Course Guide

Buffalo Gap High School

Course Guide

2017-2018

Website: www.augusta.k12.va.us/BGHS

The Augusta County School Board does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, or gender in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups.  The following persons have been designated to handle inquires regarding non-discrimination policies:

General Information
The purpose of this course guide is to provide students and parents with a tool for making informed choices when selecting courses. Please consider choices very carefully as student enrollment is used to hire staffing and create the master schedule of courses for next year. Because students provide the first and most important step in the scheduling process, it will be very difficult to make changes in course selection. This is a proposed course guide; therefore, class offerings will be based upon student interest and enrollment.
Counselor Assignments:

Reed: students with the last name of A-K

Brown: students with the last name of L-Z
Credits:

Credits toward graduation requirements are earned by successful completion of classes. One-period or block, half-year-long classes allow students to earn one credit. Students may earn four credits each semester for a total of eight credits each year. Year-long courses completed at Valley Vocational Technical Center earn three credits. Each credit is weighted equally on a 4.0 scale except Advanced Placement, Dual Enrollment, and Shenandoah Valley Governor's School classes, which are weighted on a 5.0 scale.

Grades:

Grades are reported every nine weeks by report cards; progress is also reported at the middle of each nine-week term.

Promotion/Retention Policy:

High school students earn credits for each course which is successfully completed. Students attending Buffalo Gap High School have the opportunity to attain as many as eight (8) credits per year, four (4) per semester. Graduation is determined by completion of all course requirements set by the state of Virginia, not by grade level classification. Students must have earned the following credits to enter:

Grade 10……………………………5 credits

Grade 11……………….…………...10 credits

Grade 12…………………………....14 credits (Students must have completed US & VA History or English 11)
Class Rank:

Class rank is based on final grades students earn in all courses for which high school credit is awarded (except courses with a Pass/Fail final grade). This includes high school credits earned in grade 8. Rank is computed – for juniors and seniors only – by using grades for all subjects except pass, fail grades, the lower grades from classes which were repeated, and grades from classroom driver’s education. Class rank is computed prior to the start of the junior year and at the end of each semester through graduation.

Athletic Eligibility:

According to the Virginia High School League scholarship rule, students must pass a minimum of three of four subjects in the semester prior to the semester in which the student wishes to participate in athletics or other VHSL activities. Any subject that a student has previously passed for credit may not be considered for repeat credit under this scholarship rule. Students who intend to apply for NCAA athletic eligibility following graduation should carefully consider NCAA standards when planning their course schedules each year. Students and their parents are strongly encouraged to review both VHSL and NCAA requirements with their coaches, counselor, and Athletic Director, as well as to study the VHSL and NCAA websites and other resources.

BGHS Recommended Academic Plan
Buffalo Gap High School has a long tradition of academic excellence. We encourage our students to challenge themselves and to take every opportunity to prepare well for their future. This includes preparation for post-secondary and continued education, job experiences, and skills and planning for a productive life.
Students are encouraged to take the courses most appropriate to their educational and career goals. As a general guideline, students planning on an Advanced Diploma should have passed their 8th grade SOL tests and should have earned at least a C in each of their 8th grade academic courses. Advanced-level courses require a strong academic foundation and include more in-depth work. Students who choose to take them must commit to doing the necessary level of work.
Graduation Requirements
A Virginia high school diploma can indicate the preparedness of a student in accepting the challenges of post-secondary education. It also tells potential employers that the graduate possesses the reading, writing, and computational skills required for success in the workplace. Students should choose the diploma program that is in line with their future plans. All students must meet Virginia and Augusta County graduation and diploma requirements.
The resources listed here explain Virginia’s graduation requirements for an Advanced Studies and a Standard Diploma. Standard credits are those credits earned with a passing final grade in a course. To earn a verified credit, a student must pass the class and the end-of-course Standards of Learning (SOL) test. End-of-course SOL tests are offered at BGHS in the following courses: Earth Science, Biology, Chemistry, World Geography, World History I, World History II, VA/US History, Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and English 11. There are two required English 11 tests—one in Reading and one in Writing. Certain career and technical certifications and other standardized tests may be substituted for certain verified credits. Students transferring from either a private or out-of-state school may have altered requirements for earning verified credits based on when the student transferred and the credits that the student earned at a previous school.

Minimum Requirements for the Advanced Studies Diploma for students entering 9th grade in/after 2011-12.
Discipline Area	Standard Credits	Verified Credits
English	4	2
Mathematics	4	2
Laboratory Science	4	2
History and Social Sciences	4	2
Foreign Language +	3
Health and Physical Education	2
Fine Arts or Career & Technical Education	1
Economics and Personal Finance	1
Electives	3
Student Selected Test		1
Total	26	9

+ Students pursuing the Advanced Diploma may complete the foreign language requirement by earning 3 credits of one language or two credits of two different languages. Students choosing the latter option will need 27 total credits.

Minimum Requirements for the Standard Diploma for students entering 9th grade in/after 2011-12.
Discipline Area	Standard Credits	Verified Credits
English	4	2
Mathematics	3	1
Laboratory Science	3	1
History and Social Sciences	3	1
Health and Physical Education	2
Foreign Language, Fine Arts or Career and Technical Education *	2
Economics and Personal Finance	1
Electives	4
Student Selected Test		1
Total **	22	6

* Student pursuing the Standard Diploma must earn two sequential foreign language, fine arts or career and technical education credits.
** Student pursuing the Standard Diploma must also earn a board-approved career and technical education credential to graduate.
Class Registration
Students begin meeting with counselors to register for classes in November for the following year. It is important to make these decisions carefully and listen to information provided so that BGHS is able to offer the courses that our students are interested in taking. Staffing decisions are made and course offerings are finalized based on student course requests. The master schedule is determined based on staff availability and on efforts to provide the most opportunities for student choices with the fewest scheduling conflicts. Because of this complex process, schedule changes can only be looked at on a case by case basis if there is an academic conflict.
Students must make course selections before final grades are reported and before standardized testing has been completed. Sometimes these final grades and testing results indicate that the student's choice is not in his/her best interest. School personnel may make alterations following careful review of the final grades and test scores. Final recommendations of teachers are reviewed and results of SOL testing may be used in scheduling students. Changes will be made if the student does not meet prerequisites. Students and parents with questions about these changes should contact their school counselor.

Not all courses have prerequisites, but students and parents are asked to read the description carefully before registering for classes. Prerequisites are intended to communicate necessary preparation for success in a class. If students do not meet the prerequisite for a desired class, they can communicate with their counselor and decide if a request for exception is in the best interest of the student.

In addition to the course descriptions, we have included some information related to high school graduation that is important to consider when selecting courses. It is very important while choosing courses to give consideration to the type of diploma the student will try to earn. Therefore, we ask that you read through these policies/diploma choices carefully.

Academic Core Classes

Directory: cms -> lib01 -> VA01000173 -> Centricity -> Domain
lib01 -> At the Old Haunted House By: Helen Ketteman Illustrated: Nate Wragg Synopsis
Domain -> You Gotta Know These Programming Languages C++
lib01 -> Howard High School / Information Technology 2014-2015 course syllabus program concentration
lib01 -> NS3-M1U1C1 The Importance of Sea Power (Exam)
Domain -> Continental drift
Domain -> Locate the seven continents and the five Oceans Continents (a)