General Information

COURSE LOAD

A typical student schedule will consist of at least seven subjects, including English and physical education/health.  A minimum of 35 credits must be scheduled each year. Students select the subjects to be taken with the assistance of counseling and teaching personnel and the approval of their parents.  The appropriate choice of subjects should be a matter for serious thought, as it frequently provides essential background for advanced study or for entry into certain careers.

COURSE OFFERINGS

All courses are offered subject to sufficient enrollment, sufficient staffing, and availability of facilities.  The Board of Education reserves the right to cancel any course due to insufficient enrollment, lack of staff, or unavailability of facilities.

A student who wishes to take a course not offered at the home school may be transported during the school day to the other school for the specific blocks when that subject is offered.  Transportation arrangements may also be made to accommodate students enrolled in courses with fewer than fifteen participants. These classes may be combined and held only at one school.  In general, scheduling preferences will be given to upperclassmen for courses which are available at several grade levels. Preference may be also be given to underclassmen completing a CTE sequence. Certain courses may be taken on a pass/fail or audit basis. Independent study and credit by examination are also available.  Complete details regarding these options are available in the school counseling office.

SCHEDULE CHANGE PROCEDURES

Students are not permitted to change their class schedule unless it is believed to be in their best interest, as determined by all parties concerned. These parties include but are not limited to the student, the parent, the teacher of the present class, the counselor, and the appropriate administrator. 

Scheduling begins in the spring prior to the next school year. Once the scheduling process is complete, the Board of Education reviews the course tallies, assesses the budgetary needs connected to the course tallies, and then approves the schedule to honor the commitments of our students in successfully completing their selected courses. Please note a student's final schedule may differ due to low or high enrollment in a course.  This will be determined during the build process of the master schedule over the summer.

Schedules will not be changed for reasons such as teacher preference, time preference, or A/B Day preference.   There is a waiver process for students who wish to take courses for which they were not recommended. Please note that parent requests to waive their child into a higher-level academic course will ONLY be considered up to June 1stof the school year prior to schedule implementation.  (Incoming freshmen have until June 30th).  Course waiver forms WILL NOT  be accepted after the last day of school in June.  Students cannot waive into a course if they have not completed the required prerquisite coursework. 

Schedule changes may be initiated by the student, parent, teacher of the present class, counselor, or appropriate administrator. Requests for schedule changes should be directed to the student’s counselor, who will then conference with all involved parties. Please find below our schedule change calendar that will be strictly followed.  Please note that a schedule change request could be administratively initiated due to special programming needs.

SCHEDULE CHANGE CALENDAR  

Please note: The district is unable to honor any requests for schedule changes whenever it is operating under a hybrid or virtual model due to social distancing restrictions. 

PRIORITY 1 (Errors, conflicts, etc.): 

Scheduling changes due to computer errors, conflicts, and incorrect coding of course numbers 

Full year courses (all)……………………..…………………….…….…..…….7th school day in September 

First semester courses (all)…………………………………….….….….…...7th school day in September 

Second semester courses (all).…………………………..….....7th school day of the second semester 

PRIORITY 2 (Additions/Withdrawals):

1. Adding course(s), changing from or to Pass/Fail, or from or to Audit 

Full-year courses and first semester courses ………………………………………10th school day in September

Second semester courses ………………………..………...........................................................10th school day of the second semester 

2. Withdrawing from courses without penalty or notation of any kind 

Full Year courses………………………………………………………........................................end of the 1st marking period 

First Semester/Second Semester courses……..midpoint day of the 1st marking period of each semester

3. Withdrawing from courses with a notation of W/F (if failing at the time of withdrawal) or W/P (if passing at  the time of withdrawal) on transcript* 

Full year courses………………………...… after the end of 1st marking period to end of school year 

First Semester/Second Semester courses………after the midpoint day of the 1st marking period to the end of the course 

PRIORITY 3 (Level Changes): 

A level change is switching from one level of a course to another level of the same course (e.g. switching from Algebra 1 CPA  to Algebra 1 CPB). Course level changes must be requested and made by midpoint of the 2nd marking period. Course level changes will only be considered after appropriate classroom interventions have been attempted by both the student and the teacher and will only be made with the approval of the counselor, the supervisor of the department, and the Supervisor of School Counseling. The grades earned while in the one level of the course will be used in calculating the grades of the second level. Raw scores in the first level course will be treated and seen on the report card as if they were earned in the second level. No bonus weighting will be awarded in a course where a student switches from an Honors or AP course to a lower-level course.   In some cases, a level change may not be possible due to class size limitations.

*SPECIAL NOTE: 

A W/F or W/P is noted on the report card and official transcript for those students who withdraw from a course after the established deadline mentioned above. In addition, both W/F & W/P grades are calculated as a "50" in computing class rank and GPA. These guidelines do not apply to attendance policy issues and the withdrawal from class(es) due to excessive absences/cutting.

COURSE LEVELS

There are many things to consider when choosing the levels of courses.  In the Morris Hills Regional District, courses are offered at the College Preparatory level (CPA and CPB), Honors level (H), and  Advanced Placement level (AP).  (Students in the International Baccalaureate Program are also offered courses at the IB level.)

How do you know which level is right for you?   Each of your core teachers will make recommendations for the appropriate levels for you.  Your teachers know the requirements and difficulty of the AP, honors, and college prep levels, and they also know you. They will base their recommendations on your grades, homework, classwork, tests/quizzes, and school attendance. They will also consider how motivated you are to learn and your self-discipline. Your teachers know the academic performance level required to be successful in certain classes in high school and will give a lot of thought to your recommended placement.  If you wish to take a course or level for which you were not recommended, please see your school counselor as soon as possible but before June 1st of the prior school year to discuss your options. 

Your school counselor and your parents are all ready to talk to you about what courses and levels to choose. Remember you have an opportunity to take a variety of challenging courses, so choose wisely.   Your careful selection will provide you with the foundation necessary to sample new fields of study and reach your post-high school goals.

Should I take an honors or AP level course?  A high level of academic independence and personal drive is expected of all students enrolled in honors and AP level classes.  In choosing any honors or AP course you are expected to be self-motivated, interested in studying a subject in depth, willing to do frequent independent work outside the classroom, and display dedication, self-discipline, and a true interest in the subject. Students who wish to enroll in Honors and AP English and/or social studies should be avid readers and competent writers. Honors math and science students must have consistently high grades in mathematics and be willing to devote a great deal of time outside the classroom.

What electives should I choose?  Choosing your electives is another important scheduling decision. Some students choose an elective because it relates to the career direction they will take, while others experiment with a variety of elective courses. Talk to your school counselor about the sequences and prerequisites of the electives before you make a selection.

Can I change my schedule if I change my mind about my coursework?  Yes, students may change courses - within the approved guidelines.  Student courses are selected in January and February of each year and students have from February to May to alter their course selections.  That is three months! A great deal of time and effort goes into the development of master schedules at both schools of nearly 24,000 individual course placements that serve approximately 3000 students.  The master schedule at each high school is arranged in such a way so as to avoid conflicts in students’ schedules. The courses that run are based solely on student selections. Once the master schedule is developed, class size limits and course availability will limit a student's ability to change courses.  School counselors are available throughout the summer to make final changes to student schedules; however, only limited changes will be made to a student schedule after school begins in September. Think carefully about your choices. After the master schedule is created we might not be able to make the changes you would like.  

COURSE LEVELS AND CHANGE PROCEDURE

All students should enroll at the highest possible level of coursework in which they can be successful.  Parents/guardians are encouraged to consider the level placement recommendations from teachers, department supervisors, and school counselors. Course level changes must be made by the midpoint of the second marking period and all level changes require the approval of the parent/guardian, school counselor, the department supervisor, and the Supervisor of School Counseling.  Level changes will only be considered after appropriate interventions have been attempted by both the student and the classroom teacher.  In some cases, a level change may not be possible due to class size limitations. 

The grades earned while in the previous level of a course will be used in calculating the grades in the new level.  

A Request for Level Change form must be completed for all level changes.  This form is available from the student's school counselor. 

All course prerequisites will be strictly enforced. All prerequisites are listed on the Program of Studies website. 

CLASS RANK/GPA

PHILOSOPHY

It is the philosophy of the Morris Hills Regional District that class rank is a comparative rating of students based upon a student’s overall high school effort and that the quality of effort be taken into account via increased weighting for advanced placement and advanced/honors courses, with AP and IB courses receiving more weight than other advanced/honors classes. All numerically-graded courses except physical education count towards class rank and GPA. (Graded courses also include MHRD Summer Acceleration, GT/Independent study courses with numerical grades, and credit by exam.) Finally, since the philosophy of the district is that ours are comprehensive high schools, all other graded courses, whether academic or occupational, count towards class rank and GPA in accordance with their credit value.

GUIDELINES

• The “Grade Point” method is used for computation of class rank and GPA.

• The addition of points to the numerical grade for GPA  and rank calculation for advanced courses are as follows:

    -  5 points will be added for  honors level courses which are not AP or IB courses.

           -10 points will be added for  Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses.

           -students must successfully complete an honors or AP/IB class with at least a  70 in order to earn  bonus weighting in the GPA. Students who change levels from AP/Honors                      to a lower level course during the year will not earn any bonus weighting. 

• Grades for health are included in class rank/GPA computation.

• Grades for physical education are not included in class rank/GPA computation.

• The grade of a student removed from a class under the provisions of the district attendance policy will be included in class rank computation (appears on the report card as D/F or D/P) and will be counted as a “50” for class rank/GPA computation.

• The grade of a student who withdraws from a class after the established deadline will be included in class rank computation and will be counted as a “50” for class rank/GPA computation.

SUPPLEMENTAL PROGRAMS

CHALLENGER PROGRAM is offered through the County College of Morris and permits students to take college coursework  on campus at CCM for credit.  Dual enrollment credit is also available for certain high school courses through County College of Morris,  Fairleigh Dickinson University, Seton Hall University, and New Jersey Institute of Technology.  Interested students should see their school counselor for more information. 

STATE SEAL OF BILITERACY is a state program that allows students to earn a bilingual endorsement to their high school diploma.  Students who can demonstrate proficiency in English and a world language between the second half of junior year and winter of senior year can earn a certificate and a seal on their transcript.  Additional information is available in the School Counseling Office. 

TITLE I PROGRAMS are available at Morris Hills High School for students who meet the academic guidelines.  The programs are offered in Language Arts and/or Mathematics to students who need additional assistance in these areas.