ACADEMIC POLICIES
*****FOR THE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL*****
1. Requirements for Graduation
A. BASIC CORE REQUIREMENTS
Theology 2 years of study
English 2 years of study
Social Studies 2 years of study
Math 2 years of study
Science 2 years of study
B. ADDITIONAL NEW YORK STATE REQUIREMENTS
Second Language 1 year of study
Technology Education 1 year of study
The Arts ½ unit in visual arts, ½ unit in Music
Health ½ year of study
Physical Ed 2 years of study
2. New York State 8th Grade Assessments
A. English Language Arts Assessment
B. Social Studies Assessment
C. Math Assessment
D. Science Assessment
*****FOR THE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL*****
1. Requirements For Graduation
In keeping with the educational objectives of CCHS, every student will be expected to
carry a FULL academic schedule each semester. This may vary at the discretion of the
student's school counselor, depending on that student's ability, past performance and
grade level. These differences are listed below:
A. BASIC UNIT REQUIREMENTS
Local Diploma Regents Diploma
Theology 2(4 years) 2(4 years)
English 4 4(regents level or higher)
Social Studies 4 4(regents level or higher)
Mathematics 2 2(regents level or higher)
Science 2 2(regents level or higher)
Second Language 1 3(regents level or higher)
Health ½ ½
Art/Music 1 1
Physical Ed 2(4 years) 2(4 years)
B. SEQUENCE REQUIREMENTS
In addition to the basic required units, students pursuing either a local diploma or a
Regents diploma must complete sequence requirements. A sequence is a concentrated study in
a specific subject area.
Since sequences vary a great deal, it is necessary that student, parent and school
counselor work very closely each year verifying progress in the matter of sequences
required for graduation.
C. ELECTIVES
Elective courses are available in each department and they may vary in their
prerequisites. Students are directed in their choice of elective courses by their school
counselors and by teachers in the respective departments. Some courses listed as electives
are used for the fifth unit in required sequences.
D. REGENTS EXAMS
The NYS Regents Board requires that students demonstrate competency in basic subject areas before a diploma is issued.
Beginning with the Class of 2003, all students must take and pass a Regents exam in
English, Global Studies, American History, Second Language, Math, and Science in order to
graduate. To determine the specific number of required regents exams for a regents diploma
or a regents diploma with advanced designation, students should confer with a counselor.
N.B. Students seeking a Regents endorsement who pursue a 5 unit sequence in art, music, or
occupational education may be exempted from the second language requirement.
E. PROFICIENCY EXAMINATIONS
A NYS Proficiency Exam is given after the completion of the 8th grade foreign language
course. A student must receive a passing grade of 65% on this exam for high school credit
OR take a foreign language course in the 9th grade to satisfy the foreign language
requirement for a diploma. Catholic High students who score 85% or better on the
proficiency exam will be placed in the second level of foreign language for the 9th grade.
It is strongly recommended that all students take three or four years of a foreign
language in order to best prepare for college.
The NYS Proficiency Exam for "Introduction to Occupations" will be given to
all students upon completion of the "Life Skills" business class. A minimum of
65% is required on this exam for the course to qualify for a Business sequence.
2. Course Levels
The following "levels" are used to compute third year and final averages AND
class ranks. Courses are "weighted" according to their level of difficulty:
LEVEL 5 - AP/Advanced
LEVEL 4 - Honors courses
LEVEL 3 - Regents and Regents-level courses
3. Course Selection and Adjustment
Ninth and tenth graders will always have a full schedule because of the graduation requirements. It is strongly recommended that eleventh and twelfth graders carry a schedule of no fewer than 46 class periods plus 8 lunch. Great care should be taken by the student in course selection. IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT ALL STUDENTS TAKE MATH AND SCIENCE ALL FOUR YEARS OF HIGH SCHOOL FOR OPTIMAL COLLEGE PREPARATION. Consultation with teachers, school counselors, and parent/guardian is VERY important. Special attention should be paid to prerequisites, past performance, and teacher recommendations before courses are selected. In May, the master schedule is constructed and the computer scheduling process is begun. Thus, any course change requests after this point cannot be guaranteed since class sections may have already reached the maximum number of students.
UNIVERSITY AT THE HIGH SCHOOL (U @ HS)
The University in the High School Program is under the direction and sponsorship of the University at Albany. The program allows qualified students to earn college credit while still at CCHS. By entering college with previously earned credits, students can hasten their graduation from college or explore a wider range of academic areas during a regular college sequence.
The following U @ HS courses are available at CCHS:
AP English (U @ A)
Semester one: World Literature
Semester two: American Literature
United States History (U @ A)
Semester one: American and Political History I
Semester two: American Political and Social History II
Spanish IV (U @ A)
Intermediate Spanish I
Spanish V (U @ A)
Intermediate Spanish II
AP Physics (U @ A)
Semester one: Physics I
Semester two: Physics II
AP Calculus (U @ A)
Calculus I
School districts which provide textbooks to our students require textbook orders to be placed by June 1. Therefore, course selections must be finalized before this date.