Student Requirements:
A student must earn a minimum of 100 points to graduate from Stamford High School. Each full-year course TAKEN AND PASSED earns a student five points, while semester courses taken and passed earn two and one half points. No credit is earned if a person does not receive a passing mark in that course.
There are core courses that must be TAKEN AND PASSED within the 100-point requirement. These required courses encompass knowledge or activities considered essential for all high school graduates. Required courses are to be TAKEN AND PASSED.
District Required Proficiency on CAPT for Graduation:
Students must achieve proficiency (level 3 or above) in all four of the four CAPT areas (Reading, Writing, Mathematics, and Science).
Alternate Tests/Performance Tasks to Demonstrate CAPT Proficiency:
Alternate tests/performance tasks to demonstrate CAPT proficiency are described in "High School Graduation Requirements in Reading, Writing, Mathematics, and Science" located in the last section of the Program of Studies.
Graduation Requirements and Special Populations:
• Students who enter the Stamford Public Schools with less than 18 months of school remaining are required to meet the requirements of the alternate national standardized assessment(s) or one of the district performance tasks, as set forth in “High School Graduation Requirements in Reading, Writing, Mathematics, and Science,” located in the last section of the Program of Studies.
• Students who qualify for the ESL or Bilingual programs must meet the Graduation Requirements on the same terms and conditions as the rest of the students, although they may proceed through the curriculum at a slower pace. ESL students will learn the skills needed to pass CAPT, the alternate national standardized assessments, and the district performance tasks in their English as
Second Language classes. Bilingual students will learn the skills needed to pass CAPT, the alternate national standardized assessments, and the district performance tasks in their Bilingual classes.
• Requirements for Special Education students will be determined by the IEP.
Marking System
The teacher has the responsibility for determining: 1) the extent to which the entire class has achieved success in relationship to a reasonable and challenging standard of accomplishment and 2) how well each individual student has achieved in relationship to the achievemnet of the other members of the class.
Class Rank
Each student receives two class ranks: unweighted and weighted. The unweighted rank is computed by using the grade point average of the final marks earned by each student in all subjects except those on P (Pass) / F (Fail), physical education, and independent study taken in grades 9-12. The weighted rank is calculated by adding the following values to the unweighted grade point average: .05 weight for each honors class and .07 for each Advanced Placement course. Rank is computed at the end of the junior year. Only students who have attended district high school for four semesters are included in the class rank. In the Class of 2008, 406 are included in the ranking system out of an enrollment of 444 in the class.
Course Selection Process
In early February students in grades 9, 10, and 11 receive from their guidance counselor a Program of Studies booklet along with a course selection sheet. At this time, the counselor will advise students on the necessary requirements for the next school year. Students have a week or two to review the booklet and to discuss their selection of courses for the upcoming year with their parents. They should also seek input and recommendations from their present teachers on courses for the following school year. Students will then meet individually with their counselor to finalize the process. Parents are encouraged to contact their child's counselor if they have any questions. Care should be taken in the selection of courses. Schedule changes are not always possible at a later time because of increased student enrollment.
During the summer your child will receive a confirmation of his or her course selections. If there are any errors, please contact the guidance office a this time. Any counselor will be able to assist you. Schedule changes are not made after the start of school in September.