Program 9-12

English

The English 1-4 courses are designed to ensure students are exposed to using texts of high complexity, integrated language arts study in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language for college and career preparation and readiness.

  • active reading of varied texts for what they say explicitly, as well as the logical inferences that can be drawn
  • analysis of literature and informational texts from varied literary periods to examine:
    • text craft and structure
    • elements of literature
    • arguments and claims supported by textual evidence
    • power and impact of language
    • influence of history, culture, and setting on language
    • personal critical and aesthetic response
  • writing for varied purposes
    • developing and supporting argumentative claims
    • crafting coherent, supported informative/expository texts
    • responding to literature for personal and analytical purposes
    • writing narratives to develop real or imagined events
    • writing to sources using text- based evidence and reasoning
  • effective listening, speaking, and viewing strategies with emphasis on the use of evidence to support or refute a claim in multimedia presentations, class discussions, and extended text discussions
  • collaboration amongst peers

Mathematics

The Algebra I course will formalize and extend the mathematics that students learned in the middle grades. The critical areas, called units, deepen and extend understanding of linear and exponential relationships by contrasting them with each other and by applying linear models to data that exhibit a linear trend, and students engage in methods for analyzing, solving, and using quadratic functions. The Standards for Mathematical Practice apply throughout each course, and, together with the content standards, prescribe that students experience mathematics as a coherent, useful, and logical subject that makes use of their ability to make sense of problem situations.

The Algebra 2 course will build on their work with linear, quadratic, and exponential functions, students extend their repertoire of functions to include polynomial, rational, and radical functions. Students work closely with the expressions that define the functions, and continue to expand and hone their abilities to model situations and to solve equations, including solving quadratic equations over the set of complex numbers and solving exponential equations using the properties of logarithms. The Standards for Mathematical Practice apply throughout each course and, together with the content standards, prescribe that students experience mathematics as a coherent, useful, and logical subject that makes use of their ability to make sense of problem situations. 

The Geometry course is to formalize and extend students’ geometric experiences from the middle grades. Students explore more complex geometric situations and deepen their explanations of geometric relationships, moving towards formal mathematical arguments. Important differences exist between this Geometry course and the historical approach taken in Geometry classes. For example, transformations are emphasized early in this course. Close attention should be paid to the introductory content for the Geometry conceptual category found in the high school standards. The Standards for Mathematical Practice apply throughout each course and, together with the content standards, prescribe that students experience mathematics as a coherent, useful, and logical subject that makes use of their ability to make sense of problem situations. 

Science

Instructional Practices: Teaching from a range of complex text is optimized when teachers in all subject areas implement the following strategies on a routine basis:

  • Ensuring wide reading from complex text that varies in length.
  • Making close reading and rereading of texts central to lessons.
  • Emphasizing text-specific complex questions, and cognitively complex tasks, reinforce focus on the text and cultivate independence.
  • Emphasizing students supporting answers based upon evidence from the text.
  • Providing extensive research and writing opportunities (claims and evidence).
  • Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering).
  • Developing and using models.
  • Planning and carrying out investigations.
  • Analyzing and interpreting data.
  • Using mathematics, information and computer technology, and computational thinking.
  • Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering).
  • Engaging in argument from evidence.
  • Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information.

Social Studies

 The World History course is a continued in-depth study of the history of civilizations and societies from the middle school course, and includes the history of civilizations and societies of North and South America.  Students will be exposed to historical periods leading to the beginning of the 21st Century.  So that students can clearly see the relationship between cause and effect in historical events, students should have the opportunity to review those fundamental ideas and events from ancient and classical civilizations.

Social Studies instruction will include opportunities for students to interpret and create representations of historical events and concepts using mathematical tables, charts and graphs.

Instructional Practices

Teaching from well-written, grade-level instructional materials enhances students’ content area knowledge and also strengthens their ability to comprehend longer, complex reading passages on any topic for any reason.  Using the following instructional practices also helps student learning:

 

 

 

High School Graduation

Standard Diploma

  • The purpose of the standard diploma is to certify that the student has met all District and State standards for graduation. A standard diploma will be awarded to graduates if the student has earned the required 24 credits and attained a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale. Also, students must pass the statewide standardized assessments or attain the concordant and/or comparative examination scores, applicable to the cohort year when the student entered 9th grade. A special education student will be awarded a standard diploma if all of the criteria for a standard diploma have been met by that student.
  • Students who meet District and State criteria for a standard high school diploma may also earn one or both of the diploma designations, Scholar and/or Merit. The following designations are in addition to the standard high school diploma program requirements:
  • Scholar Designation: Students Entering Grade 9 in the 2014-2015 School Year and Forward: § EOCs: Pass the Geometry, Biology 1, and U.S. History EOCs. § Earn 1 credit each in the following courses: Algebra 2; statistics or an equally rigorous mathematics course; chemistry or physics; a course equally rigorous to chemistry or physics; 2 credits in the same world language, and at least 1 credit in AP, IB, AICE, or dual enrollment. § A student is exempt from the Biology I or U.S. History assessment if the student is enrolled in an AP, IB or AICE Biology I or U.S. History course and the student takes the respective AP, IB or AICE assessment; and earns the minimum score to earn college credit.

Scholar Designation:

  • Students Entering Grade 9 in the 2012-2013 and 2013- 2014 School Years: EOCs: Pass the Biology 1 and the U.S. History EOCs. § Earn 1 credit each in the following courses: Algebra 2; statistics or an equally rigorous mathematics course; chemistry or physics; a course equally rigorous to chemistry or physics; 2 credits in the same world language, and at least 1 credit in AP, IB, AICE, or dual enrollment.
  • A student is exempt from the Biology I or U.S. History assessment if the student is enrolled in an AP, IB or AICE Biology I or U.S. History course and the student takes the respective AP, IB or AICE assessment and earns the minimum score to earn college credit.

Florida Seal of Biliteracy Requirements

  • The Florida Seal of Biliteracy Program is established to recognize a high school graduate who has attained a high level of competency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in one or more foreign languages in addition to English by the award of a silver or gold seal on a standard high school diploma.
  • Beginning with the 2016-2017 school year, The Florida Gold Seal of Biliteracy is awarded to a student who has earned a standard high school diploma and who has satisfied one of the following criteria for eligibility: Has earned four (4) foreign language course credits in the same foreign language with a cumulative 3.0 grade point average or higher on a 4.0 scale and level 4 or higher on the grade 10 English Language Arts (ELA) Florida Standards Assessment (FSA).