Decatur High School Presentation to Parents and Students of the Class of 2018 March 31, 2014 Decatur High School Contacts Jason Cochran—Principal Sheila McCollum—Assistant Principal, Students A-G Steven Valkenaar—Assistant Principal, Students H-N Cindy Bauter—Assistant Principal, Students O-Z Neal Hall—Counselor, Students A-L Paige Liggett—Counselor, Students M-Z Rene’ Fuller—STAAR/ACT/SAT, College & Career Readiness High School Bell Schedule Mon/Tues/Wed Thursday Tutorials—7:30 1st 8:00-8:48 Tutorials—7:30 2nd 8:52-9:40 3rd 9:44-10:32 4th 10:36-11:27 5th 11:31-12:19 Lunch 12:19-12:58 6th 1:03-1:52 7th 1:56-2:44 8th 2:48-3:35 2nd 8:00-9:30 4th 9:35-11:10 6th 11:15-12:45 Lunch 12:45-1:30 8th 1:35-3:05 Friday Tutorials—7:30 1st 8:00-9:30 3rd 9:35-11:10 5th 11:15-12:45 Lunch 12:45-1:30 7th 1:35-3:05 Students will be able to earn 8 credits each year. What is House Bill 5? Legislation passed by the 83rd Legislature that relates to high school graduation Contains new graduation requirements and expectations for students Reduces the number of state end of course assessments required for high school students to graduate The Plan for the Class of 2018 All students will begin on the Multidisciplinary Endorsement with a generic 4-year plan. During student’s freshman year, counselors will have a mandatory meeting with student and parent to finalize student’s graduation plan and anticipated courses. Parent signature will be obtained at this meeting to comply with state law. We recommend that all students complete requirements for the Distinguished Level of Achievement (qualifies student for Top 10% and automatic admission), which includes earning at least one endorsement and successful completion of Algebra 2. DHS Requirements for Multidisciplinary Endorsement with Distinguished Level of Achievement 26 Total Credits English 1, 2, 3, & 4 Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, 4th Math Biology, Chemistry, Physics, 4th Science World Geography, World History, US History, Government/Economics 2 credits of Spanish 1 PE credit 1 Fine Art credit 6 elective credits Performance Acknowledgements Students may earn Performance Acknowledgements for outstanding performance in the following areas: AP, PSAT, ACT-Plan, SAT, ACT Exams Bilingualism and Biliteracy Dual Credit Courses Nationally or internationally recognized business or industry certification or license Performance Acknowledgements are like Advanced Measures from the previous Distinguished Plan, and students will be required to submit documentation to have them included on transcript and diploma. End of Course Exams In addition to completing required courses, students must also meet passing standards for the following state assessments: English I (Reading/Writing combined) English II (Reading/Writing combined) Algebra I Biology US History Notes on Graduation Requirements The Texas Education Agency is in the process of publishing the new graduation requirements. To access the latest information, please visit the TEA website at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/graduation.aspx. Scheduling Procedures 8th graders will complete freshman year course requests with guidance from counselors on April 3rd, 4th, 10th, and 11th. The courses you write down that day will be entered in Skyward by counselors, so PLEASE TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY. The master schedule is generated from these requests, so changes to your schedule after requests have been processed are seldom approved. IN OTHER WORDS, THE COURSES YOU WRITE DOWN ON THAT DAY ARE THE COURSES YOU WILL BE TAKING YOUR FRESHMAN YEAR. When scheduling has been completed, you will be able to view your schedule on Skyward Family Access. All requests to change your schedule must be made by Thursday, August 7th. Only LEGITIMATE requests will be considered. (Requests from students and/or parents for a specific teacher will NOT be considered.) Administrative changes to schedules may occur up until the first day of school, so please check Skyward for the most current schedule. All changes are subject to review/approval by principals and are dependent upon class size and other factors. Freshman Electives BIM (Business Information Management) DIM (Digital and Interactive Media) Choir Show Choir (must also be in Choir and approved by Choir Director) Art 1 Theater 1 Journalism (pre-req for ENRT (Energy and Natural Newspaper and Yearbook) team) Resources Technology—intro to Ag and Auto Tech) Drill Team (must be on Band Jazz Band (must also be Cheerleading (must be in Band and approved by Band Director) PE or Athletics on team) Athletics The following sports currently have an athletic period during the school day: Football Volleyball Basketball Cross Country Softball Baseball Swimming All other sports are offered outside the school day. Talk to your coach prior to the start of the season if you plan to earn PE credit through an outside sport. Designation of Courses for Class Ranking Beginning with the freshman class of 2014-15, the only courses that count in GPA are core academic courses and Spanish, which are listed in the Course Description Handbook. If a course is not listed in the 4 or 5 point chart, it does not factor into GPA. For the freshman class of 2014-15 only, Algebra 1 and Spanish 1 will NOT count in GPA whether taken in middle school or high school. More detailed information can be accessed from the Course Description Handbook posted on the DHS website under “Campus Information” and “Counseling Center.” 5 Point Classes Algebra II Honors English III & IV AP US Government AP Biology Pre-AP English III & IV (Dual) US Government (Dual) Biology AP Geometry Honors US History AP (Dual) Calculus AB AP Physics Pre-AP W. Geography Honors Chemistry Honors Physics 1 AP W. History Honors College Algebra (Dual) Pre Calculus Pre-AP Economics Honors Spanish 3, 4, 5 Honors English I & II Pre-AP Trigonometry (Dual) Any other courses designated in Course Description Book Advanced Courses Honors and Pre-AP courses are extremely rigorous and require additional work both in and out of class. Do not sign up for these courses unless you are highly committed and motivated to complete the additional work at an advanced level. If your grade is less than 70 at 3 weeks or 6 weeks, you will be moved to a regular class. If your grade is less than 75 at semester, you will be moved to a regular class. 4 Point Classes Academic Core Courses – Mod/Alt Algebra I & II Anatomy and Physiology English I, II, III, IV Pre-Calculus Environmental Systems Geometry Integrated Physics & Chemistry Math Models Spanish I, II Statistics & Risk Management US History Biology Physics Chemistry Economics/US Government W. Geography (required elective) W. History Beginning with the 2014-15 Any Other Courses 8th grade class, ANY Course Designated to Be Used as that counts in GPA at HS will Core Academic Courses (will count in GPA no matter be updated yearly in Course where/how/when it was Description Book) taken (CBE, correspondence, summer school, middle school, etc.) Weighted GPA System SCALE AP, Dual, Honors & PAP Regular 98-100 A+ 94-97 A 90-93 A88-89 B+ 84-87 B 80-83 B78-79 C+ 75-77 C 70-74 C*0-69 F 5.00 4.75 4.50 4.25 4.00 3.75 3.50 3.25 3.00 0.00 4.00 3.75 3.50 3.25 3.00 2.75 2.50 2.25 2.00 0.00 Fish Camp Will be held in August just prior to beginning of the 2014-2015 school year. Detailed information will be disseminated to parents in July. Accessing Information Skyward Family Access Student Gaggle email Announcements are updated daily on the Decatur High School website (accessed via drop down menu from the DISD main website). Contact Information A-L: neal.hall@decatur.esc11.net 393-7209 M-Z: paige.liggett@decatur.esc11.net 393-7207 STAAR/ACT/SAT, College/Career: rene.fuller@decatur.esc11.net 393-7208 Main campus number: 393-7200 All information can be accessed on our website: www.decaturisd.us. Select a School: Decatur High School Campus Information Counseling Center What should I do now? Talk with your student about what courses he/she should take next year Regular or Honors? Choose electives Choose at least one alternate Check requests in Skyward and inform counselor if there is a mistake (announcement will be made when requests are ready to view) Attend meeting with counselor during student’s freshman year
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