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 10th 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 10th 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.
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