Students are required to earn sixteen (16) English credits for graduation. At least four (4) credits in Writing and Literature A & B, six (6) additional credits in literature, and two (2) credits in oral communication are required. Special Education students must satisfy these requirements for graduation unless the individual education plan specifies an exemption in advance. Course offerings for each grade level are listed below. Students must be enrolled in English at least two trimesters each year but may not enroll in more than one English course per trimester except by permission of the Department Head and the Assistant Principal.
Students begin the high school English program by completing a two-part writing and literature course during ninth grade. In tenth grade, Literature as Social Criticism and Oral Communication are required. These courses provide students with intensive practice in the fundamentals of writing and with exposure to a variety of literary forms: poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction. Oral Communication stresses the improvement of speaking and listening skills. The ninth- and tenth-grade sequence, then, is:
A combined English/social studies course, American Studies, is available in some years, but not in 2008-2009, as an alternative to the tenth-grade sequence. This course fulfills the Literature as Social Criticism, Oral Communication, and U.S. History requirements. Students must successfully complete the ninth- and tenth-grade program before enrolling in eleventh- and twelfth-grade elective courses.
The broad range of courses offered by the English Department is intended to satisfy a variety of interests. However, it is important that students choose from among them with care to ensure that they will have completed a balanced program by the time they graduate. To guide this selection, the department offers the following suggestions:
NOTE: All English courses are ungrouped. Students who wish to pursue English studies beyond the basic requirements may do so through the honors portfolio process (see below).
The Reading Department offers five courses at the high school for general credit for students who need additional instruction and practice in reading skills:
All students in English classes will engage in a program of portfolio assessment. A portfolio is a compilation of exemplary work derived from class assignments. Students assemble a portfolio and reflect on their learning during each trimester English course.The student’s teacher will review the portfolio at the end of each trimester and the accompanying comments will detail the student’s progress.
Students who wish to engage in advanced, intensive study in English may wish to do so through the honors project option. The honors project includes the course portfolio assignments and a guided independent study. In the ninth and tenth grades, the honors project extends over two trimesters. Eleventh and twelfth grade honors projects reflect the content of the specific trimester elective course. These honors projects are reviewed at the end of each trimester. Students at all grade levels whose projects do not meet established standards may revise their work and resubmit. However, in order to receive an honors designation on the transcript, a student must maintain a B- or better average in their English courses. At the beginning of eachcourse, students receive information describing the course portfolio and honors project in more detail.
The English department’s 11/12 literature electives challenge students to examine texts through the multiple lenses of literary criticism. Each course syllabus includes works of literature from the suggested reading list provided by the College Board forAdvanced Placement courses in literature. Students in these classes can pursue AP projects through substantial independent work as literary critics with selected texts. Students who enroll in two literature classes over the course of their junior and senior years and successfully complete an Advanced Placement Project in both will receive AP credit on their transcripts. The equivalent of one full year [or two trimesters] of AP work is required to meet College Board Advanced Placement standards. Students who choose only one of the literature electives in the 11th or 12th grades can receive honors credit for the successful completion of a single AP project. An AP project is not required for students who have successfully completed two AP projects and enroll in a third literature course during the 11th and 12th grade.
Additionally, two specifically designated AP literature courses are offered each year. One course in Surveys of American Literature and one course in Surveys of World Literature will be offered on a rotating basis.
All literature courses are offered with an AP option:
Students interested in pursuing ALPs in English should begin planning well in advance. The deadlines for the submission and approval of ALP contracts are the end of the first full week of school (for fall ALPs), the end of the first trimester (for winter ALPs), the end of the second trimester (for spring ALPs), and the last week of school (for summer ALPs). Please Note: English Department deadlines for ALPS forms are earlier than those set by the Assistant Principal. Each ALP contract must be completed in advance, reviewed by the English Department Head to guarantee that it meets curriculum standards, and signed by the English Department Head and the Assistant Principal. Credit will not be granted retroactively.
Only one ALP course (i.e., two credits) may be applied to the sixteen-credit English graduation requirement. However a student may petition the department to be allowed to take a second ALP as a part of the sixteen credits. Of course, students may pursue additional ALPs in the field of English for general credit if they desire. Students may enroll in college courses for English credit if comparable courses are not offered at the high school. Students taking college courses as English ALPs will meet periodically with the Department Head to report on their progress and present their course portfolio.
Eleventh- and twelfth-grade electives in English build on the skills and experiences acquired in the ninth- and tenth-grade courses. Therefore, students who fail these courses must fill the course requirements in one of the following ways:
Students who fail eleventh- or twelfth-grade elective courses must fill the course requirements in one of the following ways:
Students entering Amherst Regional High School during their ninth- or tenth-grade year will complete a reading and writing placement form with their guidance counselor. The English Department Head will review the placement form and determine the appropriate placement of each student after a brief interview.
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