Academics
A typical school day at Upper St. Clair High School runs from 7:30 a.m. to 2:20 p.m., and is divided into 16 25-minute modules, or "mods," plus a 10-minute "homeroom" period at the start of the day. Generally, two mods corresponds to one "credit." Most courses are worth two credits and meet for ten mods a week.The school requires students to complete 45 credits to graduate. Of these, 28 credits must be in academic courses, including English (four years), mathematics (three years), science (three years), social studies (three years), and courses in the arts and/or humanities (two years).
USCHS students may choose to enroll in Advanced Placement (AP) courses to experience college-level academics and potentially earn college credit for passing AP exams. A 2009 report found that 32.9% of 12th graders enrolled in at least one Advanced Placement (AP) course, with 83.9% of those students passing at least one AP exam.
The school also offers an International Baccalaureate (IB) program. A 2009 report found that 21.7% of 12th graders had taken and passed at least one IB test. Among participants in the IB program, 84.6% passed at least one IB test. Of the entire 12th grade class surveyed, 3.3% earned an IB diploma.
In the Class of 2006, 96.8% of USCHS's graduating seniors took the SAT, and the mean scores were 561 out of 800 for the verbal component and 581 out of 800 for the mathematics component. Forty-four percent of graduating seniors took the ACT, and the mean composite score was 24.9 out of 36. In the Class of 2008, 15 students were National Merit Scholarship Program semi-finalists and finalists, and 15 students were commended.
A survey of seniors in the Class of 2005 found that 98% planned to attend a college or university following graduation.
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Famous quotes containing the word academics:
“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)
“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)