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Decatur High School
Presentation to Parents and Students of
the Class of 2018
March 31, 2014
Decatur High School
Contacts
Jason Cochran—Principal
Sheila McCollum—Assistant Principal, Students A-G
Steven Valkenaar—Assistant Principal, Students H-N
Cindy Bauter—Assistant Principal, Students O-Z
Neal Hall—Counselor, Students A-L
Paige Liggett—Counselor, Students M-Z
Rene’ Fuller—STAAR/ACT/SAT, College & Career Readiness
High School Bell Schedule
Mon/Tues/Wed
Thursday
Tutorials—7:30
1st 8:00-8:48
Tutorials—7:30
2nd 8:52-9:40
3rd 9:44-10:32
4th 10:36-11:27
5th 11:31-12:19
Lunch 12:19-12:58
6th 1:03-1:52
7th 1:56-2:44
8th 2:48-3:35
2nd 8:00-9:30
4th 9:35-11:10
6th 11:15-12:45
Lunch 12:45-1:30
8th 1:35-3:05
Friday
Tutorials—7:30
1st 8:00-9:30
3rd 9:35-11:10
5th 11:15-12:45
Lunch 12:45-1:30
7th 1:35-3:05
Students will be able to earn 8 credits each year.
What is House Bill 5?
Legislation passed by the 83rd Legislature
that relates to high school graduation
Contains new graduation requirements
and expectations for students
Reduces the number of state end of
course assessments required for high
school students to graduate
The Plan for the Class of 2018
All students will begin on the Multidisciplinary
Endorsement with a generic 4-year plan.
During student’s freshman year, counselors will have a
mandatory meeting with student and parent to finalize
student’s graduation plan and anticipated courses.
Parent signature will be obtained at this meeting to
comply with state law.
We recommend that all students complete requirements
for the Distinguished Level of Achievement (qualifies
student for Top 10% and automatic admission), which
includes earning at least one endorsement and
successful completion of Algebra 2.
DHS Requirements for
Multidisciplinary Endorsement with
Distinguished Level of Achievement
26 Total Credits
English 1, 2, 3, & 4
Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, 4th Math
Biology, Chemistry, Physics, 4th Science
World Geography, World History, US History,
Government/Economics
2 credits of Spanish
1 PE credit
1 Fine Art credit
6 elective credits
Performance
Acknowledgements
Students may earn Performance Acknowledgements
for outstanding performance in the following areas:
AP, PSAT, ACT-Plan, SAT, ACT Exams
Bilingualism and Biliteracy
Dual Credit Courses
Nationally or internationally recognized business or industry
certification or license
Performance Acknowledgements are like Advanced
Measures from the previous Distinguished Plan, and
students will be required to submit documentation to
have them included on transcript and diploma.
End of Course Exams
In addition to completing required courses,
students must also meet passing standards for
the following state assessments:
English I (Reading/Writing combined)
English II (Reading/Writing combined)
Algebra I
Biology
US History
Notes on Graduation
Requirements
The Texas Education Agency is in
the process of publishing the new
graduation requirements.
To access the latest information,
please visit the TEA website at
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/graduation.aspx.
Scheduling Procedures
8th graders will complete freshman year course
requests with guidance from counselors on April
3rd, 4th, 10th, and 11th.
The courses you write down that day will be
entered in Skyward by counselors, so PLEASE
TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY.
The master schedule is generated from these
requests, so changes to your schedule after
requests have been processed are seldom
approved.
IN OTHER WORDS, THE COURSES YOU
WRITE DOWN ON THAT DAY ARE THE
COURSES YOU WILL BE TAKING YOUR
FRESHMAN YEAR.
When scheduling has been completed, you will be
able to view your schedule on Skyward Family
Access.
All requests to change your schedule must be
made by Thursday, August 7th.
Only LEGITIMATE requests will be considered.
(Requests from students and/or parents for a
specific teacher will NOT be considered.)
Administrative changes to schedules may occur up
until the first day of school, so please check
Skyward for the most current schedule.
All changes are subject to review/approval by
principals and are dependent upon class size and
other factors.
Freshman Electives
BIM (Business Information
Management)
DIM (Digital and Interactive
Media)
Choir
Show Choir (must also be
in Choir and approved by
Choir Director)
Art 1
Theater 1
Journalism (pre-req for
ENRT (Energy and Natural
Newspaper and Yearbook)
team)
Resources Technology—intro
to Ag and Auto Tech)
Drill Team (must be on
Band
Jazz Band (must also be
Cheerleading (must be
in Band and approved by Band
Director)
PE or Athletics
on team)
Athletics
The following sports currently have an
athletic period during the school day:
Football
Volleyball
Basketball
Cross Country
Softball
Baseball
Swimming
All other sports are offered outside the
school day. Talk to your coach prior to the
start of the season if you plan to earn PE
credit through an outside sport.
Designation of Courses
for Class Ranking
Beginning with the freshman class of 2014-15, the only
courses that count in GPA are core academic courses
and Spanish, which are listed in the Course Description
Handbook.
If a course is not listed in the 4 or 5 point chart, it does
not factor into GPA.
For the freshman class of 2014-15 only, Algebra 1 and
Spanish 1 will NOT count in GPA whether taken in
middle school or high school.
More detailed information can be accessed from the Course
Description Handbook posted on the DHS website under
“Campus Information” and “Counseling Center.”
5 Point Classes
Algebra II Honors
English III & IV AP
US Government AP
Biology Pre-AP
English III & IV (Dual)
US Government (Dual)
Biology AP
Geometry Honors
US History AP (Dual)
Calculus AB AP
Physics Pre-AP
W. Geography Honors
Chemistry Honors
Physics 1 AP
W. History Honors
College Algebra (Dual) Pre Calculus Pre-AP
Economics Honors
Spanish 3, 4, 5 Honors
English I & II Pre-AP
Trigonometry (Dual)
Any other courses
designated in Course
Description Book
Advanced Courses
Honors and Pre-AP courses are extremely
rigorous and require additional work both in and
out of class.
Do not sign up for these courses unless you
are highly committed and motivated to
complete the additional work at an advanced
level.
If your grade is less than 70 at 3 weeks or 6
weeks, you will be moved to a regular class.
If your grade is less than 75 at semester, you will
be moved to a regular class.
4 Point Classes
Academic Core Courses –
Mod/Alt
Algebra I & II
Anatomy and Physiology
English I, II, III, IV
Pre-Calculus
Environmental Systems
Geometry
Integrated Physics &
Chemistry
Math Models
Spanish I, II
Statistics & Risk
Management
US History
Biology
Physics
Chemistry
Economics/US Government
W. Geography (required
elective)
W. History
Beginning with the 2014-15 Any Other Courses
8th grade class, ANY Course Designated to Be Used as
that counts in GPA at HS will Core Academic Courses (will
count in GPA no matter
be updated yearly in Course
where/how/when it was
Description Book)
taken (CBE,
correspondence, summer
school, middle school, etc.)
Weighted GPA System
SCALE
AP, Dual, Honors &
PAP
Regular
98-100 A+
94-97 A
90-93 A88-89 B+
84-87 B
80-83 B78-79 C+
75-77 C
70-74 C*0-69 F
5.00
4.75
4.50
4.25
4.00
3.75
3.50
3.25
3.00
0.00
4.00
3.75
3.50
3.25
3.00
2.75
2.50
2.25
2.00
0.00
Fish Camp
Will be held in August just prior to
beginning of the 2014-2015 school year.
Detailed information will be disseminated
to parents in July.
Accessing Information
Skyward Family Access
Student Gaggle email
Announcements are updated daily on
the Decatur High School website
(accessed via drop down menu from the
DISD main website).
Contact Information
A-L: [email protected]
393-7209
M-Z: [email protected]
393-7207
STAAR/ACT/SAT, College/Career:
[email protected]
393-7208
Main campus number: 393-7200
All information can be accessed on
our website:
www.decaturisd.us.
Select a School: Decatur High School
Campus Information
Counseling Center
What should I do now?
Talk with your student about what courses
he/she should take next year
Regular or Honors?
Choose electives
Choose at least one alternate
Check requests in Skyward and inform
counselor if there is a mistake (announcement
will be made when requests are ready to view)
Attend meeting with counselor during
student’s freshman year