North Hills High School Program of Studies 2019-20
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North Hills High School Program of Studies 2019-20 1 Dear Parents and Students, Our Program of Studies is designed to explain the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade curriculum and course options offered at North Hills High School for the 2019-20 school year. In addition to the course offerings, the Program of Studies contains descriptions of the courses, graduation requirements, and information about special programs available to our students. Furthermore, we are excited to share new information for students regarding Career Pathways. Career Pathways are open to all students in grades 9-12 as we help them learn and prepare to make post-secondary decisions. Very simply, we have reenvisioned our Academies at North Hills, to Career Pathways to work extensively with every student per the state mandates. There is a tremendous amount of information regarding the Career Pathways, so please be sure to read it carefully. We hope this information helps guide students when making course selections as they illustrate how students can take courses that may shape and guide post-secondary plans. Please note: North Hills High School Graduation Requirements have recently changed. Please be sure to review the new requirements beginning on page 27. A Course Request Worksheet is provided in the back of this program for your use in the planning of courses for the 2019-20 school year and beyond. This will allow parents to have a greater involvement in their child’s course requests as they register online, and in their child’s individual academic plan for high school graduation. The course request process is the beginning of a lengthy scheduling process.Please take the opportunity to review the course offerings carefully to be certain that you are requesting courses that are both of a personal interest and will fulfill the graduation requirements established by the North Hills School District. Be certain that you have met the necessary prerequisites for each course requested. If you have questions about course requests, please consult with your counselors and teachers. Kevin McKiernan Principal North Hills High School 412-318-1402 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Career Pathways ..............................................................................................................................................................4 Career Readiness Standards ............................................................................................................................................. 5 Pathways and Career Cruising ..........................................................................................................................................6 6 Career Pathways ............................................................................................................................................................6 Graduation Requirements .............................................................................................................................................. 28 Grade Point Values .........................................................................................................................................................29 Schedule Change Request ..............................................................................................................................................29 Withdrawal from a Course ..............................................................................................................................................29 Advanced Placement (AP) .............................................................................................................................................. 30 College Connections ....................................................................................................................................................... 30 College in High School (CHS) .......................................................................................................................................... 30 Early Exit, Vocational Work, and Dual Enrollment .......................................................................................................... 31 Gifted and Talented Education ....................................................................................................................................... 31 Special Education ........................................................................................................................................................... 32 The Online Academy @ North Hills ................................................................................................................................ 32 Flexible Hybrid Scheduling ............................................................................................................................................. 32 NCAA Requirements ...................................................................................................................................................... 32 Overview of Courses by Department .............................................................................................................................. 33 Course Descriptions Art ..................................................................................................................................................................... 41 Business & Computer Information Technology .................................................................................................. 45 English ............................................................................................................................................................... 47 Family & Consumer Science ............................................................................................................................... 53 Health & Physical Education .............................................................................................................................. 55 Math .................................................................................................................................................................. 57 Music ................................................................................................................................................................. 59 Science .............................................................................................................................................................. 61 Social Studies..................................................................................................................................................... 65 Technology Education .......................................................................................................................................68 World Language ................................................................................................................................................ 72 A.W. Beattie Career Center ............................................................................................................................................ 76 Online Academy @ North Hills ....................................................................................................................................... 80 Early Release Options for Seniors ................................................................................................................................... 81 Course Request & Academic Planning ............................................................................................................................ 82 3 CAREER PATHWAYS 4 CAREER READINESS STANDARDS An important component of Pennsylvania’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Consolidated State Plan is the creation of the Future Ready PA Index, a comprehensive, public-facing school progress report that includes a wide range of meaningful, evidence-based indicators. The Future Ready PA Index moves beyond a single, summative score to increase transparency around school and student group performance. Each indicator within the Future Ready PA Index was selected based on extensive feedback from stakeholders across the commonwealth, along with careful evaluation of the practices and systems that tie to continuous school improvement. Indicators fall into three main categories: • Statewide Assessment Measures • On-Track Measures • College and Career Ready Measures This page provides additional details and support on Career Readiness Standards, one of two College and Career Ready Measures, along with Graduation Rate, that will also serve as federal accountability indicators. Beginning in the 2017-18 school year, PDE will report LEA’s calculations of career readiness experiences at the building level, as well as for any student group of 20 or more students, to recognize efforts to ensure that all students have access to career exploration and preparation activities that are standards- aligned and evidence-based. For the 2017-18 school year, school entities will be expected to verify and document that students identified as satisfying career exploration and preparation criteria have submitted at least two pieces of supporting evidence. For the 2018-19 school year and beyond, school entities must demonstrate that students have met the full continuum of career readiness expectations as defined for each grade span. Specifically, evidence shall be collected in a manner that validates that all four strands