Course Selection at Saint Joseph Academy
This course bulletin has been prepared to assist students in making informed and responsible selection of courses for the 2009-2010 academic school year. Students should utilize the information contained within these pages and be realistic about their courses in terms of ability, background, interest, and future educational and occupational plans.
Students are encouraged to make their selections bearing in mind the general requirements for graduation as well as the prerequisites required for certain courses. Students should discuss their programs with their parents, their teachers, and their counselors before making their final decisions.
Each course listed in this bulletin is part of the proposed course offerings for the coming school year. However, course offerings will not be finalized until everyone has registered, and courses with insufficient registration will be canceled. In that case, students will be asked to select another course. Scheduling conflicts may also require a particular student to choose an alternative course instead of an original preference.
Once a program has been chosen, the selection will be considered final, and it may be impossible to arrange a change, so students should be certain that their selection is deliberate, serious, and final. After the first full class day, a fee of $25.00 will be assessed for any schedule change. In order to make a course change, parents must give written permission for the change, and the $25.00 fee must be paid at the time of the change.
Schedule changes without a fee will be made if an incorrect class has been scheduled, if a class has been inadvertently omitted from a student’s schedule, or if a teacher recommends that the student take a different course. Schedule changes will not be made so that students can/cannot have a particular teacher. Once the semester has begun, department chairs must also approve the change. All schedule changes must be made by the end of the second full week of class in the semester.
Summer School
Students who fail one or two courses for the year may be given the opportunity to successfully complete that course in summer school, thereby making possible their continued enrollment in Saint Joseph Academy. Students needing summer school are required to take those courses at Saint Joseph Academy. Only when a summer school course is not offered at the Academy is a student allowed to take it elsewhere. Saint Joseph Academy will only recognize and accept for credit those summer school courses pre-authorized for that particular student by the Assistant Principal for Academics. Note: In order to ensure a firm foundation in mathematics, eighth grade students who fail Algebra I will be required to repeat the course in ninth grade, rather than attending summer school for this purpose.
Shortage of Credits
Students are required to make satisfactory progress toward graduation in order to remain enrolled in Saint Joseph Academy. If students are found to be short of the number of credits for graduation, either because they have failed a course or because they have transferred to Saint Joseph Academy, it is their responsibility to make arrangements to make up the loss of credit either through a summer program or by other arrangement such as a correspondence course. Such arrangements must be made with the approval of the Assistant Principal for Academics. A student may only make up a total of 2 credits in this manner.
Transfer Credits
Upon occasion, new Upper Division students will enter Saint Joseph Academy having taken courses for high school credit while they were in the 7th or 8th grade. In order to ensure that all of our Upper Division students have the solid foundation necessary for academic success, Saint Joseph Academy reserves the right to withhold credit for high school courses taken in another junior high school and require that students re-enroll in those courses at Saint Joseph Academy if it is deemed that the student would benefit from this course of action. Such decisions will be made by the school administration, in consultation with the appropriate department chairperson.
Graduation
Diplomas are only granted to those students who have successfully completed the graduation requirements of Saint Joseph Academy. If a senior is short of the requirements at the time of graduation, the student will be allowed to participate in the commencement exercise, but will not receive a signed diploma until such time as the necessary credits have been completed.
Incompletes
A student may be assigned an incomplete grade at the end of a marking period. Normally this is done when the student has been unavoidably out of school due to illness or unable to complete school work due to some unusual circumstance. School policy requires that students make up incompletes within the first two weeks of the next marking period. If the student does not make up the incomplete within the time allowed, the missing work will be assigned a grade of zero, and the course grade will be averaged accordingly. Any exception to this rule must be approved by the principal.
Honors and Advanced Placement Courses
Saint Joseph Academy is proud of its rigorous curriculum in the arts and sciences and offers opportunities for students who seek advanced study through our Advanced Placement and Honors courses. Placement in an Honors or AP course is based on the student’s academic history, teacher recommendations, and departmental approval. Students maintain their placement in Honors or AP courses from year to year on the basis of satisfactory academic performance as well as through demonstration of the initiative and dedication expected of Honors students. Students not currently enrolled in an Honors level course but who would like to be considered for such placement may apply through their current subject area teachers. Applications for Honors and Advanced Placement classes require parent approval. Once the application has been submitted, the request will be reviewed by the school administration, and a decision about placement will be made. Because of the increased difficulty of Honors and Advanced Placement courses, semester grades are weighted as follows: Advanced Placement: 1.10; Honors: 1.05.
Advanced Placement Courses
Specially designated courses developed according to the College Board’s Advanced Placement Program prepare qualified students to take the nationally administered Advanced Placement Tests for college credit. Our Advanced Placement courses currently include:
Course… Offered to
English Language and Composition… Juniors
English Literature and Composition… Seniors
Calculus AB… Juniors/Seniors
Calculus BC… Seniors
Biology… Juniors/Seniors
Chemistry… Juniors/Seniors
Physics… Juniors/Seniors
Spanish Language… Sophomores/Juniors/Seniors
Spanish Literature… Juniors/Seniors
Every student in the AP classes is required to take the AP exam that is given in May. There is a fee for each exam. However, because the school subsidizes these exams, each student is charged according to a scale based on the number of AP classes in which the student is enrolled and billed with the tuition.
Placement in Advanced Placement classes is normally made at the recommendation of the Department Chairperson for the particular discipline. A student who does not receive departmental recommendation may appeal to the Assistant Principal by submitting the AP application form signed by both student and parent(s).
Since the AP curriculum is particularly challenging, it is recommended that students consider carefully the load being carried. Most qualifying students can handle two AP classes in addition to other honors courses and involvement in extra-curricular activities. It takes an exceptional student to handle three or four of these courses, especially in light of other extra-curricular involvement.
Dual Enrollment
Dual enrollment, a program of study offered by Saint Joseph Academy in partnership with The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College, allows high school students to earn college credits for courses taken at Saint Joseph Academy. College credits earned through dual enrollment can be simultaneously applied toward high school and college graduation requirements and may be transferred to other colleges or universities. Dual enrollment courses are college courses, and students should understand that the amount of work necessary to succeed in dual enrollment courses may be greater than that of high school courses. In addition, dual enrollment courses become part of a student’s permanent college transcript. Failing a dual enrollment course or withdrawing from the course after the published deadline will negatively affect a student’s future applications for college admission as well as their eligibility for financial aid. As a result, students and parents should be sure that the student is prepared to accept the serious responsibility associated with dual enrollment. Students must qualify for dual enrollment through a satisfactory score on the SAT or COMPASS test, as well as by teacher recommendation and administrative approval. Students interested in dual enrollment should discuss their options with the Saint Joseph Academy Dual Enrollment Coordinator, the Assistant Principal for Academics, or the Assistant Principal for Curriculum and Instruction. Current dual enrollment offerings include Algebra II (College Algebra), Pre-Calculus, Calculus, and Statistics. Course availability will be based upon demand.
Senior Electives
Seniors must take a full course load and be present for all seven daily class periods. For most seniors, this will mean a minimum of 7.0 credits, 5.0 or 6.0 of which are prescribed courses. Seniors may complete their credit requirements from the electives listed in this course bulletin.
New Science Requirement Beginning with Class of 2011
In accordance with legislation passed by the Texas Legislature and endorsed by the Texas Catholic Conference Education Department, beginning with the Class of 2011, all Saint Joseph Academy graduates will be required to earn four (4) high school credits in science. There are a variety of options available to enable students to fulfill this requirement and retain room in their schedules to pursue special interests through elective courses. Saint Joseph Academy 8th grade students may earn 1.0 high school science credit through satisfactory completion of the Science 8 course offering, Environmental Systems.
Writing Portfolio Requirement
Helping students become skilled writers is an important part of Saint Joseph Academy’s mission of preparing our graduates for success in their college studies. All students in Grades 9 – 12 are required to complete a yearly writing portfolio containing specific samples of their writing. The compilation of the writing portfolio will be under the direction of the student’s English teacher. The completion of the annual writing portfolio is a graduation requirement for all students. Members of the Class of 2010 must have a completed portfolio for Grades 11 and 12; for the Class of 2011, the requirement will include Grades 10, 11, and 12. For the Class of 2012 and subsequent classes, the requirement will include a completed portfolio for each year in Grades 9-12 in which they attended Saint Joseph Academy. Students whose portfolios are incomplete at the end of a semester will not receive an exam pass for semester exams until the portfolio requirement has been met.
MIDDLE DIVISION PROGRAM OF STUDIES
7TH GRADE
Religious Studies
Language Arts 7 *
Mathematics *
Science 7 - Physical Science*
Texas History
Computer Science
Physical Education
Electives **:
Art
Band
Spanish IA***
8TH GRADE
Religious Studies
Language Arts 8 *
Mathematics *
Science 8 – Environmental Systems*
U.S. History through 1877
Physical Education
Health
Electives **:
Art
Band
Spanish IB***
* Math, Science, and Language Arts courses have multiple levels; placement is made by Assistant Principal for Academics based on entrance exam results, previous report card grades, and recommendations.
** Middle Division students may choose one (1) elective. If Band is selected, this course will also satisfy the Physical Education requirement.
***Spanish IA and IB are the equivalent of high school Beginning Spanish and are offered for non-native speakers of Spanish only.
Note: Middle Division students may earn credits toward high school graduation through successful completion of Science 8 – Environmental Systems, Health, and Spanish 1A/1B.
UPPER DIVISION PROGRAM OF STUDIES
Requirements for graduation from Saint Joseph Academy include a total of 28 credits as described below and a completed Writing Portfolio (for portfolio requirement, see p. 7):
Class of 2010
Religion 4.0 credits, Health 0.5 credit
English 4.0 credits, Fine Arts 1.0 credit
Mathematics 4.0 credits, Computer Science 1.0 credit
Science 3.0 credits, Physical Education 1.0 credits
Social Studies 4.0 credits, Fitness 0.5 credit
Target Language 3.0 credits, Speech 0.5 credit
Electives 1.5 credits
Class of 2011, Class of 2012, Class of 2013
Religion 4.0 credits, Health 0.5 credit
English 4.0 credits, Fine Arts 1.0 credit
Mathematics 4.0 credits, Computer Science 1.0 credit
Science 4.0 credits*, Physical Education 1.0 credits
Social Studies 4.0 credits, Fitness 0.5 credit
Target Language 3.0 credits, Speech 0.5 credit
Electives 0.5 credit
*new requirement beginning with Class of 2011
9TH GRADE
Religion 1.0 credit
English 1.0 credit
Math 1.0 credit
Science 1.0 credit
T. Lang. I 1.0 credit
Geography 1.0 credit
PE/Fitness 0.5 credit
Fine Art or *Health 0.5 credit
10TH GRADE
Religion 1.0 credit
English 1.0 credit
Math 1.0 credit
Science 1.0 credit
T. Lang. II 1.0 credit
World History 1.0 credit
PE/Fitness 0.5 credit
Speech or Fine Art 0.5 credit
11TH GRADE
Religion 1.0 credit
English 1.0 credit
Math 1.0 credit
Science 1.0 credit
T. Lang III 1.0 credit
Am. History 1.0 credit
Computer Science 1.0 credit
12TH GRADE
Religion 1.0 credit
English 1.0 credit
Math 1.0 credit
Science (2011+) 1.0 credit*
Economics 0.5 credit
Government 0.5 credit
Fine Art 0.5 credit
PE 0.5 credit
Computer Science 1.0 credit *
Electives 1.0/2.0 credits
*unless satisfied at SJA in Grade 8 Computer Science 1.0 credit**
**unless satisfied in Grade 11 Electives 1.0/2.0 credits