Upper Moreland High School
Blue Ribbon High School of Distinction

Program of Studies
2008-2009

This Course Catalog is a valuable reference for students, parents, and school personnel actively involved in program planning at Upper Moreland High School.  It is a complete guide to the course offerings at UMHS for the 2008-2009 school year and is used thoughout the scheduling process.   

The next step in the process involves individual appointments with the counselors and the students and their families.  Parents are encouraged to notify the counselors if you are unable to keep the scheduled appointments and re-schedule a more convenient time.  The course selection process requires thoughtful consideration as the course selections are considered firm decisions which reflect course requirements, special interests and future career plans. 

At this same time course selection sheets are distributed to the students’ current academic teachers to begin making recommendations for next year’s selections.  The students’ electives and agreed upon course of study is the foundation for the students official roster which will be finalized over the next few months.  Students are asked to request the required courses they need depending on their class status, special interests or career plans as well as physical education, health and electives.  Usually the counselors ask the students to identify alternatives to their primary electives in the event that conflicts and excessive requests limit the availability of the first choice.  Final course requests are mailed to the students once the process is complete and final schedules are mailed prior to the beginning of the next school year.

Eighth grade students in our Middle School participate in a similar process.  The administrators and counselors from the high school go to the middle school and meet with the 8th grade academic teachers, administrators and counseling staff to describe the course selection process and to explain any changes or additions to high school programming relevant to the process.  Eighth grade academic teachers are given a recommendation sheet and asked to recommend placements for students in the core academic classes according to the students’ abilites, effort and interests.  Both Algebra I and levels I and II World Language courses have identified prerequisite skills for continued advancement.  When relevant, proof of these skills must accompany these recommendations. 

This same combined group of high school and middle school personnel meets with the eighth grade students as a group to distribute a hard copy of the Course Catalog and to review the scheduling process.   Students are encouraged to review the document with their parents prior to the Course Selection Night at the High School in mid-January.  During this evening, the scheduling process is explained to the students and their families including the graduation requirements, course sequencing, leveling and grading.  Upon request, middle school parents and their students can schedule an appointment to meet with their counselor at the high school.  Just as with other high school students, the incoming freshmen receive a copy of their course requests and a final schedule prior to the beginning of school.

Families new to the district or current residents transferring into our high school from private  placements meet with a  counselor duirng the summer months to develop their student’s planned course of study.  When possible, every attempt will be made to involve the assigned counselor.  New enrollees are expected to bring academic records including grade reports and standardized testing results to asssit counselors in making the best choices for these students.

Definition of Academic Levels

Upper Moreland High School offers classroom instruction on various levels with different academic expectations. Students are grouped by level in Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies and Science classes. Instructional levels are assigned on the basis of teacher recommendation, academic record, standardized test scores, student motivation, and interest.

The academic level categories are as follows:

• Advanced Placement (AP): The most academically demanding course level possible.  Successful completion of the course may eventually lead to college credit.  Enrollment is highly selective and an additional 10% weighted credit is applied.  Students are encouraged to take the related AP examination in May.
• Honors (H): Honors courses require a high level of academic maturity, interest, ability, reading and study skills.  The pace is rigorous, and enrollment is highly selective. An additional 10% weighted credit is applied.
• College Preparatory (CP): College preparatory courses that have higher academic demands and requirements than those that offer a core academic curriculum.
• Academic: Courses that provide students with the core academic curriculum.

Determining Credit Value
Courses that meet for one period each day, five days per week, for the entire year have a value of one (1) credit. Courses that meet for one period each day, five days per week, for one semester have a value of one-half  (.5) credit. PE and Health meet every other day all year and receive .5 credits each.

Grade Reporting Process
Report cards are issued on a quarterly basis and are based on classwork, assignments, and examinations.  Each quarter represents 20 % of the final grade with the midterm exam and the final exam each representing 10 %.   AP and Honors level courses will be increased by 10% in order to compute class rank and honor roll.
The marking scale is:

90-100    = A
80-89      = B
70-79      = C
60-69      = D
≤   59      = F
P             = Withdrawn passing
WF         = Withdrawn failing
I             = Incomplete

Make Up for Failing A Course – Remedial Summer School/Tutoring
Upper Moreland High School does not conduct a comprehensive summer school program.  Students who fail a course may take credit courses at a pre-approved school or through a private appropriately certified tutor. Any student receiving a final grade of "F" and having a final percentage grade between 40 and 59 may earn credit through remediation. Students falling into this category must attend 60 hours of Summer School or 30 hours of individual tutoring.

Original Credit Summer School
Students interested in gaining original credit in a summer school course for purposes of remediation or enrichment must attend 120 hours of Summer School or 60 hours of individual tutoring.

Grade Transfer Procedures for Courses Added or Dropped
Student generated changes involving course selection have a critical impact on staffing, scheduling and instructional delivery and therefore will only be done when it is absolutely necessay.  Students and parents have multiple opportunities to meet with the guidance counselor and discuss their students plans from the beginning of this process through the end of the summer break.  The actual drop/add period is continued from the spring of the previous year through the summer and into the beginning of the new school year until the completion of the third full week of school. During this drop/add period, any student who is moved from course to course, level to level, or teacher to teacher will not carry the grades from the dropped course into the added course. After the first marking period, if a student is moved from level to level within the same course or from one course to a different course, that student’s transcript will indicate a Withdraw Passing (WP) or Withdraw Failing (WF) for the dropped course. The student will not carry the posted grade into the added course and a No Grade(NG) will be indicated for the first marking period. The remaining marking period grades will be assessed accordingly. For all 12th grade students, all schedule changes will be reported immediately to all colleges to which they applied.

Scheduling Requirements Per Day
The minimum number of course periods per day and the maximum number of open periods per day into which a student must be scheduled are as follows:

Students Planning to Participate in College Athletics
High school students who plan to participate in Division I or Division II athletics as college freshmen must be certified by the NCAA.  These students should start the NCAA Eligibility Clearinghouse certification process on line at the end of their junior year in high school.  For more information on NCAA eligibility requirements, contact your Counselor, the Director of Athletics or visit the NCAA Clearinghouse Website at www.ncaa.org

Minimum Scheduling Requirements for 2008-2009

Requirements for Graduation

To earn a Pennsylvania endorsed high school diploma from Upper Moreland High School a student must fulfill the following minimal requirements:

• Satisfy one of the following School District of Upper Moreland PSSA requirements:
• Score “Proficient” or above on Reading and Mathematics at the first administration of the PSSA
• Take the UMHS PSSA course in Reading and/or Mathematics and score “Proficient” or above on the District designed PSSA
• Complete and pass the UMHS PSSA course in Reading and/or Mathematics.

* Includes World Languages courses (2 or more years of the same language taken at the high school are strongly recommended for all college bound students).

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