Decatur High School Presentation to Parents and Students of the Class of 2018 March 31, 2014

Decatur High School Contacts Jason Cochran—Principal Sheila McCollum—Assistant Principal, Students A-G Steven Valkenaar—Assistant Principal, Students H-N Cindy Bauter—Assistant Principal, Students O-Z Neal Hall—Counselor, Students A-L Paige Liggett—Counselor, Students M-Z Rene’ Fuller—STAAR/ACT/SAT, College & Career Readiness

High School Bell Schedule ThursdayTutorials—7:30 2 nd 8:00-9:30 4 th 9:35-11:10 6 th 11:15-12:45 Lunch 12:45-1:30 8 th 1:35-3:05 FridayTutorials—7:30 1 st 8:00-9:30 3 rd 9:35-11:10 5 th 11:15-12:45 Lunch 12:45-1:30 7 th 1:35-3:05 Students will be able to earn 8 credits each year. Mon/Tues/WedTutorials—7:30 1 st 8:00-8:48 2 nd 8:52-9:40 3 rd 9:44-10:32 4 th 10:36-11:27 5 th 11:31-12:19 Lunch 12:19-12:58 6 th 1:03-1:52 7 th 1:56-2:44 8 th 2:48-3:35

Legislation passed by the 83rd Legislature that relates to high school graduation Contains new graduation requirements and expectations for students Reduces the number of state end of course assessments required for high school students to graduate What is House Bill 5?

The Plan for the Class of 2018 All students will begin on the Multidisciplinary Endorsement with a generic 4-year plan. During student’s freshman year, counselors will have a mandatory meeting with student and parent to finalize student’s graduation plan and anticipated courses. Parent signature will be obtained at this meeting to comply with state law. We recommend that all students complete requirements for the Distinguished Level of Achievement (qualifies student for Top 10% and automatic admission), which includes earning at least one endorsement and successful completion of Algebra 2.

DHS Requirements for Multidisciplinary Endorsement with Distinguished Level of Achievement 26 Total Credits English 1, 2, 3, & 4 Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, 4 th Math Biology, Chemistry, Physics, 4 th Science World Geography, World History, US History, Government/Economics 2 credits of Spanish 1 PE credit 1 Fine Art credit 6 elective credits

Performance Acknowledgements Students may earn Performance Acknowledgements for outstanding performance in the following areas: AP, PSAT, ACT-Plan, SAT, ACT Exams Bilingualism and Biliteracy Dual Credit Courses Nationally or internationally recognized business or industry certification or license Performance Acknowledgements are like Advanced Measures from the previous Distinguished Plan, and students will be required to submit documentation to have them included on transcript and diploma.

End of Course Exams In addition to completing required courses, students must also meet passing standards for the following state assessments: English I (Reading/Writing combined) English I (Reading/Writing combined) English II (Reading/Writing combined) English II (Reading/Writing combined) Algebra I Algebra I Biology Biology US History US History

Notes on Graduation Requirements The Texas Education Agency is in the process of publishing the new graduation requirements. To access the latest information, please visit the TEA website at

Scheduling Procedures 8 th graders will complete freshman year course requests with guidance from counselors on April 3 rd, 4 th, 10 th, and 11 th. The courses you write down that day will be entered in Skyward by counselors, so PLEASE TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY. The master schedule is generated from these requests, so changes to your schedule after requests have been processed are seldom approved. IN OTHER WORDS, THE COURSES YOU WRITE DOWN ON THAT DAY ARE THE COURSES YOU WILL BE TAKING YOUR FRESHMAN YEAR.

When scheduling has been completed, you will be able to view your schedule on Skyward Family Access. All requests to change your schedule must be made by Thursday, August 7 th. Only LEGITIMATE requests will be considered. (Requests from students and/or parents for a specific teacher will NOT be considered.) Administrative changes to schedules may occur up until the first day of school, so please check Skyward for the most current schedule. All changes are subject to review/approval by principals and are dependent upon class size and other factors.

Freshman Electives BIM (Business Information Management) DIM (Digital and Interactive Media) Art 1 Theater 1 Journalism (pre-req for Newspaper and Yearbook) Band Jazz Band (must also be in Band and approved by Band Director) Choir Show Choir (must also be in Choir and approved by Choir Director) ENRT (Energy and Natural Resources Technology—intro to Ag and Auto Tech) Drill Team (must be on team) Cheerleading (must be on team) PE or Athletics

Athletics The following sports currently have an athletic period during the school day: FootballSoftball VolleyballBaseball BasketballSwimming Cross Country All other sports are offered outside the school day. Talk to your coach prior to the start of the season if you plan to earn PE credit through an outside sport.

Designation of Courses for Class Ranking Beginning with the freshman class of , the only courses that count in GPA are core academic courses and Spanish, which are listed in the Course Description Handbook. If a course is not listed in the 4 or 5 point chart, it does not factor into GPA. For the freshman class of only, Algebra 1 and Spanish 1 will NOT count in GPA whether taken in middle school or high school. More detailed information can be accessed from the Course Description Handbook posted on the DHS website under “Campus Information” and “Counseling Center.”

5 Point Classes Algebra II HonorsEnglish III & IV APUS Government AP Biology Pre-APEnglish III & IV (Dual)US Government (Dual) Biology APGeometry HonorsUS History AP (Dual) Calculus AB APPhysics Pre-APW. Geography Honors Chemistry HonorsPhysics 1 APW. History Honors College Algebra (Dual)Pre Calculus Pre-APAny other courses designated in Course Description Book Economics HonorsSpanish 3, 4, 5 Honors English I & II Pre-APTrigonometry (Dual)

Advanced Courses Honors and Pre-AP courses are extremely rigorous and require additional work both in and out of class. Do not sign up for these courses unless you are highly committed and motivated to complete the additional work at an advanced level. If your grade is less than 70 at 3 weeks or 6 weeks, you will be moved to a regular class. If your grade is less than 75 at semester, you will be moved to a regular class.

4 Point Classes Academic Core Courses – Mod/Alt English I, II, III, IVPre-Calculus Algebra I & IIGeometrySpanish I, II Anatomy and PhysiologyIntegrated Physics & Chemistry Statistics & Risk Management Environmental SystemsMath ModelsUS History BiologyPhysicsW. Geography (required elective) ChemistryW. History Economics/US GovernmentBeginning with the th grade class, ANY Course that counts in GPA at HS will count in GPA no matter where/how/when it was taken (CBE, correspondence, summer school, middle school, etc.) Any Other Courses Designated to Be Used as Core Academic Courses (will be updated yearly in Course Description Book)

Weighted GPA System SCALEAP, Dual, Honors & PAP Regular A A A B B B C C C *0-69 F0.00

Fish Camp Will be held in August just prior to beginning of the school year. Detailed information will be disseminated to parents in July.

Accessing Information Skyward Family Access Student Gaggle Announcements are updated daily on the Decatur High School website (accessed via drop down menu from the DISD main website).

Contact Information A-L: M-Z: STAAR/ACT/SAT, College/Career: Main campus number:

All information can be accessed on our website: Select a School: Decatur High School Campus Information Counseling Center All information can be accessed on our website: Select a School: Decatur High School Campus Information

What should I do now? Talk with your student about what courses he/she should take next year Regular or Honors? Choose electives Choose at least one alternate Check requests in Skyward and inform counselor if there is a mistake (announcement will be made when requests are ready to view) Attend meeting with counselor during student’s freshman year