Course Selection Guide

Course Selection Guide

2013 – 2014

Table of Contents

Registration Instructions ……………………………………………………….3

Grading Scale ……………………………………………………………...... 3

Middle School Promotion Standards …………………………………………..4

High School Assessment Requirements …………………………………...... 4

High School Course Information..………………………………………….4 - 5

Guidance and Counseling Services …………………………………………....5

Information Connection …………………….…………………………………5

Scholarship and Advanced Rigor Opportunities ……………………….…..6 - 7

Advanced Course Requirements ………………………….…………………...7

Testing Information ……………………………………………………………7

2013 – 2014 Core Subject Course Offerings ……………………………..8 - 14

Language Arts ……………………………………………………...…...... 8 - 10

Mathematics …………………………………………………………..…10 - 11

Science …………………………………………………………………..11 - 12

Social Studies …………………………………………………………....12 - 14

2013 – 2014 Elective Course Offerings ……………………….……...…14 - 18

Art …………………………………………………………………………....14

Band ………………………………………………………………...……14 -15

Technology …………………………………………………………………...15

Foreign Language ………………………………………………………....…16

Other …………………………………………………………………...... 16 - 17

FLVS Electives………………………………………………………...... 17 - 18

Athletic and Club Information ………………………………………...... 18 - 19

High School Course Agreement Form ……………………………...………..20

Registration Instructions

As a student of ECMS, you and your parents are given an opportunity to select the courses you wish to take the following school year. This course guide is designed to aid you in making appropriate choices by providing program offerings, course descriptions, and other important information related to this process. Please look over the following steps when considering your course choices.

1. READ through the course guide carefully.
2. REVIEW middle school promotion requirements.
3. TALK to teachers and counselor about course selection and appropriate academic levels that will create the best plan for success.
4. Remedial – These courses serve as extra support for students that may be struggling in one or more subject areas.
5. Core – These courses follow state mandated standards and are designed with in-depth instruction that is suitable for all students.
6. Advanced Studies – These courses are designed for highly motivated students that wish to accelerate their education and overall learning experiences.
7. SELECT courses that align with your goals for the future. Course selection represents a commitment on the part of the student and parent to complete the schedule of classes chosen. Therefore, students and parents should remember to carefully weigh the student’s past performance, teacher recommendations, ability, motivation, and extra-curricular activities when selecting courses for the next school year.
8. DISCLAIMER – Course offerings are dependent upon compliance with Class Size Reduction, teacher availability, and number of student requests for a course. Students who have an active IEP or special needs may be placed through Exceptional Education Staffing or Guidance. Students who score a Level 1 or Level 2 on FCAT may be placed in remedial courses.

Grading Scale

A student’s average each nine weeks will be based upon a minimum of six (6) graded assignments. These assignments may include, but are not to be limited to, a combination of summative end-of-unit tests, homework averages and interim formative assessments. Formative assessments may be included within a larger, project-based individual or group exercise.

A 90 – 100Outstanding Progress

B80 – 89Above Average Progress

C70 – 79 Average Progress

D60 – 69Lowest Acceptable Progress

F0 – 59Failure

Middle school promotion standards

Grade 5: Promotion from grades 4 and 5 is based on evidence that student has met the Next Generation Standards or Common Core Standards in four or more academic subjects, three of which must be reading, language arts, and mathematics. Science and social studies are considered academic subjects. Mastery is indicated by a final grade of “D” or above, or through evidence of meeting the standards as determined through teacher observation, class or individual assignments, projects, portfolios, skills checklists, performance tasks, norm-referenced and/or locally determined assessments – AND – evidence that student achieved a score of Level 2 or above on the FCAT Reading Assessment.

The following basic subjects are required for all 6th – 8thstudents:

Subject Units

Language Arts 3

Mathematics 3

Science 3

Social Studies 3

Physical Education 1.5

A student must master 60 percent of the course Next Generation Sunshine State Standards or Common Core Standards before receiving a passing grade. Mastery may be determined through teacher observation, class or individual assignments, projects, skills/standard checklists, portfolios, performance tasks, and/or examinations.

High school Assessment requirements

ENTERING 9th Grade 2014 -2015
Assessment requirements:
PARCC – ELA Common Core Assessments
Algebra I EOC
Geometry EOC
Biology EOC
Earn Algebra II credit
Pass U.S. History (EOC counts as 30% of final US History grade)
Pass either Physics or Chemistry and one equally rigorous Science course (from state-approved list) / ENTERING 9th Grade 2015 - 2016
Assessment requirements:
PARCC – ELA Common Core Assessments
Algebra I EOC
Geometry EOC
Biology EOC
Earn Algebra II credit
Pass U.S. History (EOC counts as 30% of final US History grade)
Pass either Physics or Chemistry and one equally rigorous Science course (from state-approved list)
Middle School – Must pass Civics EOC and Civics course (7th grade)

HS Course Information

GPA: Grade-Point-Average is a number calculated based on the points earned when taking a class. Each letter grade is assigned a point value and based on the letter grade received; a student will have a resulting GPA. GPA is used to determine class rank, scholarships and awards, as well as being a minimum requirement to enroll in colleges or vocational programs.

Grade Forgiveness: Students that take a high school credit course in middle school and earns less than a “B” average may re-take the course for grade forgiveness. Please understand that all high school courses taken in middle school will be part of a student’s high school grade-point-average (GPA) and be listed on his/her high school transcript.

Seat time: Students must be in attendance for 67.5 hours of "seat time" per semester in any high school course in order to be eligible to obtain a half credit in that class. This means that a student can miss no more than 9 days per semester in these courses.

Any student wishing to take high school level courses will be required to sign with parent/guardians, a high school course agreement for located at the end of this course guide.

Guidance and counseling services

As part of a comprehensive school counseling program, ECMS counseling department offers the following services to assist students and parents:

Catharine Taylor M.S., School Counselor

Academic and career guidance, course selection, and scheduling

Short-term individual counseling – academic, personal/social, and career

Small and large group counseling - academic, personal/social, and career

Support Services to include:

• 504 coordination and advocacy
• Multi-Tiered System Support – academic and behavior consultation
• ESE Student Advocate

Coordinating with community outreaches and resources

Testing coordination

Susie Seeger, Guidance Assistant

Registration and Withdrawal of students

Record requests and records transfer

Parent-Teacher Conference Scheduling

FOCUS Parent Portal registration

Attendance records

Information Connection

Check out the following media outlets to stay up-to-date with school events and happenings:

ECMS Website –

ECMS Facebook – like us and receive instant updates

Stingray Newsletter – published once a month and distributed to students, also available in the front office, and sent out as part of Email Blast.

Email Blast – sign up in front office to receive email updates from Meredith Spence, Assistant Principal.

Scholarship and advanced rigor opportunities

Duke Tip

The Duke Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP) is a gifted education program based at Duke University. Its purpose is to identify gifted children and provide them and their parents the resources for them to reach their full educational potential.

Duke TIP operates in sixteen states throughout the South and Midwest, specifically the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and in India. Duke TIP was originally started in 1980.

Children are identified as part of the 4th-6th Grade Talent Search and/or as part of the 7th Grade Talent Search. In the 7th Grade Talent Search, students take the SAT or ACT. If a student does exceptionally well on these exams, he or she can receive state and even national recognition for his or her efforts. This usually entails a congratulatory letter, medals, and an invitation to attend an awards ceremony.

TIP also runs several summer and weekend residential programs for academically gifted students, including Summer Studies (grades 7-10), Field Studies and Institutes (grades 9-12), eStudies and eSeminars (grades 8-12), Academic Adventures (grades 5-6), Scholar Weekends (grades 8-11), and CRISIS! (grades 5-6). Independent learning opportunities are also available.

John Hopkins Talent Search

The Center for Talented Youth (CTY) is a gifted education program for school-age children, founded in 1979 by Dr. Julian Stanley at Johns Hopkins University. It was initially a research study of the rate at which gifted children can learn new material and became the first program of its kind to identify academically talented youths and provide learning opportunities. CTY offers numerous programs around the world and online but is best known for its fast-paced Summer Programs, which are held on many university campuses throughout the United States and the world and serve over 10,000 students each year. CTY is an accredited school for grades 5 to 12 by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

Generally from October to February each year, CTY's Talent Search recruits elementary and middle school students (who have scored at or above the 95th percentile on in-grade standardized tests) to qualify for CTY's academic programs. Applicants then take a standardized test that is above their grade level, beyond the ability of most children their age.

The Summer Programs are CTY's hallmark and its most visible public face. Many people use the term "CTY" as a synonym for the 7th to 11th grade Intensive Studies summer program. CTY sites typically host a few hundred students each, divided into a few dozen course sections, for one or two three-week sessions. Separate sites and courses are offered for each level of students (grades 2-4, grades 5-6, older students). Sites for the youngest group are commuter programs that students attend only in the daytime. All of the other sites are residential programs where most students live in college dormitories during the session, but a few in the local area may opt to commute. Classes in CTY are small—usually 12 students, one instructor, and one teaching assistant (TA) per class, making the ratio of students to teachers 6:1.

U.S. Achievement Academy Scholarship

The United States Achievement Academy is an exceptional organization that offers an exclusive outlet for student recognition and scholarship opportunities. Teachers play the most important role in the recognition of these students. They decide which students should be recommended, and the Academy follows-up on the teachers' recommendations by offering our recognition program and membership to their students for parental approval.

Each year the top 50 students at the end of the first semester will be recommended for this scholarship while attending ECMS.

Advanced Class Requirements

All courses follow both Florida’s Next Generation Standards and Common Core Requirements. Students taking advanced course should expect increased rigor and workload depending on the subject area and specific teacher requirements. This might include additional projects, assignments and studying, along with stricter grading criteria.

Student’s that are electing to take advanced classes will be scheduled based on the following three prong system, in which a student MUST meet at least two of the three requirements to be enrolled in the class:

• Recommendation from current subject area teacher
• A minimum final grade of an “A” for current subject area core class or a minimum “B” for current advanced class
• An FCAT score of Level 4 or Level 5

All transfer students will be placed in advanced classes based transfer records and state testing scores.

*For all students enrolled in advanced courses, teachers have the right to recommend a student be dropped from the class at the end of the first 9 weeks if he/she is not meeting advanced requirements.

** Students may elect to drop the advanced class up until the end of the first 9 weeks, after which they will be required to remain in the course through the end of the school year.

Testing Information

The following is a breakdown of required state testing for each grade level. Each year the state is moving to having more testing done online. As a school we offer students time in the computer labs to begin practicing taking assessments online. Students also are required to complete a practice FCAT test, prior to taking an online FCAT assessment.

Tentative FCAT test dates for 2014 April 22nd -May 7th

5th
FCAT 2.0 Reading
FCAT 2.0 Science
Online
FCAT 2.0 Mathematics / 6th
Online
FCAT 2.0 Mathematics
FCAT 2.0 Reading / 7th
FCAT 2.0 Mathematics
Online
FCAT 2.0 Reading / 8th
FCAT 2.0 Writing (Feb)
FCAT 2.0 Mathematics
FCAT 2.0 Science
Online
FCAT 2.0 Reading

2013 – 2014 Core Subject Course Offerings

Language Arts

M/J Intensive Reading (MC)– 1000010

The purpose of this course is to provide instruction that enables students to develop and strengthen reading skills and develop independent reading endurance. The content should include, but not be limited to, the following: reading instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics (advanced phonics instruction that includes an explicit, systematic approach to orthography, structural analysis, and morphemic analysis), fluency, vocabulary and comprehension as necessary. The relative balance of instruction in these areas will be determined by screening, group diagnostic, progress monitoring and individual diagnostic measures of each student. Each student’s instructional goals will be specified in his/her Academic Improvement Plan (AIP)

M/J Critical Thinking - 1700100

The purpose of this course is to provide students additional supports for reading and writing. Students will learn (1) reading strategies; (2) conduct author studies; (3) read different genres; (4) critical thinking skills; (5) increase informational text comprehension; and (6) citing textual support.

Language Arts Five – 5010046

The purpose of this course is to provide students integrated language arts study in writing, speaking, listening, and language in order to develop an appreciation for written and spoken language. Students will use technology to produce and publish narrative, informational/explanatory, argumentative, and literary forms of writing and to interact and collaborate with others. Students will use the process of writing to create clear, coherent compositions that are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. Students will make formal and informal presentations utilizing technologies to communicate a variety of messages.

Language Arts Five, Advanced

This course builds on the range of basic content from the on-level course and has students investigate written language more in depth. Students will be challenged to develop advanced skills in composition, oral communication and logical argument. The grammatical, mechanical, and syntactical skills of language are taught within the meaningful context of the writing process. Extensive in and out of class writing, sustained individual and group research projects, challenging class discussions and a variety of writing experiences will be required.

Reading Elementary – 5010050

The purpose of this course is to provide students integrated social studies in reading and literature. Students will experience and analyze grade-level print and digital literary texts that represent a variety of genres across cultures and historical periods. Students will determine logical inferences, draw conclusions, cite textual evidence for support, understand main idea and details, and utilize a variety of text structures to develop an appreciation for written and spoken language. Students will determine technical, connotative, figurative meanings and tone of new words and phrases. Students will read independently and proficiently on a fifth grade level or above.

Reading Elementary, Advanced

This course builds on the range of basic content from the on-level course and features a more in-depth investigation of literature. Students will be challenged to develop advanced skills in analyzing and interpreting various genres of text. The course will center on texts above a fifth grade level. Extensive in and out of class reading, sustained individual and group research projects, challenging class discussions and additional texts will be required.

M/J Language Arts 1 – 1001010

The purpose of this 6th grade course is to provide students integrated language arts study in reading, writing, speaking, listening, language, and literature. The content should include, but not be limited to, the following: (1) constructing meaning from reading and writing, while analyzing and evaluating strategies used in a variety of grade-level print and digital information; (2)using recursive process writing strategies to craft various forms of writing expressions appropriate to writer, audience, purpose, and context; (3) listen purposefully and speak with clarity for a variety of purpose, audiences, and contexts; (4) understanding and making effective language choices to successfully craft the meaning, style, and tone of oral and written communication at grade-level and/or higher complexity; (5) acquiring vocabulary through reading, discussion, listening, and directed word study; and (6) use information and communication technologies (ICT) effectively.

M/J Language Arts 1, Advanced – 1001020

In addition to the content of the 6th grade core class, students will be using higher level thinking for: (1) analyzing and evaluating the logic and rhetorical strategies used in a variety of print and digital informational text; (2) immersive reading of print and digital literary texts that represent a variety of genres across cultures and historical periods; (3) crafting various forms of writing, expressing ideas with maturity and complexity appropriate to writer, audience, purpose, and context; (4) speaking with clarity for a variety of purposes, audiences, and contexts, including formal and informal modes of discourse; (5) acquiring an extensive/advanced vocabulary through reading, discussion, listening, and directed word study; and (6) learning and employing an inquiry-based research process, i.e. projects, blogs, etc.