Certain courses are recommended for entrances to colleges. However, requirements for individual institutions and programs within institutions will vary. It is wise to check with colleges you are considering as well as discussing your plans with your high school counselor.

Adequate preparation can vary, however it is required to include the following minimums:

Core Courses:

(As a note, science, medicine, and technical programs usually require more than three years of mathematics and science.)

• Language Arts - Four Years


• Mathematics - Three Years


• Science - Three Years


• Social Studies - Four Years


• World Language - Two Years

Honors Courses:

In order for a student to choose an Honors level course in Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies and Science the following prerequisites must be met:

A) For students currently enrolled in an Honors course: Teacher recommendation takes precedence. However, a student should have earned at least a "B" in his/her current Honors course.

or

B) For students to move up from Academic to Honors: Teacher recommendation takes precedence. However, a student who has earned an "A" in his/her current course will be considered. Please Note: Other Honors courses may have additional prerequisites.

AP Courses:

Springfield Township High School offers college level courses given as part of the program. They provide a challenging alternative for the academically able student since they demand college level work. A nationwide examination is given at the end of each course. Success in those examinations often leads to advanced standing in college. Students enrolled in AP classes are required to take the AP exam. Sufficient enrollment will determine which AP courses are offered in a given year.

• Art - AP Studio Art


• Business & Technology - AP Computer Science


• Language Arts - AP English 12


• Mathematics - AP Calculus and AP Statistics


• Music - AP Music Theory


• Science - AP Biology, AP Environmental Science, and AP Physics


• Social Studies - AP United States History and AP Psychology


• World Language - AP French and AP Spanish and AP German

Students may take college courses for credit toward meeting graduation requirements according to the following guidelines:

• Computer Science - Eastern Center/Penn State Course (6 credits)


• Engineering - Eastern Center/Penn State Course (6 credits)


• Accounting - Eastern Center/Penn State Course (8 credits)

The three highly competitive courses are taught by Penn State professors for Penn State credit.

The Eastern Center for Arts & Technology offers 14 other courses for students that want to apply what they have learned. Students can get entry level skills in trade and technical careers or continue their education for college. Taking a program at EASTERN will not stop a student from going to college.

A complete course guide is provided in this booklet in the section entitled Eastern Center for Arts and Technology.

Students may take college courses for credit toward meeting graduation requirements according to the following guidelines:

• A college course cannot replace a required course.


• Students cannot earn more than 8 credits for GPA and class rank purposes in an academic year (including summer). The combined total of regular classes and college classes cannot exceed 8 credits.


• Students are responsible for all tuition, fees and textbook costs for any college courses.


• A college course taken as remediation will receive academic course weighting.


• Students must receive pre-approval to receive college course credit toward meeting graduation requirements.

A system of weighted grades for honors and A.P. courses will be in place according to the following table:

Grade	Academics	Honors	AP
A	4.0	4.5	5.0
B+	3.5	4.0	4.5
B	3.0	3.5	4.0
C+	2.5	3.0	3.5
C	2.0	2.5	3.0
D	1.0	1.0	1.0

Students getting an "F" in a class will receive no credit for that class.

The value of a student's letter grade is weighted as shown above. Both GPA and class rank are weighted.

Class rank is determined using "quality points," which refers to the numeric value of a ltter grade times the credit value of the course. Cumulative class rank is determined by adding all quality points earned each year beginning with ninth grade. The final class rank of graduating seniors for college application/scholarship consideration will be calculated at the end of Junior year.

The cumulative GPA is calculated by dividing the total numeric value of letter grades by the number of credits attempted, beginning with ninth grade.

Courses included in class rank are those taken during the school day and may include college courses and VHS (virtual High School) courses. Eight is the maximum number of credits that can be applied to class rank each year. Band and Chorus that meet prior to the school day are not included in class rank but are part of the GPA.

Students who pass a Pass/Fail course receive two quality points for the purpose of calculating class rank. Pass/Fail courses are not used when calculating GPA.

Carrying a maximum course load of eight credits will increase the number of quality points earned and have a direct impact on class rank.