
Study
.3
Advanced Placement
Courses
.
...4
Scheduling Timeline
.
.
4
English........................................................................................................... 5
World
Language.......................................................................................... 10
Mathematics................................................................................................ 15
Computer
Science....................................................................................... 20
Science........................................................................................................ 22
Social
Studies.............................................................................................. 27
Contemporary
Living................................................................................... 31
Visual
Arts................................................................................................... 32
Performing
Arts and Music Education ................................
........
........ 35
Visual
Communication.................................................................................. 36
Physical
Education/Health Education............................................................ 39
Special
Education and Tutorial Studies......................................................... 42
Alternative
and Additional Programs......................
........
.........
.43
Academic
Planning Form............................................................................. 44
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
The State of New
Jersey has mandated that each school district establish administrative
regulations and procedures for certifying that all students who graduate or who
are otherwise eligible for a State endorsed diploma have met the minimum
graduation requirements of the State of New Jersey codified as NJSA 18A:7A-1 et
seq. and regulated in NJAC 6:8-7.1 and of the Board of Education of Glen Ridge.
In order to
graduate, students must successfully pass the State High School Proficiency
Assessment in reading, writing and mathematics or the requirements of an
Individualized Education Program (IEP).
Curriculum requirements
for graduates of the Glen Ridge Schools (grades 9-12) shall include a minimum
of 120 credits. The number of class
periods per week a course meets during the full school year will determine the
credit value of the course. Courses conducted for less than the full school
year will have their credit value reduced proportionately.
To graduate from
1. One credit year of English for each year of enrollment, up to
four credit years;
2. Four
credit years of mathematics;
3. Four
credit years of social studies, including 2 years of United States and New
Jersey history; one credit year of world history and cultures; and one credit
year of social studies electives;
4. Four
credit years of natural or physical science;
5. One
credit year of physical education, health, and safety for each year of
enrollment;
Students in grades 10-12 who
qualify may voluntarily elect to be exempted from PE class;
6. One-half
credit year of Computer Science;
7. Two
credit years of fine, visual and/or performing arts;
8. One-half
year of career education, which may be satisfied through alternative methods of
infusion into other courses, course equivalents, or a career education course.
Beginning with the 9th grade class of 2004-05, one credit year in
career education and consumer, family and life skills or vocational-technical
education will be required.
9. Two credit
years of the same foreign language at the High School level. Beginning with the
9th grade class of 2004-05, demonstrated proficiency in at a
district determined level will be sufficient for the requirement.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
In order for the
Board of Education to fulfill its responsibility to provide a thorough and
efficient education for each pupil, the complete cooperation of
parents/guardians and pupils is required to maintain a high level of school
attendance.
The frequent
absence of pupils from classroom learning experiences or tardiness to class
disrupts the continuity of the instructional process and limits the ability of
pupils to complete the prescribed curriculum requirements successfully. Regular attendance is important in
establishing a good pattern for adult life.
A pupil must be in
attendance at school in order to be considered to have successfully completed
the instructional program requirements for the grade/course to which he/she is
assigned. When accumulated absences
reach 20 or more days, successful completion of the course may be affected.
GRADE POINT AVERAGE
A student's grade
point average (GPA) is determined by multiplying the quality point equivalent
for each grade received by the number of credits for that course. The sum of the quality points divided by the
sum of the credits for all courses taken yields the GPA.
AP
HONORS ALL OTHER
MARK COURSES COURSES COURSES
A+ 5.25 4.75 4.25
A 5.00 4.50 4.00
A- 4.75 4.25 3.75
B+ 4.25 3.75 3.25
B 4.00 3.50 3.00
B- 3.75 3.25 2.75
C+ 3.25 2.75 2.25
C 3.00 2.50 2.00
C- 2.75 2.25 1.75
D+ 2.25 1.75 1.25
D 2.00 1.50 1.00
D- 1.75 1.25 .75
F 0.00 0.00 0.00
As of September
1997, the Board of Education eliminated class rank at
SCHEDULING PROCESS
The scheduling
process at GRHS begins after the completion of the mid-term exams. Beginning in
February, the guidance counselors will be meeting with students to discuss next
years course options and to distribute the course selection sheets. Counselors
meet both individually and in small groups with the students to review the
course offerings.
By mid-March the
students will submit their individual course selection sheets to their guidance
counselors. All course selection sheets will be signed by the students parent
or guardian. Course selection sheets without a parent/guardian signature
will not be processed.
Students are
randomly scheduled by grade level. Seniors will be scheduled first. The other grade
levels will follow in order. Final schedules will be distributed to the
students in June prior to the end of the school year.
Some students
may not be able to be scheduled for all of their course choices. Due to
scheduling constraints (size of school, number of electives, etc.) students may
have schedule conflicts that cannot be resolved or be closed out of courses.
Every effort will be made to accommodate the students requests.
Students
wishing to add a full year or 1st Semester class to their daily
schedule must do so prior to the distribution of the 1st Marking
Period Interim Reports. Students wishing to add a 2nd semester
course must do so prior to the 3rd Marking Period Interim Reports.
Students
wishing to withdraw from a full or half year course must do so prior to the
end of the 1st
Marking
Period (or 3rd Marking Period for 2nd Semester courses)
and no record of the course will appear on the transcript. After the 1st Marking
Period Grade is issued a WP (Withdrawn Passing) or a WF (Withdrawn Failing)
will remain on the transcript.
The
purpose of Independent Study is to provide the student who has demonstrated
exceptional interest and aptitude the opportunity to continue their study of a
particular subject through an independent contract. The student will meet with the mentoring
teacher and create an individual course outline that will be completed on an
independent basis. The teacher will provide input and monitoring of the
students progress and develop a plan for evaluation. Students will be graded
on a pass/fail basis and receive 2.5 credits. Independent study courses can not
be used to replace required courses.
If you are planning to register for one or more AP courses, consider the
following information:
1.
AP courses generally require at
least one hour of homework per night (this includes weekends and vacations).
Keep this in mind as you decide upon all your courses, including other AP
courses.
2.
AP courses are equivalent to
college courses. They are extremely rigorous and demanding. These courses will impact your time to participate in
extracurricular activities.
3.
Some students who are
accustomed to receiving As, may receive Bs and Cs
in AP courses.
4.
AP courses will require
demanding summer assignments as preparation for the school year. These
assignments may include, but are not limited to: reading, written analysis,
journal writing, problem solving, speaking exercises, etc. The nature of the
summer assignment is dependent upon the course discipline.
5.
AP students are required to
take the AP Exam in May. Students who do not take the May exam will not receive
AP credit or weight on their transcript.
1.
Program of Studies Booklet and
Course Selection Sheets distributed to students January 30
2.
Counselors meet with individual
students February and March
3.
Course selection sheets (signed by a parent) due to
counselors
4.
Final day for changes
5.
Schedules for 2005 -06 school
year distributed to students Move Up Day
This booklet is meant to provide the student and parents with as much
information as possible regarding courses and course selection at
NEW COURSES
All courses denoted with an
asterisk (*) are being offered pending final approval from the Board of
Education.
ENGLISH
The English program is a
continuing study of literary genres and the development of writing, speaking
and thinking skills. Students today, more than ever, need to develop facility
and confidence in writing, to articulate and support a point of view and to
verbalize their opinion in a clear and concise way. A course of study should encourage this
communication. In addition, students
should feel comfortable analyzing works of literature, the writing of their
peers and their own works.
Grade
9 English 9
Full
Year
5.00 Credits The
emphasis in this course is on skills that interrelate with other academic
courses. A genre approach to literature incorporates
the study of the short
story,
drama, poetry and the novel into the course.
The curriculum focus stresses the development of critical thinking,
personal expression, reading comprehension and writing skills.
Prerequisite: Eighth Grade English and completion of summer
reading
assignment.
Grade
9 English 9
Honors
Full
Year
5.00
Credits The 9th Grade
English Honors program challenges able students with an advanced genre-based
curriculum that integrates literature, writing and additional enrichment from
outside educational resources. Successful completion of this course requires
high grade performance, self-motivation and achievement. Critical thinking and
reasoning skills are essential and must be demonstrated through both writing
and class participation.