MAHWAH HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM OF STUDIES 2020 - 2021 BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH RIGOROUS AND RELEVANT EXPERIENCES A GUIDE TO PROGRAMS AND COURSE OFFERINGS Updated 2/6/20 HIGH SCHOOL ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM John P. Pascale Principal Linda A. Bohny Assistant Principal Dominick J. Gliatta Director of Guidance Robert Mac Farran School Security Officer SUPERVISORS OF CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION Joseph Cozine Special Education, 6-12 Ruth Davis Supervisor of Technology Integration Dennis Jarvis Science, 6-12 / Integrated Design and Engineering, 9-12 Miriam Lezanski World Languages, 6-12 / ESL, K-12/ Performing Arts, 6-12/Visual Arts, 9-12 Maureen Lynch English Language Arts, 6-12 Roger Pelletier Athletic Director, 6-12 / Physical Education, 9-12 Danielle Poleway Mathematics, 6-12 Nikki Van Ess Business, 9-12/Social Studies, 6-12 TABLE OF CONTENTS THE COURSE PLANNING PROCESS ................................................................1 GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS ......................................................................4 ASSESSMENT GRADUATION REQUIREMENT .............................................5 CREDIT ATTAINMENT/GRADE PROMOTION .............................................7 CAREER PATHWAYS ..........................................................................................9 SPECIAL PROGRAMS ..........................................................................................17 NCAA ATHLETIC ELIGIBILITY .......................................................................18 ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSES ..............................................................19 FULL LIST OF COURSES (LISTED SEQUENTIALLY) .................................21 BUSINESS EDUCATION .......................................................................................23 ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS..............................................................................26 GIFTED & TALENTED – ENRICHMENT .........................................................32 GUIDANCE ..............................................................................................................34 INTEGRATED DESIGN AND ENGINEERING .................................................36 MATHEMATICS ....................................................................................................38 OPTION TWO .........................................................................................................45 EARNING COLLEGE CREDIT ...........................................................................48 PERFORMING ARTS ............................................................................................50 PHYSICAL EDUCATION .....................................................................................53 SCIENCE ..................................................................................................................55 SOCIAL STUDIES ..................................................................................................62 SPECIAL EDUCATION .........................................................................................66 VISUAL ARTS .........................................................................................................73 WORLD LANGUAGES ..........................................................................................77 Equity Statement: The Mahwah Public Schools District prohibits discrimination in all of its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for a communication of program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact the Office of Special Education. THE COURSE PLANNING PROCESS The school counselors will meet with each student individual, between February and March, to assist with finalizing an appropriately rigorous course of study. Counselors will discuss course offerings, graduation requirements, and individual student goals. Parents are required to approve the proposed schedule. MAPPING A COURSE OF STUDY FOR COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS It is essential that all students plan a high school education program that is academically stimulating, personally enriching, and best prepares them for higher education. We recommend that all students take appropriately rigorous coursework; the most challenging the student can handle without creating an undue burden. Graduation requirements will provide a solid foundation, but students should look to go above and beyond the general requirements, taking additional academic course work to enhance preparedness. Students should strive to take at least 5 academic courses each year in the core content areas (English language arts, science, mathematics, social studies and world language). College admission counselors will expect a student’s high school records to show academic rigor, quality of academic performance and participation in extra-curricular activities and community service. Whether preparing for college or career training, a strong academic foundation is critical for any individual to be competitive in college or the workforce. COURSE SELECTION Students are expected to give careful consideration to the courses chosen during the Course Selection Process. When a student selects a course, he/she is making a “reservation” that drives the creation of the Master Class Schedule. Changing a course request or withdrawing from a course may adversely affect section planning, class sizes, and course enrollment. A request may be rejected if the deadline for changes or withdrawals has passed, a section is filled, sections become grossly imbalanced, or the course is required for graduation. Creating a master schedule to meet all of the academic needs of the student population is done through the following scheduling priority process: 1) Teacher recommendations and student elective request data is entered into the Realtime scheduling module. 2) Realtime scheduling module will assign all students their required core courses in English, mathematics, social studies, science, and world language. 3) Realtime scheduling module will assign electives based upon student grade level starting with grade 12, grade 11, grade 10, grade 9. 4) Physical education classes, senior study halls are assigned. 1 Admission Criteria to an Honors Course 2019-2020 Honors courses require intensive in reading, writing, computational, and critical thinking skills. In addition, students will be required to complete independent reading and written assignments outside the designated class meeting times. Students must meet all of the following criteria: Honors English/Language Arts Courses 1. Mid-year average of 85% in the current honors; mid-year average of 92% in the current academic English course. 2. Unit test average of 82% in the current honors course; unit test average of 87% in the current academic course for the 1st and 2nd marking periods. Test average refers to all common assessments for content and writing. 3. Recommendation of the current English language arts teacher. 4. Demonstrates proficient levels of the Habits of Mind as stated in Compare and Contrast, by Harvey F. Silver, students will be able to: ◊ Demonstrate persistence, accountability, and maturity ◊ Take responsible risks ◊ Question and pose problems ◊ Remain open to continuous learning and think flexibly ◊ Communicate through listening and responding with evidence Honors Mathematics Courses 1. Unit test average of 82% for the 1st and 2nd marking periods in present honors course OR a unit test average of 95% for the 1st and 2nd marking periods in present academic course. 2. Recommendation of the current mathematics teacher. 3. Demonstrates proficient levels of the Habits of Mind as indicated in the Standards for Mathematical Practice (NJSLS 2016). Habits of Mind ◊ Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. ◊ Reason abstractly and quantitatively. ◊ Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. ◊ Model with mathematics. ◊ Use appropriate tools strategically. ◊ Attend to precision. ◊ Look for and make use of structure. ◊ Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning. Honors Science Courses 1. Unit test average of 82% for the 1st and 2nd marking periods in present honors course OR a unit test average of 95% for the 1st and 2nd marking periods present academic science and mathematics course. 2. Recommendation of the current science teacher. 3. Demonstrates proficient levels of the Science and Engineering Practices as indicated in the Science Framework for K-12 Science Education (2011). Science and Engineering Practices ◊ Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering). ◊ Developing and using models. ◊ Planning and carrying out investigations. ◊ Analyzing and interpreting data. ◊ Using mathematics and computational thinking. ◊ Construction explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering). ◊ Engaging in argument from evidence. ◊ Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information. ◊ Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning Honors Social Studies Courses 1. Mid-year average of 85% in the current honors; mid-year average of 92% in the current academic social studies course. 2. Unit test average of 82% in the current honors course; unit test average of 87% in the current academic course for the 1st and 2nd marking periods. Test average refers to all common assessments for content and writing. 3. Recommendation