WINCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL

WINCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL

COURSE DESCRIPTION BOOK 2014-2015

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Helpful Information

Table of Contents

Grading - 3 Graduation Requirements - 4 College Entrance Recommendations - 5

NCAA Requirements - 5 Core Course Descriptions - 6 Elective Course Descriptions - 17 Special Education Course Descriptions - 32

Enrollment Requirements

Students must register for 7 courses plus

PE each semester, unless permission

given by counselor/principal.

All courses at Winchester High School are

open to members of either sex.

Students will be required to purchase

textbooks for dual credit classes.

Any semester failed must be repeated to

earn credit.

A student is not allowed to repeat a passed

course to improve a grade.

Students may earn up to 2 credits in

correspondence

courses

toward

graduation. Correspondence courses may

only be taken if the school does not offer

the course, or the student has taken a

required course and failed. Credits from

correspondence courses may not be used

for early graduation. Students may enroll in

evening or summer school classes offered

by other accredited schools for the purpose

of making up failed credits.

The Course Description Book

The course description book is designed to aid students and parents in selecting courses for a student's high school career. Also included in this book is information on graduation requirements, course sequences, and prerequisites. Read the course descriptions carefully before registering for a course. It is important to select courses that will benefit your after high school plans. Students are required to register for 8 credit hours in a school year. Students and parents are encouraged to contact Mrs. Lashmett, High School Counselor if they have any questions regarding course selection, the registration process, or planning for after high school.

Adding or Dropping Courses

Courses may be added or dropped during the Add/Drop period provided the following conditions are met:

o The student will still maintain a full course load.

o The change is educationally sound. o The counselor and/or parent

approve the change. o Schedule changes affecting IEP

minutes must be approved by the case manager.

After the Add/Drop period, a student may not drop a course without receiving a semester grade of "F". Exceptions may be made with approval from the counselor and principal.

Early Graduation

Applications for early graduation can be obtained from the counselor. Applications are due within the first ten days of the semester the student wants to graduate. Late

applications will not be accepted. Each applicant will be required to personally appear before the Board of Education. Final acceptance is dependent upon both Board approval

and successful completion of all academic requirements.

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Grading

Description Superior Very Good Average Passing Failure

Letter A B C D F

Numerical Value 100-94 93-86 85-76 75-68

Below 68

Purple vs Gold Courses

Purple Level: Offered to all students and cover basic skills, concepts, principals, and theories in each subject area.

Gold Level: Offered to students who have mastered entry level skills. Courses are at a high level and go into greater depth and abstract thinking in each subject area.

Gold course are weighted with higher GPA value than Purple level courses.

Class Rank

Students are not ranked against one another. Instead students are ranked using the honors system which is as follows:

Summa Cum Laude (with highest honors) GPA above 4.00 Magna Cum Laude (with high honors) GPA 3.64 ? 4.00 Cum Laude (with honors) GPA 3.00 ? 3.20

Grade Point Average (G.P.A.)

Individual student grade point averages are calculated on a 4.0 scale. Only semester grades are included to calculate grade point averages. The letter grade is converted into numbers according to the difficulty of the course as indicated below:

Letter Grade

A

Purple 4.0

Gold 4.5

B

3.0

3.5

C

2.0

2.5

D

1.0

1.5

F

0.0

0.0

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Graduation Requirements

English Mathematics

4 Credits (Including English I, CompLit II, CompLit III and Speech)

3 Credits (Including Algebra and Geometry)

Science Social Studies

2 Credits

3 Credits (Including Geography, US History, and Government) Students must pass the State and Federal Constitution tests.

Fine Arts/Foreign Language/Vocational

Physical Education/Driver's

Education

2 Credits

? Credit of Health 3 Credits of PE (Unless an exemption is granted, Physical Education must be taken every semester) ? Credit Driver's Education

Miscellaneous

Consumer Education or Ag Business Management or Co-op

Prairie State Achievement Test (PSAE) Students must take this State of Illinois exam before a diploma can be granted and be considered a Senior.

26 Credits are required to graduate from Winchester High School

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College Entrance Recommendations

It is recommended that students planning on attending state colleges or

universities follow these guidelines for best chances at admissions. Please

note, every school will have different requirements and this is just a guide.

English

4 years (emphasis on literature, and written and oral communications)

Mathematics 3-4years (a minimum of introduction through advanced

Algebra, Geometry, and Algebra 2)

Science

3 years (Laboratory sciences)

Social Studies 3 years (emphasis on history and government)

Electives

2 years (Foreign Language, Music, Career & Technical Education or Art)

*When college applications ask for a class rank you must select "our school does not rank" or "N/A" *

NCAA Requirements

*Students must apply to the NCAA Clearinghouse at

Division I (16 Core-Course Rule)

English Mathematics

4 years 3 years (Algebra 1 or higher) NCAA does not accept Math Testing Concepts as a math credit

Natural/Physical Science Additional English, Mathematics, or Natural/Physical Science

2 years (1 year must be Lab Science) 1 year

Social Studies Additional Courses

2 years 4 years (from any above subject area or foreign language)

Division II (14 Core-Course Rule) (will turn to 16 Core in Aug 2013)

English Mathematics

Natural/Physical Science

3 years 2 years (Algebra 1 or higher) NCAA does not accept Math Testing Concepts as a math credit 2 years (1 year must be Lab Science)

Additional English, Mathematics, or Natural/Physical Science Social Studies

2 year 2 years

Additional Courses

3years (from any above subject area or foreign language)

*NCAA does not accept Keystone Credit Recovery. NCAA does accept Illinois Virtual High School*

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