Roanoke County Public Schools
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Roanoke County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Greg Killough Roanoke County Public Schools 5937 Cove Road NW Roanoke, VA 24019 www.rcs.k12.va.us School Board Mr. Jerry Canada Hollins Magisterial District Mr. Tim Greenway Vinton Magisterial District Mr. Don Butzer Catawba Magisterial District Mr. Jason Moretz Windsor Hills Magisterial District Mr. Mike Wray Cave Spring Magisterial District Principals Fionna Hill Cave Spring Middle School Jamie Soltis Glenvar Middle School Mike Riley Hidden Valley Middle School Paul Lineburg Northside Middle School Todd Kageals William Byrd Middle School Jason Suhr Burton Center for Arts and Technology Steve Spangler Cave Spring High School Joe Hafey Glenvar High School Lori Wimbush Hidden Valley High School Dominick McKee Northside High School Tammy Newcomb William Byrd High School 2017-2018 TABLE OF CONTENTS ADMINISTRATION Dear Parents and Students: School Board ................................................. 1 Letter to Parents/Students ............................ 2 Welcome to the beginning stages of planning for your 2017-2018 academic year with Roanoke GENERAL INFORMATION County Public Schools. We are pleased to offer an extensive variety of opportunities for our Graduation Requirements (grades 6-12) ..... 3 students, designed to meet a wide range of needs. Our goal is to prepare students to be Diploma Accommodations .............................. 4 college, career, and opportunity ready with the skills needed for success in today’s workplace. Standards of Learning Tests (SOL) .............. 4 Removal of Credit-Bearing Course(s) ............ 4 The RCPS Digital C-Change Strategic Framework describes the long-term vision for Fine Arts/CTE Requirement .......................... 4 accomplishing this goal calls for a commitment to providing deeper, meaningful learning Sequential Electives Requirement ................ 5 Personal Finance Requirement ...................... 5 experiences that go beyond the narrower types of learning that can measured by standardized Online Course Requirement ........................... 5 tests. We aim for an accountability balance between content knowledge and the workplace “C” CTE Credential Requirement .......................... 5 skills (communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity), while leveraging digital Promotion Policy ........................................... 5 technology to transform learning experiences. Grading Scale ............................................... 5 Grade Level Designations ............................ 5 Please carefully read the course options described within this guide as you prepare to register Scheduling Adjustment Policy ........................ 5 for the 2017-2018 school year. As in the past, we can ensure that the core areas of study Grade Point Average .................................... 5 Weighted Courses .......................................... 6 (English, math, science, and social studies) will be available for each student; however, we Full Day Schedule ......................................... 6 cannot ensure that a student’s first choice of elective will be available. Since we must have a Summer School ............................................ 6 certain number of students register for a class prior to assigning a teacher, there may be Course Load .................................................. 6 instances when electives may not be offered due to an insufficient number of students Independent Study ......................................... 6 Pre-Advanced Placement Classes ................ 6 registering for those electives. In cases in which none of a student’s elective choices is Advanced Placement Program ..................... 6 available, the school will contact the parent and assign the student an available elective. Dual Enrollment with VWCC .......................... 6 Requests for changes to a student’s schedule will be considered only under the following VWCC Associate’s Degree Program .............. 6 circumstances: Early College Scholars.................................... 6 Virtual Virginia ................................................. 7 a- Failure of a course that is a prerequisite for a scheduled course or a graduation Distance Learning ......................................... 7 RCPSonline .................................................. 7 requirement Special Education Services ............................ 7 b- Human or computer error English Language Proficiency ...................... 7 Services for Gifted Students .......................... 7 c- Grouping adjustments and/or balancing class sizes Burton Center for Arts and Technology ........ 8 d- Recommendations of the Child Study Committee or IEP Committee Roanoke Valley Governor’s School ................ 8 VWCC Regional Academy .............................. 9 We thank you for partnering with us regarding your child’s education. We look forward to Middle School Exploratory Program ............... 9 continuing excellent instruction and excellent opportunities for our students in Roanoke County. SELECTING COURSES ..................................... 9 HOW TO READ COURSEDESCRIPTIONS ....... 9 ROANOKE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Sincerely, SPECIALTY CENTERS An Overview ................................................ 10 Center for Engineering ................................ 10 Center for Mass Communication Studies ..... 12 Rhonda Stegall Center for Performing Arts ........................... 13 Rhonda Stegall Center for Visual Arts and Museum Studies . 14 Director of Secondary Instruction Center for Business and Marketing ............ 15 COURSE DESCRIPTIONS BY CONTENT AREA Art ................................................................ 16 English ......................................................... 17 English Language Proficiency ..................... 18 Health and Physical Education .................... 19 Mathematics ................................................. 19 Accelerated Math Program (AMP) ........... 19 Criteria for Selection of Eighth Grade Algebra .............................. 19 Music ............................................................ 21 Science ........................................................ 23 Social Studies .............................................. 25 World Languages ......................................... 27 CAREER & TECHNICAL EDUCATION Business and Information Technology ......... 29 Computer Science and Technology ............. 30 Family and Consumer Sciences .................. 30 Marketing ..................................................... 32 Technology Education ................................. 32 Trade and Industry ....................................... 34 Air Force Junior ROTC ................................. 36 DEVELOPING YOUR CAREER PLAN ............. 37 3 STANDARD DIPLOMA REMOVAL OF CREDIT-BEARING COURSE FROM THE WITH CREDIT ACCOMMODATIONS SCHOLASTIC RECORD Credit accommodations provide alternatives for students with disabilities in (Middle School Students) earning the standard and verified credits required to graduate with a Standard The parent/guardian of any student enrolled in a middle school, taking a credit- Diploma. Credit accommodations for students with disabilities may include: bearing course, may request that the credit-bearing course be removed from th . Alternative courses to meet the standard credit requirements their child’s record prior to the beginning of the 9 grade year. Modifications to the requirements for locally awarded verified credits If the parent/guardian elects to remove their child’s credit-bearing course from . their record and if it is the first course in a sequence of courses, i.e., a Additional tests approved by the Board of Education for earning verified prerequisite for further courses in the same curricular area, then that course credits must be taken again for credit and completed satisfactorily before the student . Adjusted cut scores on tests for earning verified credits can be enrolled in any other course(s) in the sequence. Allowance of work-based learning experiences through career and All requests must be made on a standard form that can be obtained from the technical education (CTE) courses school counseling office of the school the student attends. While credit accommodations provide alternate pathways and flexibility, FINE ARTS/CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION students receiving accommodations must earn the 22 standard credits and six REQUIREMENT verified credits required to graduate with a Standard Diploma. The Commonwealth of Virginia requires that each student pass at least one Eligibility Criteria: Credit accommodations for the Standard Diploma shall be credit in the field of Fine Arts or Career and Technical Education in order to determined by the student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) team or meet the requirements for graduation. Following is a listing of the courses and 504 plan committee, including the student where appropriate, at any point after credits that meet this requirement. the student’s eighth-grade year. The school must secure the informed written consent of the parent/guardian and the student, as appropriate, to choose The Fine Arts are primarily 9-12 Computer Information Tech I ....... 2.0 credit accommodations after review of the student’s academic history and full grade courses offered in art, music, Computer Information Tech II ...... 2.0 disclosure of the student’s options. dance, or theater. Computer Information Tech III ..... 2.0 Course Name Credit(s) Cosmetology I