High School
In the BHSEC program, students spend what is traditionally ninth and tenth grade finishing the bulk of their high school work. Students take the five Regents exams required for the High School Regents diploma, which they receive in addition to the Associates of Arts degree from Bard College. Unlike most New York City high schools, however, BHSEC does not offer courses tailored to prepare students for the Regents, nor are there any Advanced Placement (AP) courses offered (as the last two years are spent in an accredited college program). In order to complete the high school curriculum in two years, courses are taught at an accelerated pace.
During the freshman fall semester, students are enrolled in Introduction to Foreign Languages, where they experience three foreign languages: Latin, Spanish, Chinese. At the end of the semester, students choose the language they wish to study further.
Additionally, in freshman year, students sample the arts that are offered. Students take visual arts and theater for one half a semester each, and take music and dance together, on alternating days, for a semester. At the end of the year, they are given courses to choose from for the following year. Some of these courses are drum circle, chamber music, studio art, Chinese calligraphy, theater for social change, storytelling, the search in research, and rock ensemble. Introduction to the Arts is similar to the Introduction to Foreign Languages course, where each class contributes to the final grade. This program began in the fall of 2006.
As of the fall 2008 semester, the high school science curriculum has been revamped. 9th graders take a full year's course of Physics and then can either choose Chemistry or Biology for 10th grade. In the following year, they will take the subject that they opted out of in 10th grade.
BHSEC does not rank its students and does not honor titles such as Valedictorian, nor does it implement a Dean's list.
Read more about this topic: Bard High School Early College
Famous quotes containing the words high and/or school:
“We approached the Indian Island through the narrow strait called “Cook.” He said, “I ‘xpect we take in some water there, river so high,—never see it so high at this season. Very rough water there, but short; swamp steamboat once. Don’t paddle till I tell you, then you paddle right along.” It was a very short rapid. When we were in the midst of it he shouted “paddle,” and we shot through without taking in a drop.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Children in home-school conflict situations often receive a double message from their parents: “The school is the hope for your future, listen, be good and learn” and “the school is your enemy. . . .” Children who receive the “school is the enemy” message often go after the enemy—act up, undermine the teacher, undermine the school program, or otherwise exercise their veto power.”
—James P. Comer (20th century)