MCHS Registration Process

1. MCHS Registration Process

2. Academics All academic classes at MCHS for the graduating classes of 2012 and beyond are considered College Preparatory and are designed to prepare students for college, technical school, the military, or for the world of work. There are no longer multiple diploma types or graduation tracks.

3. Academic Level • All academic classes at MCHS are college preparatory and will meet admissions requirements to any college. • Honors level classes are designed to prepare students for Advanced Placement courses, they move at a faster pace because they cover more material or cover material in more depth. • Advanced Placement courses are college-level courses taught by a certified high school teacher. Students in AP courses follow a curriculum designed by college professors and the College Board. Students have the opportunity to earn college credit by taking the AP Exam but credit is not guaranteed.

4. Academic Course Offerings • 9th literature Honors • Physical Science Honors • Chemistry Honors • Accelerated CCGPS Coordinate Algebra/Analytic Geometry A • American Government/Civics Honors • AP American Government and Politics • 9th grade literature • Physical Science • CCGPS Coordinate Algebra • American Government and Civics

5. Academic Recommendations • Students do not select their academic courses. These courses are selected for them by their academic teachers using a rubric that examines many measures of a students academic ability including benchmarks, CRCT, 8th grade writing test, class grade, and others. Based on this information students are awarded points and recommended for Honors or AP classes. If they do not receive enough points for AP or Honors courses they are registered in college preparatory classes.

6. Support Classes • Coordinate Algebra Support– is provided by the State Department to assist students that historically have difficulty with math. It is to be taught concurrently with Coordinate Algebra to provide pre-teaching and re-teaching of standards. • Reading Support—this class is designed to assist students who struggle or are below grade level readers. The class offers students the opportunity to build their reading skills as well as writing skills. • Both courses will count as an elective credit and are NOT remedial courses.

7. Support Classes • You may not opt out of support classes at this time. This placement may be reconsidered after 8th Grade CRCT results are returned by contacting the 9th grade counselor. • If your child is not recommended for Coordinate Algebra Support, but because of previous struggles in math you feel that your child will need support, you may request this course through the 9th grade counselor.

8. Reading Support • Recommendations for reading support are made based on performance on past CRCT& Lexile Scores on the Reading Test, since we do not have the 8th grade CRCT scores we will review these recommendations when those scores become available. Additionally, all students in the reading support class are screened for reading level in their first week of school, if adjustments need to be made after this screening you will be contacted.

9. Health/Personal Fitness Health and Personal Fitness is a graduation requirement and all 9th graders will be registered for this course. *Note: Students obtain their ADAP card needed for driver’s license through the Health portion of this class.

10. Electives Depending on the courses recommended, students may take up to two additional electives. • Visual Art • Band—must already play an instrument • Basic Agriculture • Chorus • Computer Applications, Business Essentials, and Computing in the Modern World • Team Sports, Weightlifting (boys), Aerobics/Weightlifting (girls) • Academic Electives--Current Events/MCNN News Broadcast, Journalism, & Yearbook—Application only. • Colorgaurd—Audition Only • Human Growth and Development • Construction I • Drama

11. Electives • Students have been asked to choose 5 elective choices and rank them 1-5, 1 being first priority. • If you disagree with the elective choices your child has made strike through them on the white copy and renumber in the order you wish and return the white copy to the middle school. • You may not make changes to academic recommendations on the form.

12. You child will bring home their registration form this Thursday, April 12th. There will be a white copy and a yellow copy. Please review your child’s recommendations and elective choices, sign the bottom of the white copy and return it to the middle school by Friday, April 20th.

13. Level Changes If you do not feel that the recommended academic level on the registration form is appropriate for your child, you may contact the 9th grade counselor, Sarah Owen to discuss changes.

14. Summer Work • Honors Chemistry • AP Government & Politics Students who are recommended for either of these courses must attend a meeting on April 25th at the Middle School to hear from students currently enrolled in these courses, to receive their summer work and to hear from the teachers about expectations for the courses.

15. AP Government and Politics • Homework—average of 1 hour every night. • Reading the textbook and taking notes on what they read is a necessity. • 6 major projects to complete throughout the year, that will need to be completed outside of class time. • Summer assignment will require students to be up to date on current events, by choosing nine current event articles throughout the summer and writing at least a one page reaction to the event.

16. Honors Chemistry • Homework—up to an hour nightly, sometimes less. • Projects/research papers that will need to be completed outside of class time. • There will be a summer reading assignment with 3 short reflection papers to write