Website: www.beaconcollegeblog.weebly.com Principal: Ruth Lacey Director of College Counseling: Deborah Heller, dheller@beaconschool.org College Counselor: Carter Hamontree, chamontr@beaconschool.org The Mission The Beacon School is a portfolio-based, public high school in New York City which offers a dynamic, inquiry-based curriculum that exceeds standards set by the New York State Regents. Technology and the arts are infused throughout the curriculum so that students can maximize the way they see, represent and have an impact upon their world. Coursework is designed to promote active learning by focusing on critical analysis, discussion and debate with an emphasis on analytical writing, revision and publication. Beacon fosters a collaborative learning environment that nourishes intellectual diversity, prepares students to attend an institution of higher learning and encourages them to become active citizens in their larger communities. The Class of 2015 The Class of 2015 is a cohort of 300 students. Our students are attracted to Beacon for its relative intimacy (1,313 students and 95 teachers) and the strength of its core academic, technology and arts curriculum. Approximately 49% identify as Caucasian, 22% as Hispanic, 17% as African-American, and 6% as Asian. Not included in the above statistics are the Beacon students who did not report ethnicity. Higher Education The Beacon School’s college preparatory curriculum prepares students for continued academic success after graduation. 96% of our 2014 graduates pursued higher education. 94% went on to 4-year schools 2% went on to 2-year schools Graduation Requirements To receive a Beacon diploma (equivalent to a New York State Regents Diploma) students must complete 44 semester-long courses including the following distribution requirements: 8 English 8 Social Studies 6 Mathematics 6 Lab Science 2 Foreign Language or mastery of third year level 8 Physical Education 1 Health 2 Arts Additional Requirements Advisory/Guidance – Academic advisory meeting for 45 minutes, once a week, every semester. Community Service – Students are required to complete one semester (50 hours of service) in the tenth grade. English Language Arts Regents Exam - Students must receive a passing grade of 65 or higher to graduate with a Beacon Diploma. CEEB CODE: 333438 College Counselor: Dara Kornblatt dkobla@beaconschool.org College Counselor: Maylin Fernandez mfernand@beaconschool.org Assessment Beacon uses performance-based assessments that ask students to solve problems, create products, and articulate their acquired knowledge. Additionally, traditional testing is used in most classes. Students must present their cumulative work annually to a faculty committee for evaluation. A record of their performancebased assessment achievement is sent to colleges at mid-year. Grading Scale & Transcript When evaluating a student's academic record, it is important to consider the unique features of the Beacon program. Students take courses for which they can receive the following grades: A (94-100) A- (90-93) B+ (87-89) B (84-86) B- (80-83) C+ (77-79) F (0-64) C (74-76) C- (70-73) D (65-69) Grades in courses not given under the auspices of Beacon should appear on the transcript with the notation “P” (pass) or “F”. Since The Beacon School focuses on collaborative learning, GPA and RANK are not calculated. 25th Percentile 92 Average 50th Percentile 89 Average 75th Percentile 84 Average Most Demanding Courses All of our courses are honors level and extensive research, critical analysis and writing are required components of each course. In addition, there are 5 Advanced Placement courses available in science, mathematics and foreign language. Science: Physics, Advanced Immunology, Advanced Chemistry, AP Physics, AP Biology, AP Chemistry. All students take a Biology and Chemistry lab course for science in 9th and 10th grades. Mathematics: Pre-Calculus, Calculus, AP Calculus. Foreign Language: Spanish: Level 4 with AP Independent Study, or AP Spanish; French III through John Jay College. Advanced Electives: Advanced Digital Film, Advanced Photo, Advanced Theater Arts, Studio Art Honors, Testing Profile for the Class of 2014 251 of 305 Students took the SAT 106 of 305 Students took the ACT Average Critical Reading Score: 565 Average Math Score: 568 Average Writing Score: 577 Average ACT Score: 24 Undergraduate Coursework Students who wish to further challenge themselves can choose from several undergraduate courses offered at Beacon and at partnering schools including New York University, Fordham University, Hunter College, City College, and John Jay College for Criminal Justice. Approximately 30% of Beacon students complete at least one college course prior to graduation. These courses are listed on our Beacon transcripts. You can identify them by their course code which ends with 1U followed by the initials for the course. Beyond the Classroom Beacon has a strong belief that education extends far beyond the classroom. Students have the opportunity to visit and study in diverse locations including Ecuador, Peru, London, Costa Rica, Sweden, France, Denmark, Holland, Brazil, Mozambique and Spain. These trip often correspond with specific academic courses at Beacon. All students are able to go on these trip regardless of socioeconomic status. FOUR YEAR COLLEGE ACCEPTANCES AND ENROLLMENT FROM 2009-2014 Adelphi University* Alfred University Allegheny College American University* Amherst College Arcadia University Arizona State University Babson College* Bard College* Barnard College Barry University* Bates College* Beloit College* Bennington College Bentley College Berklee College of Music* Boston College Boston University* Bowdoin College Brandeis University Brown University Bryn Mawr College Bucknell University California Institute of the Arts Carleton College Carnegie Mellon University Chapman University Chestnut Hill College City College of San Francisco Clark University* Colby College Colby-Sawyer College Colgate University* College of Charleston College of Wooster Colorado College Columbia University* Connecticut College* Cooper Union* Cornell University* Dartmouth College DePauw University* Denison University Dickinson College Drew University Drexel University* Duke University* Earlham College East Carolina University Eckerd College* Elon University Embry Riddle Emerson College Emory University Eugene Lang College* Evergreen State College Fairfield University Fairleigh Dickinson University Flagler College Florida International University Florida State University Fordham University* Franklin & Marshall College* Franklin W. Olin College Georgetown George Washington University* Goucher College* Grinnell College Guilford College Hamilton College* Hampshire College* Hampton University Hartwick College* Haverford College Hobart William Smith Colleges Hofstra University Howard University* Indiana University* Iona College* Ithaca College* Johns Hopkins University Johnson & Wales University Juilliard Juniata College Kalamazoo College Kenyon College* Lafayette College Landmark College Lawrence University* Lehigh University* Lewis & Clark College Long Island University* Macalester College Marymount Manhattan College* Manhattan College* Manhattanville College* Mannes College of Music Marist College* Marlboro College Maryland Institute College of Art Massachusetts College of Art* Massachusetts Institute of Tech McDaniel College McGill University McMaster University Miami University Michigan State University Middlebury College* Millsaps College Morehouse College Morgan State University Mt. Holyoke College* Muhlenberg College New College of Florida New England Conservatory New York Inst of Tech* New York University* Northeastern University* Northwestern University Oberlin College* Occidental College* Ohio State University Ohio University* Oxford College of Emory Pace University* Parsons School of Design* Pennsylvania State University* Pitzer College* Polytechnic. Institute of NYU Pratt Institute* Princeton University Pomona College Quinnipiac University* Reed College* Rensselaer Polytech. Institute* Rhode Island School of Design* Rochester Institute of Tech* Rollins College Rutgers University Saint Lawrence University Salve Regina University Sarah Lawrence College* Savannah College of Art & Design School of the Art Inst. of Chicago* School of the Museum of Fine Arts School of Visual Arts* Scripps College Seton Hall University* Siena College Skidmore College* Smith College* Southern New Hampshire U Spelman College Springfield College St. John's University* St. Joseph’s University St. Lawrence University Stevens Institute of Technology Swarthmore College Syracuse University* Temple University* Trinity College* Tufts University* Tulane University* Union College University of Arizona UC at Berkeley UCLA* UC at Santana Barbara UC at Santa Cruz* U. of Cincinnati U. of Chicago U. of Colorado* U. of Connecticut U. of Delaware* U. of Florida U. of Georgia U. of Hartford* U. of Illinois U. of Kentucky U. of Maryland* U. of Maine* U. of Massachusetts* U. of Miami U. of Michigan* U. of Minnesota U. of New Hampshire* U. of New Haven* UNC at Chapel Hill U. of Nevada, Las Vegas U. of New Mexico U. of Notre Dame U. of Pennsylvania U. of Pittsburgh U. of Redlands* U. of Rhode Island* U. of Richmond U. of Rochester U. of San Francisco U. of Southern California U. of Tampa* U. of Texas at Austin U. of Vermont* U. of Virginia U. of Wisconsin* Ursinus College* Vanderbilt University* Vassar College* Villanova University Virginia Commonwealth Warren Wilson College* Washington and Lee Univ. Washington U in St. Louis Wellesley College Wells College Wentworth Institute Tech * Indicates schools in which the Class of 2014 is currently enrolled. Wesleyan University* Wheaton College* Whittier College William and Mary* Williams College* Yale University* CUNY Baruch College* Brooklyn College* City College* Hunter College* John Jay College* Lehman College* Medgar Ever* Macaulay Honors* New York City Tech* Queens College Staten Island York College* Sophie Davis SUNY Albany* Binghamton* Brockport Buffalo* Buffalo State* Canton Cortland Delhi* Environmental Science & Forestry FIT Fredonia* Geneseo* Maritime Morrisville New Paltz* Old Westbury Oneonta* Oswego Plattsburgh Potsdam* Purchase* Stony Brook* International Schools U. of Athens U of Buenas Aires