The mission of Amherst Regional High School is to create a dynamic learning community where students and staff work together and where all students are supported and challenged to achieve their full potential in their intellectual, creative, social and civic endeavors. With parent and community participation, staff and students strive to ensure a safe environment and to promote respect and appreciation for the diversity of individuals, cultures and learning styles.

The Amherst Regional Public School system is a founding member of the Minority Student Achievement Network (MSAN), an unprecedented national coalition of multiracial school districts that have come together to study the disparity in achievement between white students and students of color through intensive research. The Network was established to discover, develop, and implement the means to ensure high academic achievement of minority students.

Graduation Requirements

Curriculum

A fully enrolled student at ARHS takes a minimum of 22 credits each year. This includes study in five major academic subject areas plus physical education, health education, or elective courses.

ARHS operates on a trimester system. A typical student schedule includes three core subjects for two trimesters and four core subjects for one trimester plus one or two electives each trimester. In addition to a variety of required and elective courses in the core academic areas of mathematics, sciences, social studies, English, and world languages (5 modern and 1 classical), students can choose from nearly one hundred course opportunities in business education, family and consumer science, computer science, art, technology education, and music and the performing arts. All of these course offerings are college preparatory.

Advanced Placement offerings are available in Calculus (AB & BC), Chinese, French, Latin, Spanish, European History, Biology, Physics, Environmental Science, and English Literature and Composition. Advanced Placement credit in English is awarded after the successful completion of two AP English literature electives. (Students who enroll in two literature classes over the course of their junior and senior years and successfully complete the Advanced Placement Project and Portfolio in both will receive an AP credit designation on their transcript.) At ARHS, the junior/senior English elective titled Journalism is not a production class, but rather a writing class dedicated to improving composition skills.

In Mathematics, ARHS students can choose a traditional course sequence which includes Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and Pre-Calculus/Trigonometry, or the Interactive Mathematics Program (IMP) sequence. IMP courses are organized around central questions or themes and challenge students to solve a variety of routine and non-routine problems that develop mathematical concepts and habits of mind. Both sequences are offered at the college preparatory and honors levels, and both sequences prepare students for the study of calculus.

Alternative Learning Programs (ALP) permit students to propose independent studies or alternative projects to meet individual course and department goals. This work is conducted under the supervision of a faculty advisor and may involve academic activities, volunteer experience, local college courses, vocational exploration, or work experience either on or off campus. Credit is given for these experiences. In addition, a special program has been created in collaboration with Greenfield Community College (GCC). Via the Educational Transitions Program (ETP) a student may be enrolled full-time at GCC and may use those credits to fulfill ARHS graduation requirements. Qualified upper-grade students may also enroll in courses at local colleges (typically Amherst College or the University of Massachusetts/Amherst) to pursue advanced studies. Students are expected to request official transcripts from these colleges to be sent to any post secondary schools to which they are applying.

Students at ARHS are able to extend their learning outside of the classroom into the community. The Senior Year Options Program (SYOP), which includes a monthly seminar, supports students in internships, community service activities or teaching assistantships. A Work Study Program is also available to students. Credit is given for these experiences.

Some Amherst Regional High School students attend in-district alternative programs. These programs (including South Amherst Campus [SAC], East Street Alternative High School [ESAH], and the Center for Diverse Learners [CDL]) are designed for students who benefit from small classes with instruction geared toward individualized learning needs.

Various programs in grades 9-12 permit those students who qualify to:

Test out of a course;
Complete a course early;
Enroll in courses at local colleges;
Take a course by independent study; and/or
Graduate early.

Members of the graduating class of 2010 have been subject to mandated directed study requirements during their years at ARHS. In 2007-08, as sophomores, students were required to register for one directed study among their fifteen blocks of courses in the trimester system. However, many of these students were able to replace the directed study with an elective or Alternative Learning Program. In 2009-10, as seniors, students were required to register for two directed studies among their fifteen blocks. No student has been permitted to enroll in more than thirteen blocks of classes. However, rather than take two blocks of directed study, some seniors have elected to develop a Senior Year Option experience, take a course at a local college, or participate in our Work Study program.

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Instructional Grouping

All academic courses at Amherst Regional High School are college preparatory. Courses designated as Honors are characterized by an accelerated pace, an intensive examination of content, or both. Honors courses demand substantial independent work, extensive use of supplementary materials, and sophisticated analysis and synthesis of information and ideas. Courses designated as Advanced Placement are courses that are similar to Honors courses in level of challenge and expectations but that follow the college-level AP curricula established by the College Board.

Grade Point Averages and Class Rank

An unweighted grade point average is computed for all Amherst Regional High School students. A student’s GPA is calculated at the end of the junior year and at the end of the first trimester senior year. All graded courses taken at Amherst Regional High School are included in these computations with the following exceptions: 1) P.E., 2) certain ALPs, and 3) Special Education courses that are not designated for credit towards graduation. Courses taken outside of ARHS (including college or university courses) are not included in a student’s GPA.

When reporting to colleges, the High School reports a student’s individual unweighted GPA. Amherst Regional High School does not provide individual or decile rankings.

The courses that are included in a grade point average are based on a 4.0 scale.

Awards/Special Distinctions in 2009

Advanced Placement Information

Other Awards/Distinctions

Each year a number of ARHS students receive awards and distinctions in a variety of areas. Examples from the 2008-2009 school year include:

Testing Information

(Includes testing for all students, including English Language Learners and students who have individualized education plans)

SAT Data for the Class of 2009

239 students (83% of the class) took the SAT exam. The middle 50% critical reading score was 510-670 (mean score 585). The middle 50% mathematics score was 500-670 (mean score 585). The middle 50% writing score was 500-660 (mean score 577).

Follow-Up Study of ARHS Graduates

Four Year Colleges and Number of Students Attending For the Class of 2009

Geographical Distribution of Schools and Colleges for the Class of 2009

A	A-	B+	B	B-	C+	C	C-	D+	D	D-	F
4.0	3.7	3.3	3.0	2.7	2.3	2.0	1.7	1.3	1.0	0.7	0.0

Test	Class of 2010	Class of 2009	Class of 2008	Class of 2007	Class of 2006	Class of 2005
National Merit Semifinalists	9	1	3	4	5	2
National Merit Commendations	20	19	25	25	18	22
Percentage of Class Taking PSAT	71	71	67	78	81	79

School	Number of ARHS Students
Albany College of Pharmacy	1
Alfred University	1
American University	1
Amherst College	2
Anna Maria College	1
Arizona State University	1
B Return to top
Bard College	1
Barnard College	2
Beloit College	1
Bennington College	1
Berklee College of Music	1
Boston University	4
Bowdoin College	2
C Return to top
Carleton College	2
Carnegie Mellon University	2
Clark University	5
Cleveland Institute of Art	1
Colby College	1
Colorado College	2
Colorado State University	2
Connecticut College	1
D Return to top
Dartmouth College	1
Drew University	1
E Return to top
Earlham College	1
Eastern Michigan University	1
Emerson College	2
F Return to top
Fordham University	1
G Return to top
George Washington University	1
Gettysburg College	1
Goucher College	1
H Return to top
Hampshire College	1
Harvard College	3
Harvey Mudd College	1
Haverford College	1
Hobart and William Smith Colleges	2
I Return to top
Ithaca College	2
J Return to top
Johnson and Wales University	1
K Return to top
Keene State College	1
Kenyon College	1
L Return to top
Lawrence University	2
Lesley College	1
Lewis & Clark College	1
M Return to top
Macalester College	4
Massachusetts College of Art	1
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts	2
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences	1
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	1
McDaniel College	1
McGill University	1
Mercer University	1
Middlebury College	1
Montana State University - Bozeman	1
Mount Holyoke College	4
Mount Ida College	1
N Return to top
New York University	2
Northeastern University	1
O Return to top
Oberlin College	3
Occidental College	2
Ohio Wesleyan University	1
P Return to top
Pace University	1
Pitzer College	1
Q Return to top
Queen’s University, Ontario	1
Quinnipiac University	2
R Return to top
Regis College	1
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute	1
Roger Williams University	1
S Return to top
Sacred Heart University	1
School of Visual Arts	1
Scripps College	1
Simmons College	1
Skidmore College	1
Smith College	1
Springfield College	1
St. Lawrence University	2
Stanford University	1
SUNY Cortland	1
Swarthmore College	1
Syracuse University	2
T Return to top
Temple University	2
Trinity College - Connecticut	1
Tufts University	6
Tulane University	1
U Return to top
U of Illinois - Urbana - Champaign	1
U. of California - Los Angeles	1
U. of Delaware	1
U. of Hartford	1
U. of Maine - Orono	1
U. of Massachusetts - Amherst	46
U. of Massachusetts - Boston	1
U. of Massachusetts - Lowell	1
U. of Michigan	1
U. of New Mexico	1
U. of Pennsylvania	2
U. of Pittsburgh	1
U. of Redlands	2
U. of Rhode Island	2
U. of San Diego	1
U. of Tampa	1
U. of Vermont	5
U. of Western Ontario	1
Ursinus College	1
V Return to top
Vassar College	2
Virginia Polytechnic Institute	1
W Return to top
Wake Forest University	1
Washington U. in St. Louis	1
Wellesley College	1
Wesleyan University	4
Western Connecticut State University	1
Western New England College	3
Westfield State College	1
Wheaton College	1
Wheelock College	2
Williams College	2
Y Return to top
Yale University	1
Other Postsecondary Schools Return to top
Dean College	1
Greenfield Community College	20
Holyoke Community College	15
Hudson Valley Community College	1
Kingsborough Community College	1
New England Center of Cosmetology	1
Penn Foster Career School	1
Philips Andover Academy	1
Spectrum Beauty Academy	1
Springfield Technical Community College	5
Webb Institute	1

16% enrolled at University of Massachusetts/Amherst.
42% enrolled at other New England colleges and schools
33% enrolled at schools/colleges outside New England.

38% enrolled at public four-year colleges and universities.
62% enrolled at private four-year colleges and universities.

	2009	2008	2007	2006	2005	2004	2003	2002	2001	2000	1999	1998
Number of Graduates	286	285	323	290	322	310	299	345	281	291	297	243
Four-Year Colleges	76%	72%	73%	76%	73%	76%	74%	77%	74%	74%	74%	72%
Two-Year Colleges/Post Secondary Schools	16%	18%	18%	16%	19%	17%	19%	15%	19%	17%	16%	21%
Military	.5%	-0-	0.5%	-0-	0.5%	0.5%	1%	-0-	-0-	-0-	-0-	-0-
Travel	1.5%	1.5%	1.5%	0.5%	1%	-0-	-0-	1%	-0-	1%	-0-	-0-
Employed	6%	8%	7%	7%	6%	6%	6%	6%	7%	6%	9%	7%
Other	0%	.5%	0%	0.5%	0.5%	5%	-0-	1%	-0-	2%	1%	-0-

Profile 2009-2010

Guidance Staff

Community

School