welcome to ponchatoula high school the tangipahoa parish school system does not discriminate on the...
TRANSCRIPT
Welcome To
Ponchatoula High School
The Tangipahoa Parish School System does not discriminate on the basis ofRace, color, national origin, sex, age, disabilities or veteran status. We are an equal opportunity employer.
INTRODUCTION
The information you are receiving is important for you and your child. You, the school, and the student must work together to ensure that your student achieves his/her educational goals.
Each student will receive an informational newspaper needed for scheduling. It will provide you with graduation requirements, scheduling requirements, course summaries and other important information. Read this guide carefully and discuss the scheduling options with your child.
Students are NOT allowed to change teachers or courses once the schedules are issued. So please give serious consideration to your selections.
Overview of Topics
• State Graduation Diplomas Offered Curriculum Pathways Assessment (Test) Requirements Areas of Concentration Individual Graduation Plans Scheduling Forms
Louisiana Graduation Diplomas
State Diplomas
College and Career Diploma LA Core 4 College Curriculum Basic Core Curriculum
Career Diploma
The Louisiana Core Four Curriculum prepares students for entrance to a four-year Louisiana state university.
The Basic Core Curriculum prepares
students for a Louisiana state community college or technical school.
State Policy
1. All students entering 9th grade are automatically placed on the LA Core 4 curriculum pathway and College Diploma
2. At the end of their 10th grade year, a student with parent or guardian permission may opt into the Basic Core curriculum or Career Diploma curriculum
Curriculum Pathways
LA Core 4 College Curriculum24 Carnegie Units
Requirements (College Diploma)
English 4 unitsMath 4 unitsScience 4 unitsS. Studies 4 unitsForeign Language 2 unitsArts 1 unitHealth & PE 2 unitsElectives 3 units
LA Core 4
A complete list is provided in the newspaper. The following only includes the courses offered at PHS.
4 Units of EnglishEnglish I, II, III, IV
4 Units of MathAlgebra IGeometryAlgebra IIRemaining unit shall come from the
following: Math Essentials, Financial Math, Advanced Math Pre-Calculus, Advanced Math Functions and Statistics, Calculus
4 Units of ScienceBiology IChemistry I2 units from the following: Physical Science, Physics I, Biology II, Chemistry II, Environmental Science, Anatomy and Physiology, Agriscience II
An approved IBC-related course may be substituted for the 4th science if the course is in the student’s area of concentration. (For Core 4 students only)
4 Units of Social Studies1 unit of CivicsAmerican HistoryWorld GeographyWorld History
An approved IBC-related course may be substituted for the fourth required social studies unit if the course is in the student’s area of concentration. (For Core 4 students only)
½ Unit of Health 1½ Units of PE Note: The substitution of JrROTC is
permissible
1 Unit of ArtFine Arts Survey or 1 unit of Art, Band, Choir, or Theatre
2 Units Foreign Language2 units of the same foreign language or 2 units of speech (must have foreign language for TOPS)
3 units of electives Total 24 units
OPT OUT of LA Core 4
1.At the end of the 10th grade year, if the student, parent/guardian and counselor decide that it is in the best interest of the student to opt out of the LA Core 4, the student will then enter the Basic Core.
Basic Core Curriculum24 Carnegie Units
Requirements (Basic Core) English 4 units
Math 4 unitsScience 3 unitsS. Studies 3 unitsHealth & PE 2 unitsCareer Class 1 unit*Electives 7 units*Require an Area of Concentration
A complete list is in the newspaper. This list only includes the courses currently available at PHS.
4 Units of English
English I, II, III, and IV or Senior Applications in English
4 Units of MathAlgebra IGeometryRemaining 2 units shall come from Algebra II, Math Essentials, Financial Math, Advanced Math Pre-Calculus, Advanced Math Statistics, Calculus
3 units of Social Studies1 unit of American History1 unit of Civics1 unit from World Geography or World History
½ unit of Health 1 ½ units of Physical Education Note: The substitution of JrROTC is
permissible
3 Units of ScienceBiology1 unit from the physical science cluster: Physical Science, Chemistry I, Physics I1 unit from Biology II, Chemistry II, Environmental Science, Anatomy and Physiology, Agriscience II, or an additional course from the physical science cluster
o 1 unit of Education for Careers or Journey to Careers
o 7 units of Electives
Shall include the minimum courses required to complete a Career Area of Concentration
Total 24 Units
Individual Graduation Plans The IGP reflects the curriculum pathway and
the recommended sequence of elective courses
The IGP is flexible, yet sufficiently structured to ensure that a student will meet the high school requirements for admission to a postsecondary education institution or enter the workforce
The IGP shall be signed by the student and parent or legal guardian yearly
Career Options Law
According to the Career Options Law, every student must have an Individual Graduation Plan (IGP) on file at the school
Parent and student signatures are required The plan is initiated in 8th grade and will be
updated each year The web link for the IGP is
louisianaconnections.com
Areas of Concentration andIndividual Graduation Plans
Areas of Concentration
Each student MUST choose an Area of Concentration on the Individual Graduation Plan (IGP)
An Area of Concentration is a sequence of courses based on a student’s interests
High Stakes Tests
Required Assessments End of Course Test
Students must pass three End of Course test in the following subjects to graduate.
English II or English III
Algebra I or Geometry
Biology I or American History
* EOC Test will count as 15% of the final grade
TOPS
The Louisiana Tuition Opportunity Programfor Students is a scholarship program that willpay for 8 semesters of college tuition at anyin-state public college for qualifyingstudents.The College Prep award will pay for tuitiononly at a qualifying state college.The Tech award will pay for qualifyingtechnical school tuition.
TOPS Requirements
19 TOPS Core Curriculum Credits
Overall 2.5 GPA in TOPS Core
20 ACT - College Prep Award or 17 ACT - TOPS Tech Award
TOPS COLLEGE PREP CORE CURRICULUM 4 English Credits – English I, II, III, and IV 4 Math Credits – Algebra I, II, and 2
units from Geometry, Calculus, or Adv. Math
4 Social Studies Credits – Must include Civics, American History, World Geography, and World History
o 4 Science Credits – Must include Biology I or II and Chemistry I or II, and 2 units from Physical Science, Environmental Science, Anatomy and Physiology, Agriscience II, Physics, Biology II, or Chemistry II
TOPS College Prep Core Continued…
2 Credits of the same Foreign Language
1 Credit of Fine Arts or 1 unit of a performance course in music, or theatre, or 1 unit of studio or visual art, or Speech III and IV (both for one unit)
TOPS TECH AWARD
ACT of 17 Senior Applications in English Financial Math Chemistry I
Option I• Fine Arts or a Vocational Course in Agriscience, Business, Marketing, Technology, or Family and Consumer Science•2 Foreign Language credits or Speech I and Speech II, and/or Technical Writing•½ Computer Science or Computer Applications
TOPS TECH AWARD
Option II4 Career major courses in a vocational area
1 Related or technical field course
1 Basic Computer course
Classification by Grade Levels
9th Grade 0 – 5.5 Credits
10th Grade 6 – 10.5 Credits
11th Grade 11 –16.5 Credits
12th Grade 17 - Credits
Scheduling Information
Honors Courses Criteria A student must meet three of the
five criteria yearly for the subject area requested1. Minimum overall GPA of 2.8
2. Minimum subject area average of 3.03. Teacher Recommendation based on a
subject-area checklist4. Student Application and Self- evaluation Form with Parent Signature5. Score Mastery or Advanced on LEAP or
EOC test in subject area
Scheduling Forms Forms
Schedule Request 2012 – 2013Individual Graduation PlanCareer Clusters & Area of Concentration FormStudent Application and/or Teacher Input Form for
honors classes
• The Principal or School Counselor will inform your child regarding the procedures for returning the scheduling forms to his/her school
• If the forms are not returned a schedule will be made for the student by the counselor
Course Selection
Please be sure to read the description of the elective before choosing.
Please choose wisely, because we do not change electives once the master schedule is made.
If you ask for a class and receive it, you are expected to stay there for the entire length of the course.
Some courses require that you get special approval. Special approval means that you must get the teacher granting permission to sign your schedule request form. For example, band requires that the PJHS band director signs.
FOR
YOUR
INFORMATION . . .
COUNSELORS’ CORNER Denise Latour (A-D) 474-8809
[email protected] Orlisa DePhillips (E-K) 474-8810
[email protected] Katharine Meadors (L-Q) 474-8805 [email protected] Marie Caldorera (R-Z) 474-8808
Ms. Melanie Monistere, 9th Grade Academy Coordinator 474-8819