Sharon High School Program of Studies & Course Selection for - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Sharon High School

Program of Studies & Course Selection for 2020-2021

High School Graduation Requirements

• English

20 Credits

• Social Studies

(Must Include World History/World Studies and U.S. History/American Studies) 15 Credits

• Mathematics

20 Credits

• Science

15 Credits

• World Languages & Cultures

(Must be of the same language) 10 Credits

• Unified Arts

5 Credits

• Wellness (in grades 9 & 10)

5 Credits

• Additional Elective Courses

102 Total Credits

Schedule Requirements Grades 9 & 10

• 5 academic majors
• English, Math, Science, Social Studies, & World Language
• Students in Special Education will have an Academic Lab which

takes the place of either Social Studies, Science, or Foreign Language

• Wellness (fall semester grade 9, spring semester grade 10)
• Elective (spring semester grade 9, fall semester grade 10)
• Band, Orchestra, & Chorus courses are scheduled during Eagle

Block and allow students to take other electives

Policy requires students to carry a full load

• f courses (6) each semester

Schedule Requirements Grades 11 & 12

Policy requires students to carry a full load of courses (6) each semester Requests for a study will not be honored

• 5 academic majors
• English, Math, Science, Social Studies, & World Language
• Students in Special Education will have an Academic Lab which

takes the place of Science, Foreign Language, or electives

• 2 semester electives

OR

• 1 year-long elective
• Band, Orchestra, & Chorus courses are scheduled during Eagle

Block and allow students to take electives

• SHS Student Ambassadors will meet with 8th graders in Advisory

this week

• By March 4, teachers will discuss courses with each student and will

enter their specific recommendation for the course/level for next school year into PowerSchool

(If there is no recommendation for Grade 9 English or Social Studies students should select Standard)

• Curriculum Q & A Fair in SHS Gym

Thursday, Thursday 2/27 at 6:30 PM

• On-line Course Selection will begin Thursday, March 5 after school

Course selection is NOT first come, first served!

Grade 8 Course Selection & Scheduling Timeline

• By March 4, teachers will discuss courses with each student and will

enter their specific recommendation for the course/level for next school year into PowerSchool

• Curriculum Q & A Fair in SHS Gym

Thursday 2/27 at 6:30 PM

• On-line Course Selection will begin Thursday, March 5 after school

Course selection is NOT first come, first served!

Grade 9 - 11 Course Selection & Scheduling Timeline

• On-line Course Selection will begin March 5 after school.

Course selection is NOT first come, first served!

• SHS Counselors will be available for students questions during lunch
• for SMS students on Friday, March 6 and Wednesday, March 11
• for SHS students during lunches the week of March 2
• Students will consider teacher recommendations, discuss course

selections with parents/guardians, complete online registration, and return the signature form to Advisory (SMS) or the School Counseling

• ffice (SHS) by March 11
• Initial course selections MUST follow teacher recommendations
• Counselors will meet with students individually between March 12-18

to verify requests and discuss possible overrides (more on overrides later)

Course Selection & Scheduling Timeline

Electives Available in Grade 9

(those in maroon count toward the unified arts requirement)

Intro to Art 2D Animation 3D Animation Digital Photography Drawing Graphic Design Painting Sculpture Ceramics Intro to Acting/ (“Theatre Performance I”) Honors Theatre Production Honors Improv Workshop Intro to Media Production/ (“Video & Media Production”) Digital Music Composition Guitar Honors Music Theory Film Music Creative Writing Comics & Culture Public Speaking Intro to Journalism Intro to Debate Intro to Computer Science

Eagle Block electives: Band, Orchestra, Chorus, Internship: Help Desk

What’s New (pending approval):

Unified Arts: New Course: 2D Animation II New course names in Video Production: Intro to Media Production = Video & Media Production I Newsroom/Digital Editing = Video & Media Production II Honors Media Production I = Video & Media Production III Honors Media Production II = Video & Media Production IV New course names in Theatre: Introduction to Acting = Theatre Performance I Advanced Acting I = Honors Theatre Performance II New Course: Honors Theatre Performance III

Course Levels

Advanced Placement: Selected courses taught at the college level (generally in grades 11 & 12) Honors: Significantly more demanding than Standard courses. Require students to spend extra time and exert extra effort. (In grade 9 honors courses are only available in math, science and world language courses. In grade 10 all major subjects offer honors courses.) Standard/Accelerated: College preparatory courses, differentiated by pacing Foundations: College preparatory courses in which students work with increasing independence on critical thinking, problem solving, reading, and writing in the content area. Courses are often smaller, more structured, and co-taught to allow for more individualized instruction. Multi-Leveled: Standard/Honors classes for which students commit to a level at start of the year/semester Unleveled: Certain elective courses

Course/Level Recommendations

• Recommendations are based on years of data that

project likely success in the next level based on performance in the current course.

• We urge students to follow departmental & teacher

recommendations regarding level placement.

• Students are required to select the recommended

course in step 1 of course selection.

• With parent permission, a student may choose to
• verride a teacher’s recommendation

Course Overrides

• Students must select the recommended courses in PowerSchool
• Override forms will be available from counselors during course

request verification (March 12 - 18).

• A parent/guardian must initiate a conversation with the

recommending teacher about the override. Conversations must be completed between 3/19 and 3/30

• Completed override forms must be returned to school AFTER

parent/teacher override conversation. Students must express in writing why they want to override and how they will address struggles in the class. Forms are due by 3/31

• If the override form is not completed and returned OR the

parent/teacher communication is not completed, the student will remain registered for the recommended course

Course Overrides

• Override conversations are NOT intended to convince the

teacher to change the recommendation. They are to ensure that students make fully-informed decisions

• Failure to complete the override conversation AND override form

by March 31 will result in the student remaining in the course initially recommended by the teacher.

• Students who drop a course after the third cycle of the school

year may have a grade of “W” reported on the transcript

• A low grade alone is not sufficient grounds for a level or course
• change. Requests may be denied even in cases where the

student struggles.

Creating a Balanced Schedule

Students should consider:

• Academic, homework, and time responsibilities in all other courses
• Extra-curricular commitments (athletics, music/drama, clubs,

employment, volunteer work)

• Level of interest in the subject
• Future plans and intentions
• Areas of academic strength and challenge
• Overall course load (requests for a study period will not be honored)

Seek challenges. Be realistic.

Time Management Calculator

https://www.sharon.k12.ma.us/domain/163

Using PowerSchool

Using PowerSchool

Student 1 Student 2

2020-2021 Course Requests: Student 1

Using PowerSchool

2020-2021

Using PowerSchool

Using PowerSchool

Teacher name

Using PowerSchool

Sample of Elective Section

Using PowerSchool

Timeline

• February 27: Course Selection Q&A Fair (6:30 pm--SHS Gym)
• Through March 4: Teachers make course recommendations
• March 5 - 11: Course selection in PowerSchool
• March 12 - 18: Course request verification
• March 19 - 30: Override conversation window (parent/teacher)
• March 31: Override forms due