Friday, October 28, 2016

Changes: Graduation Requirements

There are some great changes coming our way.  I'm excited.  And, since there are too many new things to cover in one blog post, stay tuned for a series that will (hopefully) cover the highlights and get everyone up to speed.

In this post, I want to address the changes in our graduation requirements.  That's right, students, the list of what classes you need to graduate will be changing - for our freshman class.  If you are a sophomore, junior, or senior, the old requirements still apply.  Freshmen, however, will have some slightly different boxes to check.  See below:

Math
Currently, students are required to take 20 credits of math to graduate from Miramonte (two years, with one year above algebra 1).  As it turns out, our research shows that an overwhelming number of Matadors are already taking three or four years of math.  For those upper classmen already intimately familiar with the A-G requirements for college, this might seem obvious; since colleges require at least three years and math through algebra 2, most students are already aiming higher than the minimum.  The freshman class will be the first class with 30 credits (or three years) required in math.  Not a huge math fan?  Don't worry.  Computer science is a great alternative math option for folks who are looking for another path.

English
The four-year English requirement is here to stay, but the options will be changing.  Starting as early as next year (juniors, this pertains to you), schools in our District will be offering alternative English 4 classes.  At Miramonte, students can already choose from English 4, AP English Literature, or WISE.  In the future, there may be more options.  Stay tuned.

Visual and Performing Arts
Arts are crucial to a well-rounded education.  And, you already know it.  99% of Miramonte students take one year of a visual and performing art (VPA).  Now, under our new requirements, we make VPA an official requirement.  All of you get to take one year to graduate (and, hopefully, fit in a few more).  Good news for choir, instrumental music, crafts, video production, digital photography, public speaking, 2D art, and drama classes!

Breadth Requirement
This one is a little wonky, so stay with me.  The new requirement will be that students must take 20 credits (two years) in any of the following areas: World Language, American Sign Language, or Career Technical Education (CTE).  That means two years of a world language, or two years of a CTE class (architecture or foods, at MHS), or one year of each.  You have some options here.  

Health
Starting with next year's sophomores, all students will take a semester of health during 10th grade.  This was previously embedded in PE 9, but we are shifting in order to provide a much-richer curriculum around all things health related.  The course of study is in the works, but we envision a class that covers a lot of interesting topics and one that will be really relevant to student needs.  More to come.

Since this class is a semester, it will have to be paired with another semester class.  Again, still a work in progress.  But some of the emerging options sound fantastic!

PE
This one is a big change.  Starting next year, students who pass 5 out of 6 tests on the Fitness Gram in PE 9 (that is our state physical fitness test), will have the option of deferring PE.  Deferring is not waiving; all students will still need 20 credits (two years) to graduate.  The change will be in how these 20 credits are completed.  


So, to recap, if you pass 5 out of 6 tests and you play a school sport, you can log your hours in a school sport to accrue credits in PE.  The details are pending, but, basically, two seasons of a sport over your sophomore, junior, and seniors years will earn you 10 credits.  

If you pass 5 out of 6 tests, but you do not play a school sport, you still must complete a PE class (10 credits) at MHS.  However, you can choose to take this in the 10th, 11th, or 12th grade.

If you do not pass 5 out of 6 tests, you must take PE during your 10th grade year.  

Not super clear yet?  Don't worry, freshmen.  We will get you up to speed before you pick classes.  And, there is more information on the Graduation Requirements and Frequently Asked Questions on our District website.

So, that is a summary of the things to come.  Next week, we will discuss the NEW SCHEDULE!  This is a big deal.  

Go Mats!


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