Here at Career High School students can choose between two magnet themes: Health/Science or Business/Technology.
Decisions are made at the end of freshman year. It will determine the courses the student will take in the future.
Advanced Courses:
Advanced Placement (AP) Courses:
The Advanced Placement Program provides highly motivated high school students with the opportunity to take college-level courses in a high school setting. Students not only gain college-level skills, but in some cases may also earn college credit, dependent on their AP test score and the college attended. Hill Regional Career’s college-level (curriculum and expectations) Advanced Placement courses are open and available only to qualified, teacher-recommended students in grades 10, 11, and 12. AP examinations, given nationally in May at a time and date specified by the College Board, will be taken by all registered students.
Student motivation, student performance, teacher recommendation and CAPT scores are considered for student placement into an AP course. In addition, these placements must be screened and are subject to final approval by Guidance and Administration.
Parental consent/signature is necessary for placement in each AP course, along with acknowledgement that students will take the AP Exam in May at HRCHS on a day/time nationally specified by College Board.
Students and parents will sign an “AP Student Contract” for each AP class at the start of that course. Please note: Students not completing the required “AP Student Contract” at the start of the course will be dropped from the course.
The New Haven Public School District, in conjunction with the Connecticut State Department of Education, pays for Advanced Placement Examination Fees. However, it should be noted that registered AP students not taking the AP Examination/s will incur an obligation current with the testing costs of that year. This cost will be filed as a financial obligation, and must be fulfilled prior to release of grades, transcripts, schedules, or diplomas.
Students earn the highest level of quality points for grades earned in all AP courses.
AP courses offered at Hill Regional Career High School:
AP English Language (Jr)
AP English Literature (Sr)
AP Calculus A/B
AP Psychology
AP Statistics
AP Spanish Language
AP U.S. History
AP Biology
AP Chemistry
AP U.S. Government and Politics
AS STATED ABOVE,
ALL REGISTERED AP STUDENTS
WILL TAKE
THE REQUIRED AP EXAM.
Independent Study and Seminar Program (ISSP) Courses:
What is it?
Independent Study and Seminar Program (ISSP) is one of Connecticut’s oldest and most established high school programs for talented and gifted students, having been in continuous existence since 1967. It is a program for gifted and potentially gifted high school students. It may include a seminar, a college course, special Yale-affiliated program, or Independent Study coursework, and/or independent writing/research/project with a Hill Regional Career Magnet High School mentor or coordinating teacher.
PLEASE NOTE: ISSP courses are not taken or offered in place of any course currently offered in the Hill Regional Career Magnet High School Course Selection Guide. That is to say, for example, a student cannot take, on an ISSP basis, “English 3” or “Algebra I” or “US History I”, etc., if that course is in the Course Selection Guide. Thus, when planning for courses to be taken next year, students and parents should plan as prudently as possible to address core curriculum requirements and the student’s Hill Regional magnet program curricular focus requirements. By its nature and its definition, ISSP cannot function as an extension of the school’s basic curriculum.
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Health/Science | Business | Course Selection
HRCHS School-Wide Rubric Standards (PDF)
Click Here For Student Academy Applications (PDF)
Philosophy and Goals:
ISSP’s philosophy and goals are similar to those of Hill Regional Career High School in that we place students first and respond to their needs and interests. ISSP has made a commitment to help students grow in self-awareness, in academic preparation, in practical experience and responsibility. ISSP believes that learning is an active, on-going process. Additionally, it is our unique belief that one can use a student’s interest as a springboard towards developing that student’s academic potential to the fullest.
The overall objective of ISSP is to help students become independent learners by:
learning how to pursue a subject on one’s own and transfer that knowledge to other areas of study;
focusing on interests and goals;
utilizing learning strategies and connections in learning;
extrapolating, synthesizing, and interpreting critically;
learning by understanding that one question leads to others;
developing creativity in problem solving;
noting the value of interdisciplinary studies;
finding a course of study not provided in the regular classroom;
encouraging “give and take” in group discussions;
learning through experience outside the classroom;
fostering originality and inventiveness;
recognizing that failures, frustrations, setbacks, and successes are part of the learning process;
developing humility and open-mindedness;
developing a sense of responsibility and an ability for self-evaluation; appreciating the emotional involvement in the learning process.
Application Process:
Students taking an Independent Study course are required to complete a written proposal prior to the beginning of their course which includes: course goals and objectives, course particulars detailing content, including text/s, exam/s, presentation/s, project/s and scope, specific explanations on how the student’s grade will be assessed, and the expected outcome for the student in terms of the relevancy of course to student’s needs and studies. The ISSP Coordinator and the proposed teacher of the course can guide/assist with this, but this is the prospective student’s responsibility. After completing the proposal, it must be approved by the Coordinating Teacher, Independent Study Coordinator, ISSP Administrator, and parent. Also used in evaluating the student for an IS course are teacher recommendations, previous grades, test scores on Differential Aptitude Tests (DATs) and Torrance Test of Creativity (exams given to only freshmen and sophomore students recommended by teacher or guidance counselor), PSATs, SATs, demonstrated special projects, and personal interviews. These are among the criteria used in accordance with state guidelines.
How Should Students Proceed?
Students should check first with their guidance counselor to verify that the possible IS course is not in the current Course Selection Guide and that Guidance has given its approval. Students must then speak with the ISSP Coordinator to discuss the preliminaries of the proposed course. The student is then given the ISSP Course Proposal for completion; if the proposal is appropriately completed and addresses the student’s academic endeavor, the course may be approved.
Click Here For Student Academy Applications (PDF) |
