English I (one credit) This course concentrates on the fundamental language skills of reading, writing, conventions of written and oral language, research, and listening/speaking in an effort to build a foundation for student success in the continuing English classes. Students practice both reading and writing as a process and perform an array of reading strategies as they work to become proficient in understanding and responding appropriately to a variety of texts. Students refine their reading comprehension skills through the study of fiction, literary nonfiction, poetry, drama, and informational text throughtout the year. Students write for varied audiences and purposes and work to develop ideas, voice, word choice, fluency, and organization in their writing while applying conventions of the English language. Throughout the year, students develop skills to enhance media literacy. This course will prepare students for successful completion of the End of Course (EOC)* exam also known as the STAAR** (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) test. English I Pre-AP (one credit) This course is designed for students who desire advanced level course work and who want to be prepared for later AP courses. Our goal at JFKHS is to help each student be successful in taking course work that meets their needs. Students taking this course must be highly self-motivated and responsible. They must be willing to spend additional time outside the realm of the normal classroom workload in order to complete required course work. Students must complete any required summer assignment prior to the first day of class. This course concentrates on the fundamental language skills of reading, writing, conventions of written and oral language, research, and listening/speaking in an effort to build a foundation for student success in advanced (AP/Dual credit) high school English classes. Students practice both reading and writing as a process, use reading strategies proficiently in order to interpret and analyze a variety of texts. Students refine their writing skills through the use of timed writing, dialectical notes, socratic seminars and reader response activities. Writing is expected for varied audiences and purposes and in order to develop ideas, voice, word choice, fluency and organization while enforcing the conventions of the English language. Throughout the year, students develop skills to enhance media literacy. This course will prepare students for the successful completion of the EOC* (End of Course) exam also known as the STAAR** (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) test. *EOC (End of Course) This is another name for the STAAR test. Incoming first time 9th grade students (for the 2011-2012 and consecutive school years) are required to pass all (total of 12) EOC's for the content areas of English Language Arts (4), Math (4), Science (4) and Social Studies (4). EOC and STAAR are in essence the same test. **STAAR (State of Texas Assessments of Readiness) This exam replaced the TAKS test beginning with the 2011-2012 academic school year. Students are required to pass the exam for each core content area level, and it will count as 15% of the student's course grade. Entering 2011 and consecutive Freshmen will be required to pass all 12 EOC's in addition to obtaining the 26 high school credits required by the state of Texas in order to graduate. ***TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) This exam is the exit level test that must be passed in all four content areas in addition to the required high school credits required by the state of Texas in order to complete graduation. Students who were Freshmen in the 2010-2011 school year will be the last group of students required to pass this test. All 2011-2012 incoming and consecutive Freshmen will use the EOC/STAAR test as their graduation requirement. The last exit level TAKS test is given during a student's Junior year in high school and is offered three times during the school year in the event that the student needs to retake the test during their Senior year. A student will NOT be allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony if this requirement is not met. Students are encouraged to attend TAKS tutoring and be present on all testing dates (noted in the district calendar) in order to ensure maximum opportunity for passing. |
