General Information

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) specifies rights related to educational records. The act gives parents, legal guardians or eligible students the rights to: 1. inspect and review their child’s educational records; 2. make copies of these records; 3. receive a list of all individuals having access to those records; 4. ask for an explanation of any item in the records; 5. ask for an amendment to any report on the grounds that it is inaccurate, misleading or violated the child’s rights; and 6. a hearing on the issue if the school refuses to make an amendment. Any alleged violation should be reported to Section 504 Coordinator Christopher O’Neil at 315.266.3240

Grade placement is determined by the number of credits completed as follows:

• To enter grade 10:  5.5 units of credits prior to September
• To enter grade 11: 11 units of credit prior to September
• To enter grade 12: 16 units of credit or the ability to project graduation in June

Course selection takes place at the beginning of the second semester. Counselors meet with students to review completed course work and graduation requirements. Parents are encouraged to participate in the process. Parents are notified via mail regarding their child’s course selections. Courses will be offered pending sufficient enrollment and availability of staff. Students are strongly advised to carefully consider their choices at course selection time. All students enrolled at Whitesboro High School must be full-time students. A full-time student is one who is enrolled in at least six courses plus physical education each semester. Repeating seniors will be permitted to enroll in fewer than six courses, provided fewer than six courses are needed to complete graduation requirements.

Adding Courses
A student may add a course or courses to their schedule within the first week of a semester course or within the first two weeks of a full-year course. Any additions after the stipulated time frame must have the approval of the instructor and the school counselor.

Dropping Courses
All students in grades 9-12 must take a minimum of six courses plus physical education each semester. Students who wish to drop a course from their schedule must complete an add/drop form within the first two weeks of the semester. If a drop is requested within the third through fifth week of school, an add/drop form must be completed and a meeting with the teacher of the course to be dropped and the parent/guardian is required. If the course is dropped, a “W” (withdrawal) will appear on the student’s transcript for that course and a letter acknowledging the possible ramifications in regards to college acceptance must be signed by the parent if warranted. Requests for a course to be dropped after five weeks will only be considered in the most extreme and unusual circumstances.

Course Change
A student’s progress in their courses is constantly monitored to ensure that they are properly placed. Students are encouraged to take the most challenging course possible. If it is determined that a student is not properly placed in a full-year course, the student may change to an equivalent course. The change must be initiated within the first 10 week marking period. Any extenuating circumstances will be reviewed by the Director of Pupil Personnel Services and/or the Principal.

Schedule Changes
Schedule changes are to be made prior to the beginning of the school year and must have an academic basis for a change. After student schedules are distributed, student/parent requests to change courses for the following reasons will not be honored:

• To have a different teacher (unless the student had the teacher previously)
• To accommodate a job commitment/convenience
• To change a study hall period or location
• To change a lunch period
• To change classes to be with friends
   

Schedule change requests are only approved for the following reasons:

• Computer error
• Incorrect course level
• Course omitted – i.e. drop SH/add course
• Changes resulting from pass/fail in summer school or passing/failing the previous school year

If a prolonged absence due to a short-term physical, mental, or emotional illness is anticipated, the student’s parent should contact the school counselor to request homebound instruction. According to the State Education Department, an absence of at least 10 days is considered a prolonged absence. Written verification from a licensed physician or licensed psychologist regarding the need for home instruction is required, as well as a signed HIPAA form giving consent to the School Physician to contact the student’s physician in determining whether homebound instruction is warranted.

Students in the Whitesboro Central School District shall be eligible to enroll in the BOCES summer school subject to the conditions of this policy.

It shall be the intent of the Whitesboro Central School District to allow student participation if a student in grades 6-12 earns a failing final grade in a core course and/or a course required
for graduation. For a student to be eligible to attend, he or she must have attained a grade of 50 percent or higher and been in attendance in the class he or she is repeating a minimum of
90 percent. (Can miss no more than 18 days.) Any exception to this eligibility criteria, i.e., long-term documented health issues, needs to be reviewed and approved by the building principal or Director of Pupil Personnel Services.

Students with academic deficiency(ies) will be eligible to participate in the BOCES summer school. No student will be admitted to summer school for the purposes of acceleration, pursuit of additional credits/courses not required for graduation and/or driver education.

It is directed that students participating in the BOCES summer school, under the auspices of the Whitesboro Central School District, shall be made aware of, and agree to abide by, all rules and regulations of this policy and the summer school, including those rules/regulations of any school district, which may be operating the summer school at their site(s) under the direction of the OHM BOCES.

1. The Whitesboro Central School District will not provide transportation either to or from summer school. Transportation will be the exclusive responsibility of the respective student’s parent / guardian.
    
2. Students will follow all rules and regulations of the summer school, including academic, attendance, and behavioral regulations.
    
3. A student desiring enrollment in the summer school must submit a completed summer school application by the specified deadline.

A. Tutoring is for those students who, due to hardship circumstances, cannot attend summer school and who cannot pass a course by raising the final exam grade. For a student to be eligible to participate in this option, he or she must have attained a grade of 50 percent or higher and been in attendance in the class he or she is repeating a minimum of 90 percent. (Can miss no more than 18 days.) Any exception to this eligibility criteria, i.e., long-term documented health issues, needs to be reviewed and approved by the building principal. Circumstances will be reviewed by the building principal who must approve prior to the beginning of the tutoring sessions. This is to be implemented during the summer school time frame, in July and August.

1. Thirty hours of instruction are necessary.
    
2. Instruction must be provided by a teacher certified in the content area. A copy of the certification must be presented to the principal prior to the approval of the tutoring sessions.
    
3. The cost of instruction shall be the responsibility of the student and/or parent.
    
4. It shall be the responsibility of the instructor to develop homework assignments, quizzes, and exams. The local final exam shall be an exam prepared by the appropriate high school department, i.e., English, Social Studies, etc. It will be administered at Whitesboro High School by Whitesboro High School staff. A Regents exam, where offered, shall be the final exam for that course.
    
5. The course outline that is followed by the high school staff in teaching the course(s) shall be  followed.
    
6. A completed time sheet, including dates and time of instruction, is to be presented to the Director of Pupil Personnel Services prior to the administration of the examination.
    
7. Review by Principal or Director of Pupil Personnel Services is required prior to receipt of transcript credit.

Pursuant to CR 100.5 (d) (2) (1) (b), a Whitesboro High School student may obtain a unit of credit in art and/or music by participating, only in exceptional situations, in an advanced,
out-of-school art or music activity.

1. A unit of credit for such participation will be awarded if:
   
   1. the participation is equivalent to a unit of study (one-half unit of credit will be awarded if the participation is equivalent to one-half unit of study);
   
   2. a course outline clearly delineating the content of the advanced course has been reviewed and approved by the student’s art or music teacher and/or the district’s art or music coordinator and the high school principal;
   
   3. the nature of the participation is consistent with the goals and objectives of the art and/or music program at Whitesboro High School;
   
   4. the awarding of credit is recommended and approved by the student’s art or music teacher and/or the district’s art or music department chairperson and the high school principal.
    
2. The unit of credit will not be awarded toward the total unit of credit necessary for completion of the student’s primary sequence(s) when the requirements necessary to the primary sequence can be acquired through course offerings at Whitesboro High School. The unit of credit may be used as a part of a secondary sequence(s) or as a part of the minimum total of elective credits required for graduation.

A student may earn up to a maximum of 6 1/2 units of credit for courses without completing units of study provided that the student meets each of the following criteria for challenging:

1. Based on a review of the student’s past academic performance, the Superintendent of Schools or his/her designee must determine that the student will benefit academically by exercising this challenging alternative.
    
2. The student must achieve a score of at least 85 percent on the written examination.
    
3. The student must pass an oral examination or must successfully complete a special project to demonstrate proficiency in the area of study, as determined by the building principal.
    
4. A student’s special project for a Regents level science course must demonstrate proficiency in a range of inquiry or laboratory (field) experiences that are at least equal to skills acquired by students pursuing regular instruction.
    
5. The student must attend Whitesboro High School or have received substantially equivalent instruction elsewhere, as determined by the Superintendent of Schools, in accordance with sections 3204 and 3205 of the Education Law, until the age of 16.

Requirements for Challenging:

1. The student may not challenge a course in which he/she is currently enrolled.
    
2. The student must not have previously attempted a challenge of the particular course.
    
3. The student has achieved scores of 80 percent or higher on final examinations in a majority of his/her courses, as well as school final averages of 80 percent or higher in the majority of his/her courses; or the student has earned a school final average of at least 85 percent in the two most recently completed courses in the same subject area as the course being challenged, if applicable.
    
4. The student’s application for credit through the challenge process has been approved by his/her parent or guardian, school counselor, appropriate department chairperson and building principal.
    

Challenging Procedures:

1. The process is to be student initiated and is to be considered an independent venture on the student’s part. Teachers may assist in this venture.
    
2. An application form (pages 35-36) is to be filed with the school counselor’s office. A minimum of five school days will be required to process and review an application. Project approval is to be received no later than 60 school days prior to the administration of the written examination.
    
3. A pre-test may be administered following the filing of the application to assess student baseline achievement in that subject area.
    
4. The special project or oral examination to demonstrate proficiency in the subject matter must be submitted to the principal, or in the case of an oral examination, taken no later than 20 school days prior to the written challenge evaluated by a committee to include the principal, respective chairperson, and a third person agreed to by the principal and chairperson.
    
5. The challenge examination will be administered during the regularly scheduled final examination for the course being challenged, as agreed to by the principal, respective department chairperson, and the student.
    
6. To be admitted to the challenge examination, the student must have completed all requirements.

• English 9
• English 10
• English 11
• Global History 9
• Earth Science

1. Student Information (“What to Expect”): Regular honors courses (non – AP) help to meet the needs of accelerated students. Honors classes offer the same foundational curriculum that non-honors classes provide, but overall, are more challenging, faster-paced, and include a more in-depth study of course topics. Students can expect a variety of ancillary readings, activities, and assessments; an engagement in higher-level thinking and discussions that span across academic disciplines.
    
2. Honors Program Philosophy: Whitesboro High School offers English, Science and Social Studies honors courses that are open to academically inquisitive and self motivated students who are genuinely interested in a deeper exploration of the specific course content than the regular curriculum offers. Additionally, honors coursework challenges students to develop and maintain strong work ethics, organization, time management, and study skills. It is the purpose of the Whitesboro Honors Program to prepare students for success in AP coursework.
    
3. Course Placement Decision: If it is decided that a student’s needs would best be met in a non-honors class, the level of success in that class would be a consideration in the student’s application for the Honors Program at the next level the following year.

Selection Process:
Students qualify for honors classes based on their final school average at the end of eighth grade in the corresponding courses. Students selected for Honors English 9 and Honors Global History 9 must take both honors courses. Qualifying students will receive a letter via mail in July. If interested in participating in honors classes, students must return the form that was mailed. Students must have been enrolled in and passed Living Environment in eighth grade in order to take Earth Science Honors.

Philosophy:
It is our belief at Whitesboro High School that our students need to be challenged academically to match their abilities. To that end, we desire to offer to our higher ability students as wide a selection of Advanced Placement courses as possible with the opportunity to earn college credit. These offerings are, of course, dependent on student interest, actual class enrollment, and available staff. AP exam scores will be part of the student's permanent transcript.

Whitesboro High School is one of the area schools to offer the national Project Lead the Way pre-engineering education program. This project is a partnership between schools, colleges, universities, and the private sector that seeks to increase the number of qualified high school students who complete a two- or four-year college program in engineering or engineering technology.

Mohawk Valley Community College, Tompkins County Community College and Herkimer County Community College’s Dual-Credit Programs are a community service offered to area high school students enabling them to earn advanced standing or college credit for college classes attended in their own high school. Students typically enroll in 100-200 level college courses taught by qualified high school teachers who have been pre-approved by MVCC, TCCC, or HCCC as adjunct instructors. Courses are identical to those offered on the respective campuses. All schoolwork, however, is done in the high school setting during the routine school day.

This unique program provides students the opportunity to earn both college and high school credit for the same course. Dual-credit has become widely recognized as a unique way of enhancing the typical high school experience, offering motivated students a larger course selection, a manageable transition to college-level coursework, and a potential means of saving tuition dollars in the long run. Tuition is free. There is no cost to the student.

Students seeking college credit may have no more than six absences each semester. Students should be aware upon taking any dual-credit course, they are beginning a college transcript that will be a part of their permanent academic record beyond high school.

College Connection is a scholarship program for qualified high school juniors and seniors. Students may take approved courses on a part-time basis at MVCC’s Utica or Rome campus. In order to participate students must have a GPA of 80 percent or higher and be experiencing no academic or attendance difficulties. College Connections courses cannot be used to fulfill high school graduation requirements.

The Regional Program for Excellence offers high school seniors the opportunity to explore diverse careers. Students may have the opportunity to assist a veterinarian, observe surgery or contribute to architectural drawings. These and many more experiences are available for students in this unique program through a mentor/student internship relationship. Students are selected based on their class ranking and counselor recommendation.

Syracuse University Project Advance (SUPA) is an educational program that provides high school students with the opportunity to take Syracuse University courses in their own high school during the regularly scheduled day. After successful completion of the course(s) they can request to transfer the credits they earn into the colleges/universities they attend after high school. Tuition is charged for these courses, but at a dramatically reduced rate. Students enrolling in SUPA courses must register with Syracuse University.

All internships that take place during the school day must originate through an approved BOCES program, or be arranged through the BOCES career specialist.