HIGH SCHOOL PTA CURRICULUM NEWS

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High School Curriculum Reps are: Angel D'Antonio and Mary McCarraher

DID YOU KNOW?

 

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

 

Honor Society Notification:  To date, there has not been a standard notification procedure for all of the different honor societies (National Honor Society, World Languages Honor Societies, Tri-M) in the High School regarding whether or not a student has been selected for membership after he or she has applied.  This has led to a number of unfortunate situations.  Starting next year, each student who has applied for membership in an honor society will receive a notification letter informing the student that he or she has either been accepted or not.  All of the honor societies will use the same letters.

 

Guidance:  Last year, when students’ fall schedules were put together, students were scheduled using the Honors Policy and there was little teacher input.  Students were not placed into Honors classes until after the Regents exam results and final course grades were in (as per the Honors Policy). This included the 8^th grade students going into 9^th grade.  Students also were not placed into English 10/11H until after the school year was over.  This created a major issue for Guidance, as a large number of students had to shift between Honors and Regents in the summer as a result of their final grades.  Further, the master schedule could not be created until after the school year was over.

 

This year, there was a change in scheduling.  After the third quarter, the decision was made to preliminary place students in Honors or Regents courses based on his or her current, cumulative grade and level, as well as teacher recommendation.  Dave Perrotta sent out a letter to all students from 8^th to 11^th grade with student course requests as of the beginning of May.  The letter explained that students have been selected for courses on a preliminary basis for either the Honors or Regents level based on grades through the third quarter and teacher recommendations.  The letter instructed parents to look at the child’s course requests and to return the accompanying tear-off sheet, which had two check-off boxes: course accuracy/inaccuracy and Honors opt-out.  If there was a change that needed to be made to the student’s course requests, there was a box to check and a place for parents to write down the change and send it back to Guidance.  If the student’s course requests listed were accurate, there was a box to check for that as well.  Also, if a student and parents wished to opt out of the Honors level of a particular course or courses, there was a box to check and a place for parents to write which courses were to be put back to Regents level.  The letter further explained that final Honors course placements will be based on the Honors Policy and will take place in June after final exams.  An additional mailing will follow by June 30^th with Honors appeals due by July 6^th. 

 

If there is a problem or a question with a student’s schedule, the counselor will reach out to the student’s parent. If a parent has a question concerning placement, he or she should call the coordinator and the student’s counselor.  There will be meetings in August for any students with serious scheduling problems. However, as a result of these changes, there should be fewer issues at this time. 

 

It was also noted that the letter regarding Guidance scheduling spring conferences does not encourage parents to attend. This will be changed, as parents should be encouraged to attend these planning meetings.  Counselors will be in school the week of July 18^th to continue their scheduling work for next year.

 

Special Education:  There will no longer be a Curriculum Coordinator for Special Education, as per the budget.  Instead, a new position has been created, that of CSE Chairperson.  The K – 12 district SEPTA administrators are: Cathy Wheeler, Director of Pupil Personnel Services, who is in charge of curriculum and scheduling, among other duties; Kim Liguori, Assistant Director of Pupil Personnel Services; and the CSE Chairperson, Dr. Kelly Spagnola, a psychologist from the primary schools.  There are also Lead Teachers at the High School and Middle School.  The Lead Teacher at the High School is Jim Infranca.

 

The spectrum of Special Education services is as follows:

 

Related Services: These students are in all Regents classes (or above) and no Special Education classes, but may get speech or physical therapy. They can earn either a Regents or Advanced Regents diploma.

 

Resource Room: These students receive support one period per day in a class with a ratio of 5:1 (5 students to 1 teacher).  The purpose of Resource Room is to address IEP goals. They can earn either a Regents or Advanced Regents diploma.

 

CT (Co-taught Class): These students are in classes with two teachers, a general education teacher and a Special Education teacher.  The school goal is to maintain a ratio of 2/3 generaleducation to 1/3 special education students.  They can earn a Regents or Advanced Regents diploma.

 

Self-contained: These students are in classes of 12:1:1 (12 students to 1 teacher to 1 aide.)  They are being prepared for potentially passing the Regents exams.  They could earn either a Regents or a Local diploma.

 

ACE (Academic and Career Exploration):  These students are in classes of 12:1:1.  ACE is less restrictive than Life Skills.  These classes involve academic and career exploration.

 

Life Skills: New for 2011-2012. This is the most restrictive program at GCHS.  The students are in classes of 12:1:2. 

 

A new Life Skills class will be offered at the High School in the fall.  Room 150 at the High School, formerly the Home Economics classroom, will accommodate both the Life Skills and ACE classes, at different times of the day.

 

Regarding the loss of 0.8 reading teacher at the High School (going from 1.8 to 1.0,) Ms. Cuttitta explained that adjustments are being made to help with this situation.  Every student at the Middle School and High School has been tested for reading. The students are grouped by reading issues, such as decoding.  Right now, with 1.8 reading teacher, all of the groups are small.  The highest ability groups can be made larger in order to keep the lowest ability groups small.  Also, the school has brought in several electronic reading programs (such as Reading Horizons and Achieve 3000) in which the students use computers and earphones, and do the reading by themselves with a teacher monitoring them.

 

English Curriculum Review:  The ELA curriculum review for Grades 6 – 12 has gone very well.  Among the topics considered have been best practices, a review of other schools and their practices, and changes that could be made to our program.  Ms. Arnone, the ELA Curriculum Coordinator, will be presenting the results to the Board of Education at the June 8, 2011 meeting. 

 

The college essay writing workshops for current juniors will be scheduled soon in the Writing Center.  Because of the Research and Writing Initiative, the Writing Center has been taxed with students looking for help with their research and writing.

SUMMARY OF 3/17/11 HIGH SCHOOL PTA CURRICULUM COMMITTEE MEETING

 

PRESENT:  Ms. Nanine Cuttitta, HS Principal; Mr. Peter Giacalone, World Language Coordinator, Beth Kramer, HS PTA Director; Nancy Basel, SEPTA Curriculum Representative; Mary McCarraher, HS PTA Curriculum Representative

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

World Language Honor Societies: PTA and Curriculum Representatives received numerous questions/comments from parents regarding the qualifications for World Language Honor Societies. Specific issues were:

1)   A student’s average in any single year (including Grade 8) that is below the required average permanently disqualifies the student from consideration.

2)   There is no distinction between Regents and Honors students in determining eligibility.

3)   The required averages for the different languages are different.

 

Mr. Giacalone began the meeting by stating that the requirements had been revised two years ago. He and the World Language teachers decide on the qualifications for the Honor Societies. There is no formal input from Administration or PTA, but Mr. Giacalone indicated that parent comments he had previously received were considered and implemented when the review was done. Mr. Giacalone has done a brief survey of comparative districts to see what their requirements were for the Language Honor Societies. In general, he found that several schools have more stringent policies; one of Garden City’s comparative districts requires a 95 average. In addition some schools require community service, leadership service, essays, and a practical speaking component.Ms. Cuttitta and Mr. Giacalone agreed that they did not want to make the qualifications more stringent or add numerous additional requirements. 

 

The first issue raised by parents was that the GCHS World Language Honor Societies consider each year-end average of the student, rather than a cumulative average. This can unfairly penalize a student who may have had difficulty with the language initially, and has since excelled. In contrast, the National Honor Society uses a cumulative average.  If the World Language Honor Societies were to use a cumulative average, student would not be penalized, and students who may have otherwise been excluded would have an opportunity to be considered.  Mr. Giacalone indicated that the committee was willing to review this issue.

Mr. Giacalone indicated that Regents and Honors students had both always been considered for the Language Honor Societies.  There had been a weighted average cutoff, as well as an unweighted cutoff to give some recognition to the rigor of Honors courses. Mr. Giacalone stated that the prior requirements had numerous different qualifications. He stated that he had heard parent concerns about the fact that Honors students were given a different cutoff, and the distinction was then eliminated. Now, we have heard parent concerns that there is no consideration being given to the rigor of the Honors courses. It was noted that National Honor Society has both a weighted and unweighted qualification.  Mr. Giacalone indicated that he would review the issue with the committee.

The third issue raised was the different cutoffs for the different languages. It had been noted in the policy that these different requirements were determined at the national level. In reviewing the websites of different societies, it was found that they did not put any requirement in writing. For example on the Spanish National Honor Society website, it states, “Any secondary student who has maintained an honor average in the study of Portuguese or Spanish for a minimum of three semesters and is in the 10^th grade or higher is eligible.Definition of “honor grade” is left to the discretion of the individual sponsor but it should be remembered that the SHH is an honor society for those students of high academic achievement.”

 

 

Although specific number grades are not given, the various Organizations do give letter grade distributions in their By-Laws.  Again, Mr. Giacalone indicated he would discuss this with his committee.

Mr. Giacalone indicated that he would review each of the issues raised with his committee, which has already had an initial meeting. He stated that they would have revised requirements completed by June.

 

Status of College Level Language Courses:

 

Mr. Giacalone and Ms. Cuttitta indicated they have not yet received approval for the College Level Language courses from the Board of Education. The School Board had requested comparative data from other districts and Mr Giacalone forwarded this information to Dr Prendergast last week.  Mr. Giacalone hopes to receive board approval shortly so that he can pursue approval from St. Johns for each of the individual courses before St Johns semester ends in May. If Board approval is received, all lower-level honors language courses will be adjusted simultaneously. The goal is that all courses would be adjusted for September 2011. However, in deference to the students currently in 4H courses, Ms. Cuttitta and Mr. Giacalone indicated that AP would likely be continued for next year only.

Given the small enrollment numbers in the AP Language courses, (ie. Spanish -5, French -7) , this conversion to the College language courses would likely encourage more students to continue advanced language study at the Honors level and above.

A question was raised by parents regarding the credit given by colleges for the College level courses vs. AP credit. Ms. Cuttitta indicated that these are two different things. With AP, a student is being given credit for a grade on a test. With “College” languages, the student has a transcript from St. Johns and they are transferring 3 college credits. The issue of whether a college will accept this credit varies from college to college. Ms. Cuttitta also noted that a student will not be penalized by a college for not taking a course that GCHS does not offer.  As long as the students are taking the most challenging course available, they will not be penalized.  It was also noted that very often students will not receive credit for AP classes. They will simply place out of the introductory college course into the next level.

The feedback from recent graduates has been that whether or not they received credit for the advanced courses they took, they felt better prepared because they took them.  This change to College level courses will encourage and allow more of our students to take these courses, as the undue rigor in the Honors classes, necessary to prepare for AP, will be eliminated.  Mr. Giacalone indicated that the teachers are all in support of this change to “College” Language courses.

SUMMARY OF 1/20/11 HIGH SCHOOL PTA CURRICULUM COMMITTEE MEETING

 

PRESENT:  Ms. Nanine Cuttitta, HS Principal; Mr. Ralph D’Ambrosio, Teacher Representative; Dr. Elena Cascio, Science Coordinator; Beth Kramer, HS PTA Director; Nancy Basel, SEPTA Curriculum Representative; Angel D’Antonio, HS PTA Curriculum Representative; Mary McCarraher, HS PTA Curriculum Representative

TOPICS DISCUSSED:           

SCIENCE:

Chemistry Honors:  An unusually large number of students (32) switched from Chemistry Honors to Chemistry Regents this fall.   How did this situation occur?  How can we avoid it happening in the future?

This year (2010-2011) there are 289 students in Chemistry, with 92 students in 5 sections of Honors and 197 students in 9 sections of Regents, including 8 students in a co-taught class.  (This is compared to last year 2009-2010, when 258 students took Chemistry, with 80 students in Honors and 178 in Regents, including 7 in a co-taught class.)

2010-2011 was the first year that placement in Science was determined by automatic application of the Honors Policy: a minimum grade of 85 in the previous Living Environment Honors level course with a Regents exam grade of 90 or above, or a minimum grade of 92 in the previous Living Environment Regents level course with a 90 or above on the Regents exam.  Before this year, the students were placed in Chemistry Honors or Regents based on teacher recommendations, which resulted in numerous appeals, but fewer students were changing levels.

Only 9 students appealed to go into Chemistry Honors this fall, due to the fact that most students who might be eligible were already placed into Honors according to the Honors Policy.  Of those, 2 were denied and 7 approved; of the 7 approved, 3 dropped and 4 stayed.

This fall, 32 students changed levels from Honors to Regents, compared to 6 last year.  There are two major reasons for this large number of changes.

One, unlike in other subjects where the Honors Policy helps to place students according to the level of the skills and knowledge they acquired in the previous course, in Science the automatic application of the Honors Policy creates problems. The previous course to Chemistry is Living Environment, so students are currently placed in Honors Chemistry based on their success in Living Environment. The Honors Policy placement criteria do not take into consideration the different nature of Life Science and Physical Science, and a different set of skills required to succeed in Living Environment and Chemistry. Living Environment is a fact-recall, vocabulary, reading comprehension-based course.  Chemistry is a physical science with a quantitative emphasis.  Solid knowledge of math is a better predictor of students’ success in Chemistry (and Physics) than success in Living Environment.

Also, the use of results on the Living Environment Regents exam as a criterion for Honors placement in Chemistry creates problems.  This allows students who do not have strong math analytical skills, but have good reading comprehension and memory, to be placed into Chemistry Honors.  These students have difficulties with Chemistry at the Honors level that involves rigorous treatment of this science with a quantitative emphasis.

The Science Department is taking several steps in order to avoid large numbers of students changing levels in the future.  Dr. Cascio is sending a letter home to explain the differences between Honors and Regents levels of Chemistry and the skills needed to be successful.  She also will encourage students and parents to speak with their teachers, guidance counselors and her when deciding.  Dr. Cascio is also asking each student’s current science teacher for individual recommendations as to whether the student should be placed into Honors.  She will reach out to those students who have qualified, but are not recommended by their current teacher, so they are aware that there are concerns about their meeting with success in Chemistry Honors.  Even with all of these steps, if students have the grades to qualify and want to go into the course, they will be permitted to do so.  This will allow motivated students to try this challenging course.

The Science Department is working with Guidance to advise students about the importance of Math analytical skills for success in Chemistry Honors.  In addition, the course description of Chemistry Honors has been changed in the 2011-2012 Course Description Guide to introduce new prerequisites; it now reads as follows:

CHEMISTRY HONORS – 4310    GRADES 10, 11, 12 

PREREQUISITES: Completion of Earth Science and Living Environment, Honors Policy Applies and teacher recommendation suggested, high level of math, reading and writing skills

“Theoretical Chemistry” is a rigorous treatment of this science with a quantitative emphasis.  This course is designed for the high ability science/mathematics student.  The class meets once a day with an extra lab period every other day.  Extensive written laboratory reports are required.  The Chemistry Regents examination terminates the course.  Very strong math skills are especially important for the course.  Since chemistry is a physical science, success in the Living Environment often has no correlation with success in this course.

 

Chemistry Regents Exam Mastery Rate:  The proportion of our students that achieve mastery on the Chemistry Regents exam (a score of 85 or above) is 34%.  Why is our mastery rate so low?

The Garden City High School Chemistry Regents enrollment and mastery levels are similar to other comparative districts on Long Island. Specifically, 34% of Garden City students achieved mastery versus an average of 36% for 12 comparable Long Island high schools.

Mastery rates on the Chemistry Regents exam are traditionally lower than in other courses because of the punitive conversion chart used by New York State.  For example, only 10 wrong answers bring the grade to an 85 on the Chemistry Regents exam, compared to 18 wrong on Living Environment and 15 wrong on Physics.

The Science Department is taking several steps to increase our Chemistry mastery rate.  The most important thing is to move away from drilling facts and increase the focus on making connections and teaching above the Regents exam level.  There is now a common grading policy in all science courses.  The Honors Chemistry teachers meet as a collegial circle to discuss students’ progress and work on common assignments. They have created a common rubric for lab reports, common labs, and similar assessments. 

Dr. Cascio explained that Chemistry is the first time that many students encounter very abstract science concepts, which are difficult for some children to comprehend. Chemistry teachers are analyzing the Data Warehouse results to see what type of questions on the Regents exam gave the students the most difficulty.

The teachers will look at what they can do to increase the use of demonstrations, manipulatives, and other ways to make the concepts more concrete. Dr. Cascio will also be looking at the Middle School science curriculum and Living Environment to see what can be done to help with Chemistry.

Dr. Cascio will be analyzing if the problems with math skills affect mastery in chemistry, and if needed, introduce more focused math instruction as part of the course.  She will be looking at the tests between 80 and 85 to focus on how to bring these students to mastery levels.

83% of GCHS Chemistry Honors students are achieving mastery, while only 11% of Chemistry Regents students are achieving mastery.  There will be more of an emphasis placed on teaching for understanding in the Regents class and less memorization; memorization does not help the students make connections.  Dr. Cascio also would like all Chemistry teachers to have a common prep time next year.

LITTLE KNOWN FACT: Unless a grade of 80 or above is received in a course, a student does not get Honors credit for the course even if the student is enrolled in an Honors class.

LITTLE KNOWN FACT:  Only final course grades get weighted.  Quarterly grades do not. 

 

ADD/DROP POLICY:  What is the rationale behind the current 15 weeks’ allowance for a level change of a course? The new add/drop policy, which allows students to change levels of a course (down) for up to week 15 of the school year, was adopted last year and approved by the site-based team (which includes parents and students.)  The previous policy allowed for up to 20 weeks to make a level change.  The site-based team initially proposed only 10 weeks, but students responded that they needed at least 15 weeks.

 Ms. Cuttitta has done some research on this topic.  Many high schools similar to GCHS allow a shorter period to make changes. Only one high school (an IB school) of our comparable group has a more liberal policy than GCHS- it permits level changes at any time during the year. 

She said that the longer a student stays in Honors, the more the student is at a disadvantage if a level change is ultimately made.  The pacing and order of units covered in Honors and Regents do not always align across the board, which is one of the main reasons that students need to be placed appropriately early on.  If a student moves into a new course through level change midyear, he has a new teacher and has missed more than half the course.  Administration feels that students should be able to make the decision whether their placement is the right one by 15 weeks.  Feedback will be monitored to see if the new timeframe is working.

Why is the 10% adjustment to the grade only given to the student who drops from Honors to Regents level at the end of the first quarter?

It is believed that when Dr. Banta, the previous principal at GCHS, instituted this policy, his goal was to encourage students to stay in the level for at least the first quarter.  GCHS is considering a revision of this practice, which is not a common one at similar high schools.  So far, Ms. Cuttitta has not been able to identify another high school that has this practice.  The site-based team is also looking into this.

 

 

ADDITIONAL CURRICULUM QUESTIONS,  1/2011:

 

 

 

1.  AP Course Grade/Exam Score Correlations:  The comparison between AP course grades and their corresponding AP exam scores is completed annually at GCHS.  By and large, there is a correlation.  Where there is a discrepancy, it is addressed with a specific action plan.  The data is shared with teachers.  This is a big part of what the Curriculum Coordinators do.  The Coordinators know where the discrepancies are.  Some of the discrepancies are higher final grade than AP exam score and some are lower final grade than AP exam score. 

There is no universal conversion chart, but this is from College Board:

AP Exam scores are reported on a 5-point scale as follows:

5  Extremely well qualified*

4  Well qualified*

3  Qualified*

2  Possibly qualified*

1  No recommendation**

 

*Qualified to receive college credit or advanced placement

**   No recommendation to receive college credit or advanced placement

 

Different schools/colleges use different conversion to percentages.  The following conversion chart that is one of the most common:

 

AP Grade     Percentage

 

5   -    > 93%

4   -    83% – 93%

3   -    73% - 83%

2   -   65% - 73%

1   -   < 65%

 

 

2.  PSAT Review in English Class:  One of the English teachers spent one day reviewing questions that were commonly answered incorrectly on the PSAT exam.  Students brought in their respective tests.  Mrs. Arnone, the English Curriculum Coordinator, has shared this information with her department and encouraged all 10^th and 11^th grade English teachers to do the same.  She said that these teachers are all on board with this.

 

3.  Honor Roll- Using Weighted versus Unweighted Averages:Ms. Cuttitta said that using weighted averages to determine placement on Honor Roll has been considered several times.  It has not been implemented.  There are two reasons for this:

 

One, the School Tool computer program that GCHS uses does not have the capacity to weight averages each quarter—it only weights a final course grade. It is possible that the final 4^th quarter Honor Roll could be weighted.

 

Two, using weighted averagesto determine Honor Roll placement is not what most schools do.  (Ms. Cuttitta said that she will investigate this once again.)

SUMMARY OF 11/18/10 HIGH SCHOOL PTA CURRICULUM COMMITTEE MEETING

 

 

 

PRESENT: Ms. Nanine Cuttitta, HS Principal; Mr. Ralph D’Ambrosio, Teacher Representative; Mr. Stuart Dods, Math Coordinator; Mr. Peter Giacalone, World Languages Coordinator; Beth Kramer, HS PTA Director; Nancy Basel, SEPTA Curriculum Representative; Angel D’Antonio, HS PTA Curriculum Representative; Mary McCarraher, HS PTA Curriculum Representative

 

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

 

Math:  The new Algebra II/ Trigonometry (Regents and Honors) course is being offered by GCHS for the first time this year.  This is actually the second year that the course is being taught in New York State.  Mr. Dods, the Math Department Coordinator, explained that GCHS decided to wait a year before offering this course since New York State had not clarified what was going to be included in the course and what was going to be covered on the Regents exam.  He is confident that this was the right decision, as results on the Regents exam given in June 2010 were very poor.

 

The Algebra II/Trig course is 10-15% more difficult than Math B, and is actually intended for above average math students.

GCHS math teachers attended BOCES training and workshops in order to prepare to teach Algebra II/Trig. Currently, 7 of the 12 math teachers teach this course. All 7 teachers meet weekly, and the subgroups of R and H teachers meet more often than that. The teachers are keeping a journal of items to keep or change to make the course more appropriate for next year. For example, the beginning of the school year is traditionally a time of review.  However, the course curriculum for Algebra II/Trig as written by NYS started the school year with very difficult topics, such as algebraic factoring. That, coupled with the fact that the material is written at a high level, caused anxiety in many students.  Teachers feel that things have settled down and believe that students are adjusting to the new course.  Next year, the teachers will change the topics they start with to allow for a smoother transition.

  

Since roughly 95% of GCHS students are taking or will take this class, the Math Department is offering a lot of additional support in several forms.  First, actual support classes for Algebra II/Trig (as well as Geometry and Algebra) are being offered every day.  Each support class is an every-other-day class that takes the place of one elective in the student’s schedule.  Support classes are very small (less than 10 students) and are designed to cover current topics, review homework, and provide whatever assistance is necessary to support the students in the course. Support classes are open to those students who are recommended for them, as well as some students who request them.

 

The Algebra II/Trig course may not be appropriate for those students who had difficulty passing Algebra and/or Geometry. The High School currently offers a Math 3 / 4 course which covers real-world Algebra and Geometry skills, and the students do a lot of projects.  There are two sections of Math 3 / 4, which are both co-taught by Math and Special Education teachers.

 

In addition, Math teachers are continuing to offer extra help to students, both in their traditional extra help sessions, during their off periods and at other times.  Students who are struggling are strongly encouraged to meet with their teachers on an individual basis.

 

Students can also go to the Math lab every day during lunch.  GCHS is in the process of making a proper Math lab.  It will be enclosed, not a walk-through area.  It is scheduled to be finished within the next two years, but hopefully will be done by fall 2011.

 

Also, a new Regents Review class for Algebra II/Trig will be added to the Regents Review schedule.

 

Mr. Dods stated that the students in the Regents sections of Algebra II/Trig will be taught everything they need in order to be successful on the Regents exam. The Honors classes will also cover topics that they will need for BC Calculus.

 

World Languages:  The concern was raised that there might be a disparity in the difficulty of the Honors classes in the variousWorld Languages. This assertion would appear to be supported by the statistics that 67%, 65% and 61% of third year Latin, French and German students, respectively,are in Honors sections, while only 38% of Italian students and 17% of Spanish students are in Honors sections.  The Latin, French, and German classes are combined classes of Regents and Honors, while Italian and Spanish are not.

 

Mr. Giacalone, the World Languages Department Coordinator, said that teachers ensure that there is consistency across sections of the same course. Grading guidelines are agreed upon and followed by all.  However, the issue across languages is in large part because the AP Spanish course is on par with a third year advanced college conversation course. With AP Spanishat that level of difficulty, students must learn extensive grammar in the 2H, 3H, and 4H Spanish courses in order to be prepared for the material they will encounter in the AP course.  The other AP language courses are currently not written on this level, but College Board has indicated that starting next year, the AP exams for French, German, Italian, and possibly Latin will be brought up to the same level of difficulty as that of AP Spanish.  This major change will necessitate a reworking of the curricula in these languages as well, as the younger students will have to learn more extensive grammar in order to prepare for the higher level of difficulty of the exams.

 

** At the December 2010 Board of Education meeting, Mr. Giacalone spoke about the World Language Department’s recommendation to write and offer college-level courses for Spanish, French, German, and Latin similar to the one it offers now called College Italian, in place of the AP World Language sequences.  GCHS Italian teachers wrote this senior-level course and it was approved by St. John’s University faculty following the cancellation of the AP Italian exam after the 2008/09 school year.  This course, which is more appropriately consistent in difficulty with a first-year college Italian course, is growing in popularity.  There is currently no target date for the writing and offering of the other college-level language courses at GCHS, but they could well have an impact on both the difficulty of the Honors classes and the numbers of students remaining in the Honors classes, especially for Spanish.**

 

Currently, statistics show that approximately 28% of GCHS students drop World Language after the Regents exam. (If changes are made to the course offerings, then maybe that number will go down.)However, 73% of GCHS students continue World Language study in their fourth year; 52% of GCHS students continue WL study in their fifth year; and 90 students at the high school are enrolled in more than one language.  Recent comments from college admissions officers suggest that the schools want to see students continuing with World Language after the Regents exam. 

 

As stated online on the World Languages webpage of the GCHS website, under the heading Honor Society Criteria, “The following criteria are in effect for the 2010-2011 school year.  The purpose of the Societies is to recognize high achievement of high school students in the various languages and to promote a continuing interest in language studies.  In order to be eligible for induction and membership in the French, German, Italian, Latin, and Spanish Honor Societies, a student must meet the following requirements: Maintain a 90% average in German, Italian and Latin; Maintain a 92% average in French and Spanish.”  GCHS must follow national guidelines.

 

SUMMARY OF 9/23/10 HIGH SCHOOL PTA CURRICULUM COMMITTEE MEETING

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 PRESENT:  Ms. Nanine Cuttitta, HS Principal; Mr. Ralph D’Ambrosio, Teacher Representative; Ms. Jeannette Balantic, Social Studies Coordinator; Beth Kramer, HS PTA Director; Nancy Basel, SEPTA Curriculum Representative; Angel D’Antonio, HS PTA Curriculum Representative; Mary McCarraher, HS PTA Curriculum Representative

 TOPICS DISCUSSED:

Senior Options:  The Senior Options project was introduced into the GCHS curriculum after substantial research into neighboring school districts’ programs for senior students.  GCHS wanted to introduce a project that suited our students’ and faculty’s interests as well as our budget.  The Social Studies department piloted the Senior Options project in the post-AP exam period, in the Period 9 AP Macroeconomics class, two years ago.  Last year, the project was expanded to all AP Macroeconomics classes; this year, it is also included in all AP U.S. Government classes.  Last year, almost 100 students participated in the Senior Options project.  A description of the project in built into the description of both AP Macroeconomics and AP U.S. Government in the 2010/11 Course Description Guide (page 45.)

 The goals of the Senior Options project are to give seniors an opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills to a real-world project of personal interest, and to develop their leadership skills.  There are well-defined steps to the students’ projects, including proposal sheets, required teacher approval, parent contracts, project monitoring, regular teacher/student meetings, and project evaluation, with classroom presentations at the end.

 The students’ feedback on Senior Options has been very positive.They are encouraged to choose topics in which they have a special interest.  Some of the projects last year included: a local business internship, a design project, business and corporate analysis, Junior Achievement elementary teaching program, genealogy, student surveys and interpretations, a cardiology internship in conjunction with EMT training, and boat building.  The students must invest a minimum of eight hours on their projects.  In return, they are released from three Macroeconomics or Government periods per week.  This works out to one day per week classes after the AP exam.  The students are not excused from other classes to work on their projects.

The Senior Options project has not been introduced into other AP courses for several reasons.  First, some of the AP courses continue with curriculum content in the post-AP exam period.  Courses such as AP World History, which include curriculum areas that are not on the AP exam but are included on the Regents exam, need to cover the curriculum included on the Regents during that time.  Also, the AP sciences do lab experiments during the post-AP period.  Second, to expand the project into other courses, which could involve hundreds of students, there would have to be a teacher or faculty member administering and overseeing the program to ensure quality control. 

 

Special Education Topics:  According to Mr. Glenn Stewart, Special Education coordinator, the Special Education department in collaboration with the general education content departments offer co-teaching opportunities in the following areas: Global History; U.S. History; Participation in Government and Economics; Living Environment; Earth Science; Chemistry; 9^th through 12^th grade English; and Integrated Algebra, Geometry, and Algebra 2/Trigonometry.  The Special Education department also offers the following self-contained classes: English 9 through 12; Global History and Geography 9 and 10; U.S. History 11; and Participation in Government and Economics 12.  Some self-contained classes are also offered in the areas of math and science.  These classes, along with the English and Social Studies classes listed above, will be described in detail in the Course Description Guide.  Also, some electives are currently being given utilizing a pass/fail option for special education students.  This is on a case-by-case basis and is evaluated via committee discussion.

 

Grade Distribution and Consistency:  Final grades in all classes were reviewed and analyzed over the summer for the purpose of evaluating grading consistency and appropriateness of grade distributions among all classes.  To achieve greater academic consistency, coordinators will review data on a regular basis and are in the process of developing a systematic approach to data review and remediation.  This is a work in progress.

SUMMARY OF 5/20/10 HIGH SCHOOL PTA CURRICULUM COMMITTEE MEETING

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

 Summer Assignments:  Ms. Cuttitta reported that every summer assignment will be due for every department on September 17.  This way, students will have the opportunity to go over it in class.  All teachers teaching a particular course will give the same summer assignment, write the summer assignment together and grade it using the same rubric.  Also, every course will count the summer assignment the same (ex. test grade, quiz grade, etc.)  All summer assignments will be posted on the High School website.

 College Essay Writing Workshop for Juniors: The Writing Center hosted a “How to Write a College Essay” seminar for the current junior class on May 19-28 during periods 1, 5, 6, and 7.  This seminar, which was held for the senior class in the fall, offered students ideas on how to facilitate their essay writing.

 Science Progression:Dr. Cascio, the Science Curriculum Coordinator, said that it is very important for science students to take Physics.  To go to any college level science, a student must understand Physics.  Physics is not a prerequisite for AP Biology, but it is strongly recommended.  As Dr. Cascio explained, a student can understand advanced Physics and Chemistry without taking Biology, but it is more difficult to understand advanced Biology without taking Physics or Chemistry because of the Biochemistry involved (which relies on Physics

AP Environmental Science: AP Environmental Science (ES) is a new course in the Science Department, which will be offered in the fall of 2010 for the first time.  It is an interdisciplinary course appropriate for the student who does not want to go into Biology, Chemistry, or Physics more deeply, but who still wants an AP science experience.  Dr. Cascio explained AP ES more in detail below:

 How is AP Environmental Science Different from other AP Science Classes?

AP ES is equivalent to a one-semester college-level course. While AP Biology, AP Chemistry, or AP Physics courses focus on one scientific discipline in greater depth, AP ES addresses a wide range of scientific fields with emphasis on their integration and application to environmental problems and solutions. It encompasses topics from ecology, geology, meteorology, energy studies, economics, sociology, political science, and ethics and has a broad appeal. The application of scientific concepts to real-world problems makes this course especially interesting as well as practical.

The Goal of AP Environmental Science

The goal of the AP Environmental Science course is to provide students with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, to identify and analyze environmental problems both natural and human-made, to evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, and to examine alternative solutions for resolving and/or preventing them

AP Environmental Science Exam

The AP Environmental Science Exam covers an introductory laboratory college course in environmental science. 

The questions included in Section I are designed to cover the breadth of students' knowledge and understanding of environmental science. 

There are four questions in Section II. One is a data-set question, which requires students to analyze and interpret a given set of data. One is a document-based question in which students answer questions related to a given document (such as a pamphlet, advertisement, or newspaper article) and apply their knowledge of environmental science to contexts that are current, relevant, and authentic. Two are in-depth synthesis questions and often include multi-part essays.

World Language Honor Societies Academic Requirements: According to Mr. Giacalone, World Language Curriculum Coordinator, students in Grades 10, 11, and 12 are eligible for induction and membership in the World Language National Honor Societies.A student must maintain an average of 90% in the language for German, Italian, and Latin, and an average of 92% in the language for French and Spanish.  These averages are not consistent because the national organizations do not have consistency.

SUMMARY OF 3/11/10 HIGH SCHOOL PTA CURRICULUM COMMITTEE MEETING

 

 

 

 

 

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

 

 

 

English Department Prerequisite Info and English 10/11H: 

Students can enter English 10/11 H from either English 9H or English 9R.  The Honors policy applies, and teacher recommendation is required for entrance.  The teacher recommendation is based on the student’s capability to take critical thinking and ideas and incorporate them into his or her writing.

 In the past, students were not able to enter AP English 11 unless they had taken English 10/11H.  Today, students are able to enter AP English 11 from English 10/11H, English 10H, or English 10R.  This is in recognition of the fact that students develop in different ways at different times.  English 10/11H students take the Regents exam in June of 10^th grade, one year early.

 The New York State Education Department has released a new ELA standards document draft for feedback.  As there will be new standards, this is a good time to do an English Department curriculum review.  In fact, the GCHS English Department will be under curriculum review next year.

Grade Distribution and Consistency:

 

  Ms. Cuttitta and the Curriculum Coordinators are examining the quarter grades and midterm grades to ensure appropriate grade distribution and consistency.  The coordinators have compiled all the data for their respective departments, and they are all looking at quarter and midterm grades by course, section and teacher.  The data is being studied in several different ways.  This is a work in progress. 

SUMMARY OF 1/7/10 HIGH SCHOOL PTA CURRICULUM COMMITTEE MEETING 

 

 

 

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

English:

 Infusing College Application Skills, including Writing a Personal Essay, into the Curriculum:  Mrs. Arnone and the teachers in the English Department have worked hard to create different types of opportunities for students who are college-bound.  They presented a 4-day How to Write a College Essay workshop in the Writing Center in October for seniors, which was well attended.  This workshop was also intended to facilitate essay revisions, and some students did sign up for the Writing Center even after the workshop was completed.  Classroom teachers also help seniors with their essays on an individual basis.  In the Speech and Exposition classes, students were exposed to personal narratives writing.

 Looking ahead to what can be offered for underclassmen; the English teachers will give the same 4-day essay writing workshop that was presented to the seniors in the fall, to juniors in the spring.  Three junior year English teachers also work in the Writing Center.  In addition, there is ongoing dialogue about the possibility of adding different opportunities at different grade levels.

 Mrs. Arnone said that the students are seeing essential components of the college application in class.  In her own Speech and Exposition class, students are seeing essential components of the college application via a college letter of recommendation. Students were required to write a letter of recommendation for each other based on a personal essay/partner speech assignment.

 An interdepartmental consortium of teachers from the High School has put together a fantastic step-by-step research manual to go along with the Research and Writing Initiative being put in place for Grades 6 through 12.It is available to print; go to the High School website homepage and click on the link that says Garden City Research Guide.  We feel that this easy to read manual will quickly become a valuable resource for anyone who needs to write a research paper.

 Criteria for Entrance into AP English 11:  Students have the opportunity to take AP English 11 whether they take English 10/11H, English 10R, or English 10H the previous year, as long as their grades meet the criteria.  Honors policy applies: For students who took either English 10/11H or 10 H, they need to have an 85 average in the course with a 90 or above on the final exam.  For English 10 R students who wish to go into AP English 11, they need to have a 92 average in the course with a 90 or above on the final.

 The major difference is that students who did not take English 10/11H will not have taken the English Regents exam at the end of sophomore year. (The students in 10/11H take the English Regents a year early.) Thus, they will have to take both the English Regents and the English AP exam in their junior year.  The students who took 10/11H have to take the English AP exam only, since they will have already taken the Regents exam the previous year.

 For further information, please refer to page 14 of the 2010/11 Course Description Guide.

 Science:  New List of Writing Projects and Contests:There are a lot of writing projects in science that are available for a wide range of student ability levels, including special needs.  In addition, there are contests, quiz competitions, seminars, and summer opportunities that are open to students.  Dr. Cascio has put together an extensive list of these for science students and their parents.  To view this list, please go to the High School website homepage, click Science under the Departments heading, scroll down to the bottom of the list, and click on Science competitions, programs and special opportunities. 

 Health:  There are currently 14 periods of Health being offered at the High School, including zero-period (spring semester) and a self-contained special education class. The curriculum was revamped in the summer of 2008, currently three different teachers are teaching Health.  Four physical education teachers are currently certified to teach Health.  The school would like all students to take Health in their sophomore year.  However, they recognize that there are certain situations in which that may prove to be difficult: students taking two languages, students doubling up in music and art, and special needs students with supports.  There are alternatives that are available to these students.  Students should tell their guidance counselors during scheduling appointments if they have one of the above situations, so that they can be made aware of the different alternatives. 

 

SUMMARY OF 11/12/09 HIGH SCHOOL PTA CURRICULUM COMMITTEE MEETING

 

 TOPICS DISCUSSED:

 Science:

 Expectations for Honors and AP level Science classes:  Dr. Cascio, the Science curriculum coordinator, explained that for each course in the Science department, she will be looking at: 1Q average grades, 2Q average grades, midterm grades (there are uniform midterms), 3Q average grades, 4Q average grades, final exam grades, and AP exam and SAT Subject Test scores.  She has compared the AP and SAT Subject Test scores to the final averages for Biology, Chemistry, and Physics for the last two years, and determined that there is no large discrepancy between the students’ final averages and the scores.  The students’ grades for these courses are based on their developing and using college level skills.  The Honors and AP levels of the Science classes require the students to read and write using the appropriate science vocabulary at these levels, not just to memorize and do the problems using formulas.  The classes cover more than just the information on the test- students must submit homework, read the textbooks, write labs and complete other assignments.  It is also very difficult for a student who misses class for even one or two days, especially a double period lab class, as it can affect them significantly due to the rigor of the courses. 

 These courses are truly college level courses that are being taught in high school, and the teachers are holding the students to college level standards.  Students who miss a double period lab are required to make it up.  When they make it up, there is no lab aide.  They set up their own lab, do the experiment, and break it down themselves.  If students do not make up labs, they count as zeros.  If lab reports or homework are not turned in, they count as zeros.  If students do not understand what is being asked in labs or homework, they can approach the teachers before, during, or after class, before, during, or after school, during extra help, or on email to ask for help.

 Outside test prep courses are available for the SAT Subject Tests and AP exams in the sciences.  The students who take these courses could conceivably get higher grades on these exams than they may be getting in the courses themselves. 

 Science labs:  There is no department standard for science labs.  This is impossible to implement, since every course designs its labs by course content.  The level of expectations for lab work goes up as the courses become more advanced.  Labs are returned but then have to be collected again, as there is a Regents requirement of 1,200 minutes of documented labs per student.All collected lab reports are kept in the classroom, and students can review and discuss them with teachers during class, extra help or by appointment. The committee discussed how teachers might assist student understanding of lab report expectations at the beginning of the school year.

 

World Language: 

 St. John’s University College Italian course:  Mr.Giacalone, the World Language curriculum coordinator, explained that when the College Board decided not to offer the AP Italian exam in 2009-2010, he immediately began to explore other options for those advanced Italian students wishing to continue their studies.  After looking into several colleges and their offerings to determine the best fit with the existing GCHS Italian curriculum, the department chose St. John’s University.  Mr. Giacalone and Mrs. Brunetti wrote the new College Italian course’s curriculum on an AP level and received approval for it by St. John’s.  They are in constant communication with St. John’s and will be submitting the midterm exam to them.  St. John’s has certified Mr. Giacalone and Mrs. Brunetti as adjunct professors.  Seventeen students at GCHS currently take the College Italian class.

 Students are given two options when they take this course.  One, they may take the course and pay $250 to St. John’s per semester, and receive three college credits per semester from St. John’s.  Two, they may take the course on an “audit” basis at no charge, and not receive the college credits, but still be in a college level class taught at GCHS and receive college weight (1.06) for their GPA.  The students will have “College Italian” written on their GCHS transcripts with the grade weighted at 1.06, and will have to request an official transcript from St. John’s for the course. 

 Feedback from students about the course has been universally positive.

 AP and Honors Level World Language Courses:While many other AP courses are comparable in content to first semester college level courses, the World Language AP courses are similar to third year college level in content.  The AP World Language exams test to that level as well.  Therefore, the honors level 2, 3, and 4 language classes have to be rigorous, or else the students would be set up for failure in the AP level classes. 

 AP French:  Consideration is being given as to how to bring up students’ scores on the AP French exam.  Although the AP French course is not being offered at GCHS in the current school year, it will be offered next year.  A new teacher has been hired, and the course is being improved for next year.

 Honors/Regents Level Taught in the Same Class:  The World Language department has several classes in which honors and regents level students are being taught at the same time.  The teachers in these classes are using curriculum differentiation practices.  They can’t teach a different curriculum in the same classroom; the differentiation has to happen on assignments, worksheets, quizzes, and tests.  The department coordinator looks at all tests and quizzes given in the department to make sure the results are equitable.

 Language Lab:  The World Language department wants a dedicated language lab.  The bond did not include a language lab, which would require an estimated $40,000 to outfit.  However, Ms. Cuttitta said that she will be working with architects to find out if there is space for a language lab somewhere.  They have researched “portable labs” and computer programs to do language labs at home.  This is a work in progress.

 World Language Honor Societies Criteria:  The Middle School and High School now have one set of uniform criteria for admission into language honor societies.  The exact numerical grade cutoffs may be different for certain languages because of national requirements.  The students’ first opportunity to be inducted is at the end of sophomore year.  However, even if the students do not meet the criteria in sophomore year, they are still eligible for membership in junior or senior year if they meet the criteria then.

 

SUMMARY OF 9/24/09 HIGH SCHOOL PTA CURRICULUM COMMITTEE MEETING 

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

 AP World History:  The 10H Social Studies class has been eliminated, leaving two alternatives for 10^th grade students: 10R Social Studies and AP World History.  At this point, about 136 students are in 10 AP World.  There are 2 AP World teachers:  Ms. DeCollibus and Ms. Ventuleth.  

 Listed below are the units in the New York State Global History I and II curriculum.

In 9R we teach units 1, 2, 3 and part of 4. 

In 10R we complete unit 4 and teach units 5, 6, 7 and 8.

 

Unit 1: Ancient World-Civilizations and Religions (BC 4000 - 500 AD)

Unit 2: Expanding Zones of Exchange and Encounter (500 - 1200)

Unit 3: Global Interactions (1200- 1650)

Unit 4: The First Global Age (1450 - 1770)

Unit 5: An Age of Revolution (1750 - 1914)

Unit 6: A Half-Century of Crisis and Achievement (1900 - 1945)

Unit 7: The 20th Century Since 1945

Unit 8: Global Connections and Interactions

 

The AP World History course is comprised of five units; two of the units are taught in the 9H course, with the remaining three units covered in 10 AP.  

 

Listed below are the units in the AP World History curriculum. 

In 9H we teach units 1 and 2.

In 10AP we teach units 3, 4, and 5.

 

Unit 1: Formation of Civilizations: Foundations, from 8000 b.c.e. to 600 c.e.

Unit 2: Expanding Zones of Exchange and Encounter: The World from 600 to 1450

Unit 3: Emergence of the First Global Age: The World from 1450 to 1750

Unit 4: Age of Revolutions and Empire: The World from 1750 to 1914

Unit 5: A Technological Age: The World from 1914 to the Present Day

 

There are several reasons for the difference in content covered.  In 9H, which is taught as a Pre-AP course, the material is covered more in depth.  Skills such as note taking and writing specific types of essays required in 10 AP are introduced and developed. Three types of essays are required in 10 AP: compare and contrast, continuity and change, and the DBQ.  In 9H, compare and contrast essay writing is brought into the curriculum. There is also a greater focus on independent learning in 9H. 

For all 9R students who meet the criteria and go into 10AP, there will be a jump in the rigor of their class experience.  The biggest gap is in skills.  To help transition these students into AP, extra skills booster sessions are given before school in the fall that focus on note taking and essay writing.

All 9H students going into 10R instead of 10 AP have a gap in content, since the 9H students did not do one of the units that the 9R classes covered.  To compensate for this, these students come in and are taught the third unit in content-only instruction sessions given before school to catch them up to the rest of the class. 

To strengthen the 10R course, the curriculum was worked on over the summer. Some assignments were brought in from the former 10H course, and honors skills were infused into the curriculum, including dialogue and discussion around a series of essential questions.  

Research and Writing: There will be a research and writing project for each grade level.  In an interdisciplinary approach, the English, Social Studies, and Science departments are working together on these projects.  

College Essay Writing and Skills Building:  There will be 4 days after the Columbus Day holiday, October 13th through 16th, when the Writing Center will be holding "How to Write a College Essay" sessions in a classroom-type setting during lunch periods for seniors only.  Each session can accommodate up to 15 students.  These students may then follow up with appointments one on one with writing center teachers.  Guidance counselors and English teachers will announce this to their students and it will also be announced in the Daily Bulletin. In the spring, this program may be considered for juniors.  Senior and junior English teachers are also discussing infusing into the curriculum a "personal essay" writing assignment that could serve as a college essay.  In addition, offering an elective that covers college application skills is being researched and considered.

Curriculum Coordinators: When a child has an issue in the classroom, the protocol for the parent almost always is to call the teacher first.  If that does not resolve the issue, the parent can then call the curriculum coordinator.