What parents need to know about HS graduation requirements. Plus some academic do’s and don’ts

Requirements for Graduation: Must satisfy all 3 of the below areas to graduate: 1) Need to pass specific courses (ie. 4 yrs. of English, etc.) 2) Need to pass specific exams (Regents = Common Core) 3) Need to accumulate > 22 credits *Not satisfying any of the above requirements – will not graduate! (extra yr. of HS or summer school/August graduate?) _____________________________________________ Keep in mind long range planning, such as: - NCAA (college athletics)? (Approved courses?) - College bound? (Course rigor! Take college, &/or AP.) - Vocational/Trade (BOCES)? (Can’t be failing/behind.)

Graduation Requirements: Courses English 9, *10, *11, *12 = 4 cr. Glob. 1, *Glob. 2, *US Hist., *PIG/Econ = 4 cr. Three math courses (which ones depends on ability and dipl. type)= 3 cr. Three science course (which ones depends on ability and dipl. type)= 3cr. Four Gym/PE classes =2 cr. One credit in Art or Music= 1 cr. Health =.5 cr. (or *Allied Health) At least Spanish 1 cr. (highly encouraged to take additional ones)= 1 cr. Total = 18.5 credits Must accumulate > 22 credits though! Remaining credits=electives. *AP & college level courses count towards these requirements

Required Regents Exams State has/is transitioning to Common Core Exams! Regents Exam requirements by diploma: Regents Diploma: -ELA cc (Eng. 11) -Social Studies: Global 2 & US History -Math: 1 Reg. Exam (Alg 1ccc, Geom cc or Alg 2 cc) -Science: 1 Reg. Exam (E. Sci., Liv. Env., Chem. or Physics) = Total of 5 Regents Exams (Note: A Local Diploma is still available for students identified with a disability. Must still take Regents Exams though. Scores on Regents Exams may be < 65% for these students.)

Required Regents Exams- con’t. Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation (“Advanced Regents Diploma”): -ELA cc (Eng. 11) -Social Studies: Global 2 & US History (+2) -Math: 3 Reg. Exam (Alg 1, Geom. and Alg 2) (+1) -Science: 2 Reg. Exam - Liv. Env. and any 1 of remaining 3: E. Sci., Chem. or Physics) (+1?) - Plus take and pass Spanish 3 and Span. 3 Regents or replace with a 5 credit major in: art,music,business,tech,BOCES. = Total of 8 or 9 Regents Exams (depends on Span.)

Is Required Coursework Specific Only to HS? No!!! Most colleges require students to take General Education Courses – “Gen. Ed.” requirements are college elective courses, many of which are outside of a major. Many Gen. Ed.’s can be completed with Newfane’s College or AP Courses – before students even start college! College courses taken at Newfane are offered at a very reduced rate and no book purchase

The High School Transcript! Every HS student has a transcript in progress – Starts in grade 9, and some 8 th grade courses apply What is on it? -courses taken every year (whether passed or failed) -final average in the courses -Regents Exams scores (if taken more than once, only highest score is shown- so retake!) -AP, SAT and ACT scores -GPA (weighted & unweighted) and class rank Transcripts (proof of graduation) required by colleges, military, NCAA, & many employers.

What Do College Admissions Look At? 1 ) Cumulative GPA (typically weighted ave.) & class rank -Includes any grade 8 HS courses/credits, plus gr When apply in fall senior yr. – no senior grades yet BUT most colleges ask for mid-year grades and all will require a FINAL transcript! 2) SAT or ACT test scores -also important for scholarship $ 3) What courses were taken to get the GPA? More course rigor is best = College & AP (also weighted more to give a higher GPA). School profile sent with transcript which lists all of our College & AP courses. 4) Then look at course grades in the intended major, ltrs. of rec., activities/volunteerism, & list of senior yr. courses

More info. on academics Graduating with Honors, Merit and Mastery – Honors Distinction: add up all Regents Exam scores required for the diploma type and divide by that number of exams (Spanish Regents is not included). If > 90%, then Honors. – Merit Distinction: add up all Regents Exam scores required for the diploma type and divide by that number of exams. If > %, then Merit. (no Span.) _______________________________________________ Annotation of Mastery, on Adv. Reg. Diploma only: Annotation of Mastery Math: >85% on all 3 Math Reg. Annotation of Mastery Sci.: >85% on 3 Sci. Reg.

More About Transcripts Take the most rigorous courses possible! – The more selective the college, the more rigorous the courses need to take throughout HS. -College admissions folks know the difference between a good GPA with regular courses and a good GPA with college/AP courses. -College and AP courses are weighted higher! -course wt. translates into a higher wt. GPA/rank -also benefit by accruing coll. credits in HS

Transcript, though important, is not “The end all, be all!” Besides paying attention to the academics, work on “well-roundedness”. – Get involved in something and take a leadership role if possible! Resume builder ( for coll. applications and scholarships) Can be community/volunteer service, sports, clubs, peer tutoring, employment, etc. Don’t have to spread self thin. Pick an interest and get involved. Getting very involved in one, or a few things, is better than doing little for many activities.

Finally… Students must do the homework, study for tests/quizzes, ask for help (no ‘magic bullet’) Students struggling in the core content areas? Besides staying after school, tutoring/AIS is available. Good academic upperclassman students can become peer tutors (receive HS credit & is good resume content).