School Board Briefed on New Program of Studies at Mt. Hope High

All ninth-grade English and social studies classes at Mt. Hope High School will now be “college prep” or higher.

Advanced placement French will be added to the foreign language offerings but Italian is being dropped because of a projected lack of enrollment.

The traditional pathway for mathematics for ninth-graders entering the high school is being changed, with students who take algebra 1 in eighth grade going to geometry as freshmen. 

These are a few of the changes to the program of studies at the high school that the Bristol Warren Regional School Committee was briefed on at its meeting this week by Jennifer Copeland, assistant principal for guidance. 

“I’m really excited about the improvements and the changes,” said Copeland. “It’s the result of a lot of curriculum work.”

“I think we’re really honing in on the best education we can offer,” said School Committee member John Saviano of Warren after Copeland’s presentation.

Here is a summation of the changes: 

English/Language Arts/Reading

More explicit guidelines for ninth-grade placements.

Course on introduction to college reading and writing that is aligned to Common Core State Standards added.

Advanced placement Engish/language arts and composition added.

All ninth- grade English will be at a college prep or higher level

Social studies:

All courses at the ninth grade will be college prep or higher.

Foreign languages

AP French added to go along with AP Spanish (Spanish 4 & French 4 are now AP)

Italian being dropped due to a projected lack of enrollment

Mathematics

Typical pathways for incoming ninth-graders have changed.

Students who completed algebra 1 in eighth-grade will go to geometry in ninth-grade; the sequence of courses stays the same.

Math labs will be semester courses for students who need additional support.

Science:

Pathways have changed to become more aligned to Next Generation Science Standards and Dana Center recommendations.

An integrated physical earth and space science course for all ninth-graders is being added.

Chemistry will be taken in 10th-grade

Biology will be taken in 11th-grade 

Technology and engineering:

Introduction to college engineering and technology will be added as part of the CCRI STEM Connect program. Students will get credit for it.

STEM endorsement:

A STEM focused junior/senior project is being added, which could lead to internships or apprenticeships and connections to Rhode Island College and Roger Williams University.

Arts and Applied Arts:

Accounting 2 is being dropped due to lack of enrollment

Marketing and Publishing course is being added.

Revisions are being made to Digital Portfolio; it will become two courses:

 Introduction to DP designed to meet underclass needs.

 Professional presentation and DP designed to meet upperclass needs with a focus   on creating professional presentations.

Art 2 is being redesigned and renamed Two-Dimensional Design

Sculpture is being redesigned and renamed Three-Dimensional Design

AP art courses are now accurately described so that students elect the strand prior to beginning of each course – students need to pick a concentration.