Academics
In 2008, OPRF had an average composite ACT score of 23.5, and graduated 94.3% of its senior class. OPRF has not made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) on the Prairie State Achievement Examination, which with the ACT forms the assessment tools used by the state of Illinois to fulfill the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. While the school overall made AYP, one of the school's five student subgroups failed to achieve AYP in both reading and math. One other student subgroup failed to meet AYP in reading, while another failed to meet AYP in mathematics.
Students are required to earn 43 semester credits in order to graduate, with exceptions granted for students with certain IEPs.
| Subject | Credits | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| English (language/literature) | 8 | |
| Mathematics | 6 | 2 credits in algebra & 2 credits in geometry |
| Science | 4 | 2 credits must be in a laboratory science |
| History | 4 | 2 credits in world history & 2 credits in American history |
| World languages/cultures | 1 | |
| Fine/Performing arts | 1 | |
| Applied arts | 1 | |
| Computer proficiency | 1 | students may fulfill this requirement through testing |
| Driver education | 1 | |
| Consumer education | 1 | students may fulfill this requirement through testing |
| Health education | 1 | |
| Physical education | 7 | |
| Electives | 7 |
Academic courses are offered in three levels: accelerated/honors, regular/college preparatory, and basic/transition.
The following Advanced Placement courses are offered:
| Course | Notes | Course | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economics | English Language and Composition | ||
| Art History | English Literature and Composition | ||
| Studio Art | Music Theory | ||
| American History | Government | ||
| European History | Psychology | ||
| Statistics | Calculus | ||
| Computer Science | AB | Environmental Science | |
| Chemistry | Biology | ||
| Physics | C | French | |
| Italian | Spanish |
Certain advanced, industrial, and consumer education courses are eligible for either dual or articulated credit through Triton College.
In the study of world languages, students may choose from French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish. Except for Mandarin, there are chapters of each language's national honor society at the school for students with a high level of achievement in that language.
Over the summer, there are opportunities for elective credit courses that involve extensive travel and field work. Among these courses are working with health care professionals, and business, as well as field geology and field biology in tropical, marine, and arctic environments.
The top 5% of the junior class and top 15% of the senior class are eligible to join the Cum Laude Society.
OPRF has been listed six times on Newsweek's top 1500 American public schools, as measured by the Challenge Index. In 2009, the school was ranked #549. In previous years, the school was ranked No. 554 (2003), No. 590 (2005), No. 501 (2006), No. 688 (2007), and No. 379 (2008).
On October 31, 1907, the school's orchestra was founded. While more common today, Oak Park was one of the first schools to offer credit toward graduation based on student performance in the orchestra.
Within OPRFHS,the OPRF School of Business was created in 2003. Many students successfully transition to excellent university business schools such as Indiana University, Oklahoma University, and Princeton University. Current members of the OPRF School of Business include: Pete Hostrawser, Douglas Belpedio, Brian Davis, Nancy Bardo, Rob Potts, Jessica Howell, and Derrick Purvis.
Read more about this topic: Oak Park And River Forest High School
Famous quotes containing the word academics:
“Almost all scholarly research carries practical and political implications. Better that we should spell these out ourselves than leave that task to people with a vested interest in stressing only some of the implications and falsifying others. The idea that academics should remain “above the fray” only gives ideologues license to misuse our work.”
—Stephanie Coontz (b. 1944)
“Our first line of defense in raising children with values is modeling good behavior ourselves. This is critical. How will our kids learn tolerance for others if our hearts are filled with hate? Learn compassion if we are indifferent? Perceive academics as important if soccer practice is a higher priority than homework?”
—Fred G. Gosman (20th century)