Academics at Huntington
Curriculum Guides
HIGH SCHOOL ATTENDANCE
The Board of Education desires to work closely with parents and guardians to ensure regular attendance of all students. The school staff will discuss the importance of school attendance and offer assistance to parents and guardians of students who are excessively absent. Please consult the Huntington High School Student Handbook to review the District Attendance Policy. The handbook will explain: procedures, class participation as it relates to the attendance policy, and disciplinary consequences.There will be an annual review of this policy to make updates and revisions, as needed.
PROMOTION POLICY
Promotion to Grade 10: Completion of at least 5 credits; 3 of these credits must be English 9, Global History 9, and at least one science or math credit.
Promotion to Grade 11: Completion of at least 11 credits; included in these credits must be English 9 and 10, Global 9 and 10, a minimum of 3 credits total in Math and Science with at least 1 in Math and 1 in Science, and a minimum of 3/4 credit in Physical Science.
Promotion to Grade 12: A minimum of 15 credits including English 11 or U.S. History, a minimum of 1 year of Foreign Language credit (unless exempt through an IEP), and a minimum of one credit of Physical Education. Probable completion of all graduation requriements by August of the graduating year.
IF ALL GRADUATION REQUIRMENTS ARE NOT MET BY J UNE, THE STUDENT MAY NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE GRADUATION CEREMONY.
ALTERNATE WAY OF EARNING CREDIT
The New York Regents Action Plan has provided for certain alternatives to Regents and local diploma requirements. A high school student may earn a maximum of 6 units of credit toward a diploma by means of an independent study program. Eligibility is based on the student’s past academic performance, recommendations of faculty members and specific requisites determined by the school district. A written proposal must be submitted, by the student, as a prerequisite for this program. The usual deadline for this proposal is May 1 of the yearbefore the independent project will be undertaken. Further information may be obtained by contacting the student’s guidance counselor.
COLLEGE CREDITS THROUGH SENIOR YEAR PROGRAMS
Huntington High School affords qualified high school seniors an opportunity to take college courses and earn college credits while learning in the high school environment. Student enrolled in these courses carry dual enrollment in the college program and in our high school. All courses carry credit that may be applicable toward a degree at other colleges and universities. To be eligible for college credit, students must complete the required registration forms and pay a reduced tuition fee. Students enrolled in a course must sit for the AP exam.
GRADING
The grade-point average is the average of all grades, including summer school, earned by a student by September of their senior year. A half-year course has half the value of a one-credit course. Thus, the average of English 9 (1 credit) 90, and Global Studies 9 (1 credit) 90, and Criminal Justice (1/2 credit) 81, is 88.2 (not 87).
Advanced Placement courses receive a weight of 1.1 in the GPA calculation. Thus, a grade of 95 in an AP course (1 credit) has a value of 104.5 in the GPA calculation. All credit bearing courses are counted.
Grades of P or F are not counted. Students who repeat a failed course have the higher grade entered once, but do not earn an additional unit of credit.
RANK
Beginning with the Class of 2004, Huntington High School has adopted a policy of not ranking students on cumulative grade-point average relative to their classmates.
WEIGHTING
The final grade in all courses as they appear on the transcript are unweighted. At the completion of the eleventh grade year, a weighted grade point average (GPA) is determined for each student. The weighted GPA is calculated by multiplying the final grade for each course by the appropriate course credit and weighting factor and then averaging the resulting grades.
For Students entering Grade 9 in September 2005 and thereafter, the weighting system is as follows:
| Course Type/Level | Weighting |
|---|---|
| Advanced Placement | 1.10 |
| Honors/College | 1.075 |
| Accelerated Math | 1.05 |
| Honors Band | 1.025 |
| All Others | 1.00 |
HONOR SOCIETY/ HONOR ROLL
Election to the Honor Society is the most prestigious academic recognition a student can receive. To be considered for election to membership, students completing the first semester of the junior year must have an average of 90 or better (based on 9th and 10th grade grades). Students completing the first semester of the senior year must have an average of 90 or better (based on 9th, 10th, 11th grade grades). Academically qualified students who are interested in being considered for membership must complete an application which allows them to evaluate their own qualities of citizenship, leadership and service. A faculty committee reviews the applications and selects candidates for membership in the Honor Society. The formal induction ceremony is held in the Fall.
HONOR ROLL / HIGH HONOR ROLL
HONOR ROLL - A student will be eligible for the Honor Roll if the student achieves a minimum weighted average of 85 as long as the student has no grades less than 65, no grades of “F” or “NG,” and does not have 2 or more incompletes for the quarter.
HIGH HONOR ROLL - A student will be eligible for the High Honor Roll if the student achieves a minimum weighted average of 95 as long as the student has no grades less than 65, no grades of “F” or “NG,” and does not have 2 or more incompletes for the quarter.
PROGRAM LEVELS
REGENTS(R) Designed to meet the needs of those students who can follow the regular New York State Education Department Syllabus, the Regents Program requires a Regents examination at the completion of specific courses.
HONORS (H) Honors programs are open to selected students. These courses cover the required content for the respective grades with in-depth exploration and enrichment. Students will study additional areas of personal interest or areas suggested by their teachers, evolving from expansion of the existing curricula.
ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) Advanced Placement courses offer students an opportunity to take a course taught on a college level. Both enrichment and college credit are available to the dedicated student. Intensive classroom work, independent study and research are an integral part of the program. The cost of taking AP Examinations is absorbed by the student. The examination is administered by the College Entrance Examination Board and a five-point college-level scale is used. According to the College Entrance Examination Board publication, over 1,000 colleges and universities will grant advanced placement credit to candidates who have composite grades of 4 or 5. Students enrolled in an Advanced Placement course must sit for the A.P. exam. A.P. examinations must be taken to receive the weighting for student grade point average purposes and to receive A.P. credit from their college/university.
VALEDICTORIAN & SALUTATORIAN
The valedictorian and salutatorian are determined by the weighted average of all courses taken through and including the first semester of the student's senior year. Eligible students must attend the Huntington Union Free School District for a minimum of three full academic years (between grades 9-12) prior to graduation. Eligible students must also be enrolled as a full-time student at the time of graduation.
REPEAT REGENTS EXAM GRADES
By State regulation, a student is entitled to repeat any Regents exam in order to raise his/her examination grade. If a student retakes a Regents exam, only the higher score will be reported on the transcript. The new Regents exam grade WILL NOT affect the course grade. In order to change a failing course grade, the course, itself, must be repeated. However, for some courses, where the Regents Exam counts as the final exam, the student will be required to take this test again, even if the student passed the exam earlier, as the test serves as 20% of the course grade for that year.
Students may choose to repeat a Regents Exam for the following reasons:
- Previous failure
- To meet graduation requirements for a Regents Diploma or Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation
- The personal pursuit of a higher grade
EARNING A DIPLOMA WITH HONORS
Students may earn a Regents Diploma with Honors or a Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation with Honors by achieving an average of 90 percent or higher in all Regents Examinations, or their equivalent, required for the Diploma. Averages below 90.0 percent shall not be rounded upward to 90 percent.
HHS COURSE SELECTION & SCHEDULING POLICIES
Each February, students complete a Course Selection Sheet to indicate their choice of courses for the next school year. Every effort will be made to acquaint students and parents with the requirements for graduation, subjects and courses offered, and special programs and assistance. During the second semester of the school year, Guidance Counselors will be meeting with students individually to review their course selections and graduation progress. Parents are notified of these meetings and are encouraged to attend. Parents may contact their child's guidance counselor to arrange a specific appointment.
In May, students/parents will receive a letter and copy of their up-to-date course requests. This is provided as a reminder to students and parents that all changes in course requests must be made before the last day of school.
Final schedules will be mailed home in mid-August. Guidance Counselors will be available prior to the start of the school year to answer questions. Students who have received a schedule that they feel contains an error should meet with their counselor on their assigned day.
HHS will try to schedule all the courses selected by a student; however, the following may affect a student's final schedule:
- If a course is not requested by a sufficient number of students, that course will not be offered. If this occurs, every attempt will be made to select a course from the student’s "alternate selections".
- If two courses are selected which are offered at the same time, the student can only be scheduled into one of them. Every attempt will be made to use the student's “alternate selections” to enroll the student in a preferred course.
- If a student chooses a course that has a prerequisite and the student's final grade in the prerequisite course is not adequate, the student's schedule will be adjusted accordingly. For these reasons, it is crucial that students complete the "alternate selections" section of the course request form.
It is recommended that each student schedule a conference with his or her guidance counselor during the second semester of the school year to ensure proper registration for all the courses needed to meet any remaining graduation requirements.
In addition to meeting with their counselors, students should discuss and plan their schedule with their parents. Parents should work with their student’s counselor to make certain that the schedule reflects the scheduling policies and courses needed for graduation.
Please Note: If a course does not have sufficient enrollment to be offered, students may be enrolled in a class containing multiple levels of a course/subject area. Parents will receive written notification from the appropriate department.
HHS COURSELOAD
All students are scheduled for a nine-period day. Students are encouraged to supplement their required courses with electives to pursue interests or specialize in an area of study that will assist them in preparing for college and/or post-high school plans. Students must be enrolled in a minimum of six academic credits plus physical education each year. Study halls will be used to fill up open periods in a student's schedule.
HHS SCHEDULE CHANGE POLICY
Please be aware of the Schedule Change Policy when course selections and their alternates are made. Careful choices during the course selection process should eliminate the need for schedule changes.
All student schedules for the upcoming school year are final as of the last day of school in the current school year. No course may be dropped after the last day of school. All students who register for a full credit course are expected to remain in the course for both semesters as scheduling is done on a full year basis.
Students who wish to add a course in place of a study hall or lunch period, must do so before the 8th session of the requested course. Requests will be considered on the basis of course enrollment.
A student's schedule may ONLY be changed under the following conditions:
- A student is mis-scheduled because of inadequate or erroneous information.
- Course failure is made up in Summer School
- Administrative action becomes necessary because of imbalance of class loads, loss of a teaching unit, unique or unforeseen constraints.
- An additional course is needed to meet graduation requirements.
- A schedule adjustment is required because a student already has received credit in a scheduled class. Schedule changes will NOT be made for such reasons as:
- Change of Teacher
- To arrive to school later
- To leave school earlier
- Preference to take a different course
- Change of lunch period
If there are any errors, including name, address and phone number, on your schedule or you feel that you have a valid request for a change in your schedule, please complete the Change Request Form and return it to the Guidance Department.
REQUEST TO CHANGE COURSE LEVEL
Students may request to change the level (Regents, Honors, AP) of a course, if they feel that they are inappropriately placed in a course. To change a course level, a consensus must be reached by the student, parent/guardian, counselor, teacher, department director, and Director of Guidance. Please note that these requests may result in changes to other courses in the student’s schedule.
In order to request a change of course level, a student must complete the following steps:
- The student must meet with counselor to discuss his/her request.
- The student and parent complete section I of the "Request to Change Course Level” form.
- The student must meet with his/her teacher and department director to discuss his/her request and obtain the necessary signatures.
- Once sections 1, 2, and 3 are completed the student should return the “Request to Change Course Level” form to his/her guidance counselor.
- If a consensus is reached to change the course level, the schedule change will be made within 3 days of receipt of a completed form.
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ACADEMIC INTERVENTION SERVICES (AIS)
Academic Intervention Services (AIS) are intended to assist students who are at risk of not achieving the State Learning Standards in English Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies and/or Science, or who are at risk of not gaining the knowledge and skills needed to meet or exceed designated performance levels on State assessments.
AIS shall be provided when students, in grade nine to grade twelve, score below the State designated performance level on one or more of the State intermediate assessments in English, Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies or Science, or score below the State designated performance level on any one of the State examinations required for graduation. AIS courses take precedence over elective courses. No credit is granted for AIS courses.
A student may be removed from an AIS course ONLY if:
- The student demonstrates adequate skills to achieve minimum standards on the required state assessments needed for graduation.
- A student who is receiving AIS to meet minimum standards on an assessment retakes and passes that exam. (This could occur in January or June of any given year).
In order to be removed from AIS, the teacher of the student receiving AIS must initiate the AIS Change Form. This form must be approved by the Director of the department and will then be forwarded to the student's guidance counselor.
HHS EARLY RELEASE
Permission to leave school early in order to maintain jobs after school may be granted to seniors. Permission will be granted only after all students have been scheduled. During the scheduling process, all nine periods will be used to schedule each student. If the schedule a student receives shows a study hall for the ninth period and if the student is employed, the student may apply for permission to leave school during the study hall; however, classes scheduled for ninth period will not be changed to accommodate early release.