Madison High School

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Attendance Guide & Procedures

SCHOOL: James Madison High School is one of nine comprehensive high schools in Portland Public Schools. We serve neighborhood students and many transfer students grades 9-12. Campus demographics: White/Not Hispanic: 38.9% Black/African American: 20.8%, Native American: 2%, Asian: 13.4%, Pacific Islander: 2.2%, Latino/Hispanic: 19.6%, Multiple: 3.2%

SCHOOL ORGANIZATION: Three days a week, 85 minute block periods run four times a day. Two days a week, 70 minute block periods run four times a day. Students can enroll in up to 8 classes. Madison uses an 18 week semester calendar. Each semester course can earn 0.5 credit.

CLASS OF 2012 GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS: Twenty-four credits are required for graduation (0.5 credits for each semester course successfully passed), though Madison students are encouraged to work beyond core requirements. Courses required for graduation are as follows:

            Language Arts               4 credits           Mathematics                          3 credits

            Social Science              3 credits           World languages                     2 credits

            Laboratory Science        3 credits           Health Education                    1 credit

            Physical Education        1 credit             Electives*                              7 credits

* 1.0 of elective credit must be earned in fine arts, a 3^rd year of a world language, or career & technical education.

MARKING SYSTEM: Grades (A through F) are given twice a year, at the end of the fall semester in January and at the end of the spring semester in June. The grade point average, computed at the end of the sixth semester, includes all subjects in which a student has received a letter grade. The transcript reflects a standard and weighted GPA/Rank. Weighted GPA is calculated by adding one point for each AP course completed (beginning 2^nd semester 2009-10).

A          (4 points)          (5 pts)              P/Pass*                       (no points)        NP/no pass**               

B          (3 points)          (4 pts)              WX/Withdraw*              (no points)        WF/Withdraw/Fail**       

C          (2 points)          (3 pts)              NG/No grade*               (no points)                   

D          (1 point)            (2 pts)              INC/Incomplete*           (no points)       

F          (0 points)          (0 pts)                         

*P, WX, and INC designations are not calculated in the cumulative GPA.

**Students receiving a NP, WF elected to drop the course after the first 3 weeks of the semester. WF and NP designations are calculated in the cumulative GPA.

CLASS OF 2011: Of the class of 121 graduates, 46% planned to enter a four-year college or university while another 39% planned to attend a community college. Graduates have had final transcripts sent to the following institutions of higher education:

Boston University                  Johns Hopkins University         University of Portland           Univ of Puget Sound

Brigham Young University      Lewis & Clark College              Portland Comm College       University of San Diego

Carnegie Mellon University     Linfield College                        Portland State University      Western Oregon Univ

Clackamas Comm College     New York University                Reed College                       Whitman College

Concordia University              Northern Arizona University      Scripps College                   Willamette University

Cornell University                   Northwest Nazarene                Seattle Pacific University

Dartmouth University              Oregon State University           Seattle University

George Fox University            Pacific Lutheran University       Southern Oregon University

Gonzaga University                Pacific N.W. College of Art       University of Arizona

Gramblin State                      Pacific University                     University of Oregon

CURRICULUM: James Madison High School offers a full range of college preparatory core content

classes as well as unique elective options in the areas of Mathematics, Performing & Visual Arts, Science,

Social Science, and World Languages. Students may challenge themselves by enrolling in Advanced

Placement and Dual Credit courses. Dual Credit courses are taught by Madison faculty who work in

partnership with Portland Community College (see courses below with *).

Language Arts                             Mathematics                                  Science

English 1-2                                  Algebra 1-2                                    Biology 1-2   

English 3-4                                  Geometry 1-2                                 Foundations of Physics & Chemistry

English 5-6                                  Bridges to Advanced Algebra        Chemistry

American Literature Honors         Advanced Algebra 3-4                   Forensic Science

Film & Literature                          Pre-Calculus                                  Physics

Contemporary Writing                  Anatomy & Physiology                   Intro to Sustainable Agriculture

Social Studies                       World Languages           Upper Level Electives

Modern World History            Spanish 1-6                   Top Notes

U.S. History                            German 1-6                   Percussion Ensemble

U.S. Government                   French 1-6                     Men’s Choir

Economics                                                                    Women’s Choir

Advanced Placement & College-Level Courses: Madison High School encourages students to take advanced courses when they feel prepared for the rigor and challenges these courses offer. Students may begin taking AP courses their sophomore year, but most students begin their junior year.

AP Literature & Composition            AP Language & Composition           AP Human Geography

AP Psychology                                 AP Chemistry                                   AP Environmental Science

AP US History                                   AP Calculus AB                                AP Studio Art 2-D

AP Studio Art 3-D                             AP Music Theory                              AP Statistics

Spanish*                                          College Writing 101*

Health Services

Madison’s Health Services program is an Oregon State Approved Professional Technical Program of Portland Public Schools. It is a 4-year program that provides students with basic medical knowledge, medical terminology, and the opportunity to explore a wide variety of medical careers. Our program provides instruction and experiences designed to assist students in qualifying for post-secondary education and for entry-level positions in health care. Upon completion of Madison’s 4-year health services program, the students will receive a health services endorsement in addition to their diploma. They will also receive 1.0 Health Credit if enrolled all four years.

AVID

AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) is an international program designed for students who are underrepresented at 4-year universities. This elective course prepares students for college and the challenging high school courses such as honors and Advanced Placement, which advance learning and open doors. Ninety-five percent of students who complete at least 3 years of AVID enter college and 60% of AVID graduates enter 4-year universities. Students benefit from additional writing tasks, numerous field trips to colleges around the state (and potentially out of state), study skills, and college research. Twice weekly, AVID tutors, who are generally college students, work with small groups and challenge them to think at deeper levels about their course material.