The mission of Mammoth High School is to develop life-long learners who possess the academic, vocational, physical, and social skills to pursue their life goals.
MHS 2015-2016 COURSE CATALOG
Page TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 Schedule Planning, Graduation Requirements, Graduation Pathways
3 Message for Parents, Media Center, High School Exit Exam,
Senior Activities & Graduation
5 Summer School Makeup, Grades & Progress Reports, Unexcused Absences, Short-Term Independent Study Contracts, Alternative Credits
8 Independent Learning Center, Honors/AP Programs, Career Planning, College Admissions Requirements, Admissions Testing, NCAA Eligibility
12 Sample Four Year Plans (Community College, College Prep, Honors)
15 Guidance & Counseling Services
Course Catalog & Course Descriptions:
16 English/Language Arts Department
18 English Language Development (ELL/ELD)
19 World Language Department
21 Health Science Pathway
22 History/ Social Science Department
25 Mathematics Department
27 Non-Departmental
28 Physical Education/ Athletics Department
29 Science Department
33 Special Education Department
34 Visual & Performing Arts Department
36 Vocational Technical Education Department
SCHEDULE PLANNING 2015-2016
How To Use This Catalog
The purpose of this MHS Course Catalog is to provide students and parents with accurate information with which to make wise program choices. Every attempt has been made to provide within these pages all the information needed to plan class schedules. Be sure to read this catalog thoroughly before completing your class requests form. Attention should be paid to graduation requirements and college admission requirements as detailed in the “Planning Information” sections. Please keep this catalog for future reference.
It is important to check course prerequisites and eligible grade levels before making your course selections. It is your responsibility to carefully consider your choices and realize you are committed to them once your requests are turned in. After school opens, student/parent initiated program changes are limited to the first two weeks of the semester and are severely restricted by the constraints of class size. Schedule changes based on teacher preferences are not permitted.
GRADUATION PATHWAYS
Students will have four (4) potential graduation pathways in recognition of their high school achievement. Each pathway has specific requirements and each leads to a variety of post-high school opportunities.
Pathway / Credits Req. / Description / OpportunitiesStandard Diploma / 230 / Awarded to all students who have met the general requirements, the subject and course requirements as outlined in BP6146, with a weighted grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or higher and passed the CHSEE (California High School Exit Exam).
As of the Class of 2010, special education students who do not pass the CHSEE in grade 10 or 11 will be exempt from the test, and will receive a diploma providing all subject requirements are met. / · Eligible to apply to all 2 and 4 year colleges and/or universities.
· Eligible to apply to any trade or technical institution.
· Eligible to apply for military service
· Eligible for entry level positions in work force
Certificate of Attendance / 230 / Awarded to any student that meets the general requirements and the subject and course requirements as outlined in BP 6146, but did not maintain a weighted GPA of 2.0 or better and/or did not pass the CHSEE. / · Eligible to attend any 2 year college.
· Eligible to apply to any trade or technical institution.
· Eligible for entry level positions in work force
Certificate of Academic Achievement / 230 / Awarded to students with a valid IEP, who have taken a prescribed course of study, have met the educational goals of their IEP, but have not met the standard diploma requirements. / · Eligible to attend any 2 year college.
· Eligible to apply to any trade or technical institution.
· Eligible for entry level positions in work force
Letter of Recognition / Varies / Awarded to students with a valid IEP who have successfully completed a designed course of study relevant to their IEP goals / · Eligible to attend any 2 year college.
· Eligible to apply to job training programs through the Dept. of Rehab.
· Eligible for entry level positions in work force
* MESSAGE FOR PARENTS *
Parents are a key element in helping students be successful in school. This is true both during the school year and during summer vacation. It is general knowledge that students who do little or no reading, writing, math, or other academic pursuits during the summer will lose weeks or months of basic skills knowledge. We urge you to:
v Stress the importance of attending school. Schedule medical appointments and family vacations outside of the school day.
v Set aside a time and place every day for your student to study, read, write, and/or practice.
v By taking the strongest possible academic preparation, students can keep all their future options open. The well prepared student can go on to further education and/or training in whatever direction his/her talents and interests lead.
v MHS encourages students to take the strongest possible academic program available. Students are encouraged to enroll in honors and advanced placement courses whenever applicable prerequisites have been met. However, prerequisites must be satisfied to ensure a reasonable opportunity for success.
v Arrange conferences with teachers early each grading period if you have any concerns regarding your child’s progress.
v Encourage your student to read the daily newspaper and periodicals on the local, county, state, national, and international news, to take advantage of tutoring opportunities as needed, and to choose books to read from the school and public library.
v Study carefully the six-week progress reports, semester report cards, and cumulative student reports issued periodically each year.
REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATION IN SENIOR ACTIVITIES
& THE GRADUATION CEREMONY
At the conclusion of each progress or reporting period during the senior year, a letter is mailed home to each senior to report progress towards graduation:
ü CREDITS – Students must earn a total of 230 credits, grades 9-12.
ü CITIZENSHIP – Students must maintain a minimum standard of citizenship of at least 2.0 throughout the senior year.
ü GPA – Students must maintain a minimum weighted cumulative academic grade point average of 2.0 in grades 9-12.
ü ATTENDANCE – Students must maintain a responsible record of attendance.
ü DISCIPLINE – All discipline records will be monitored.
ü EXIT EXAM – Students must pass the Exit Exam in English language arts & math
During the spring semester of each year, the Graduation Committee will review all graduating seniors’ records in regard to each of the above criteria. Any student found deficient in any area may be denied the privilege of attending the senior activities, including participation in the graduation ceremony.
SUMMER SCHOOL MAKEUP & REQUIREMENTS
Students and parents are reminded that failed academic classes must be made-up in summer school. Since English & math are the only subjects typically offered in the summer, all other subjects must be repeated during the school year. Students may choose to make up a semester of college prep English if they do not have the prerequisite grade (at least a C) for 4-year college eligibility. (See English & math department sections for details.) The only way to make sure all graduation requirements will be met on time is to make-up deficiencies in summer school, and/or by repeating the class during the school year.
GRADES & PROGRESS REPORTS
Ø Grading periods - Each semester has 3 grading periods that are approximately 6 weeks long. Report cards distributed to students or mailed to parents following the 1st & 2nd grading periods of each semester are progress reports only. Only the final academic grades at the end of each semester are recorded on students’ official transcripts.
Ø Incomplete grades – An incomplete is given when a student has been absent during the latter part of a grading period and is only given if the student was passing when present. The nature of the work to be completed must be fully communicated to the student. Students must be expected to make up work within two weeks. Incompletes not made up will be changed to an “F”.
Ø Homework – Homework is a teacher-planned learning activity that takes place outside of a student’s regular school hours. Homework reinforces and extends classroom learning, and focuses us on the content of subject matter and application of independent learning skills. Assignments and the time required for completion may vary; however, in general, students can expect to spend 2 to 3 hours per week per subject. Honors and AP classes will require 1 to 2 hours per night in addition to regular homework hours.
UNEXCUSED ABSENCES
The State defines what constitutes an “excused” absence. Illness, funerals, medical appointments, and court appearances fall within this category. All other absences, despite very legitimate reasons, are deemed “unexcused”.
Although we have no control on how absences are reported, site policy authorizes individual teachers to develop procedures related to missed classroom work including assignments, quizzes, tests, labs and presentations when an absence is deemed “unexcused”. Please refer to individual course outlines/syllabi for specific policies.
SHORT-TERM INDEPENDENT CONTRACTS
The staff at MHS understands that it is sometimes necessary for students to be absent for periods of time for reasons other than illness. To accommodate these needs students may apply for Short-term Independent Contracts (SIC’s) when the absence period falls between five (5) and twenty (20) days. These contracts are available in the front office. Completed applications must be returned at least five (5) school days in advance of the absences. Exceptions to this policy can only be approved by the principal and will only be made in cases of extreme emergencies.
All work assigned by the teachers for the contract period must be turned in on the first school day following the end of the contract. No credit shall be awarded after this date. Also, failure to fulfill a contract will prevent a student from applying for any SIC’s for the remainder of the school year.
Once the twenty (20) day maximum has been met, students may apply for up to an additional twenty (20) days under the following conditions:
· The student must have successfully completed their most recent authorized SIC.
· The student must have attained a minimum GPA of 3.3 on their most recent progress / semester grade report.
ALTERNATIVE CREDITS TOWARD GRADUATION
The district may give credit toward high school graduation for course work successfully completed through correspondence, internet, distance learning, or other forms of alternative course work, including college courses, provided that:
Ø The student cannot be scheduled for the course during the school day given the current offerings of the MHS master schedule.
Ø The student obtains administrator and/or counselor approval prior to registering for the course to ensure that it meets high school graduation requirements and/or academic standards.
Ø If the course is used in lieu of a required high school course, the course must be equivalent to the high school curriculum and address the California content standards.
Ø Students/parents understand that insofar as the District provides the necessary course work for students to complete graduation requirements, it is the responsibility of the parents/guardian to pay for any associated costs.
Ø For college courses specifically: The course must be CSU/UC transferable. If the student earns a “C” grade or higher the student will receive a weighted grade.
Opportunities for Earning College Credit
Some students at MHS may wish to enrich their program and take on a greater challenge academically by taking a college course at Cerro Coso Community College. (The Eastern Sierra College Center is our local branch of Cerro Coso.) There are several ways in which students may earn college credit:
1. Concurrent Enrollment: Students must first meet with a school counselor to discuss their interests and willingness to do college level work, and the course options available. All CSU and/or UC transferable courses are taken for both high school and college credit. (If the grade received for the course is a C or higher the transferable course will be given a weighted grade on the MHS transcript.)
Cerro Coso issues this cautionary statement: “By enrolling in a college level course, you are agreeing that YOU will be responsible for communicating with your instructors, studying at least two hours for every hour of class (minimum), turning in college level assignments complete and on time, and purchasing of textbooks within the first week of class. If you are uncertain about carrying out any of these responsibilities, a college course may not be the best option for you, at this time.”
Students who accept the above responsibilities and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75, will then be required to complete the Concurrent Student Release form (with parent approval) and the college application before they will be enrolled in a college class - providing space is available. In most cases, students’ schedules must be able to accommodate one period per day in the Independent Learning Center (ILC) to ensure students stay on track with course assignments and are successful in the college class. (The availability of space in ILC classrooms is dependent on staffing, funding, and ILC enrollment.)
Cerro Coso’s fall semester runs from late August through mid-December and spring semester from mid-January through mid-May. Students who receive approval for college classes for the summer term must realize that they will have no support or monitoring via MHS or ILC; therefore, they take summer classes (or any classes during the school year without an ILC period) at their own risk.
- Articulated classes at MHS: Articulated high school courses are courses that teaching faculty in that specific discipline deem comparable to community college courses. Articulation agreements are presently approved at MHS for Culinary Arts II. Community college course credit is awarded for these courses when students complete the course and achieve a pre-determined score on the final exam or project. Because these are vocational courses, and they are not CSU/UC transferable, the final grades are not eligible for added weighting.
Independent Learning Center
The Independent Learning Center (ILC) is the home of the Mammoth High School Independent Study Program. Students who choose this pathway are typically self-motivated and work well independently.